Press Release
Consumer Reports Survey: Comfort, Convenience, and Cupholders
03/18/97
For the first time, Consumer Reports readers rate auto comfort and
convenience Just how important are driving position or a cupholder?
YONKERS, NY- For the first time this year, Consumer Reports asked its
readers to assess the overall comfort and convenience of their cars.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class topped Most Comfortable, the BMW 7-series
(V8, V12) Most Convenient, the GEO Metro Least Comfortable, and the
Isuzu Rodeo (V6) Least Convenient, according to the magazine's 1996
Annual Questionnaire results, which appear in the April Auto issue.
For some drivers, car comfort means luxury - leather seats and
state-of-the-art technology. For others, it's a hatch door that's
easy to open and close. For Consumer Reports, comfort includes such
factors as seats, driving position, and roominess. Convenience
includes features like cupholders, courtesy lights, and coin holders.
In the 1996 Annual Questionnaire, Consumer Reports readers rated their
1995 models for comfort and convenience. The following lists show the
percent saying their vehicle was excellent or very good.
Most Comfortable Least Comfortable
--------------------------- ---------------------------
Mercedes-Benz S-Class 99% Geo Metro 37%
BMW 7-series(V*, V12) 98 Toyota Tercel 38
Lexus LS400 97 Toyota Tacoma(4) 44
Lincoln Town Car 97 Nissan Pickup 45
Toyota Avalon 96 Ford Escort 47
BMW 5-series 95 Jeep Cherokee(6) 47
VW Passat 95 Ford Probe(4) 51
Volvo 850 95 Saturn 51
Chrysler New Yorker 95 Ford Mustang(V8) 54
Honda Odyssey 95 Nissan Sentra 57
Most Convenient Least Convenient
--------------------------- ---------------------------
BMW 7-series (V8, V12) 96% Izuzu Rodeo(V6) 34%
Lexus LS400 95 Geo Metro 37
Lexus SC300/SC400 94 Jeep Cherokee(6) 44
Lincoln Town Car 93 Nissan Pickup 46
Dodge Ram (V8, V10) 91 Ford Escort 49
Honda Odyssey 91 Toyota Tercel 51
BMW M3 90 Toyota Tacoma (4) 53
Chevrolet Tahoe 90 Mercury Tracer 53
GMC/Chevrolet Suburban 90 Mazda MX-5 Miata 54
Toyota Avalon 90 Nissan Pathfinder 54
Luxury and large cars lead the comfort list, with 94 and 92 percent of
owners, respectively, scoring them excellent or very good. Small,
basic cars and sporty cars fell down in comfort, with only 64 and 63
percent of owners scoring them excellent or very good. Economy sedans
are cramped inside, and their manufacturers pinch pennies on
appointments. Sporty cars sacrifice comfort for performance.
Readers said much the small thing about convenience. Luxury and large
cars tend to have the most bins, cupholders, and courtesy lights - and
more than 80 percent of readers said these models were convenient.
Small and sporty cars recorded the lowest average convenience scores
of any category: 61 and 63 percent.
Readers judged all minivans but the GMC Safari lower in convenience
than in comfort, with averages of 74 and 82 percent. That was
surprising, because manufacturers of minivans try to appeal to what
they think are consumers' convenience needs, with folding and
removable seats and numerous storage bins and cupholders. Perhaps
those with only a single sliding door were considered hard to enter
and unload.
The Consumer Reports auto issue provides:
-profiles of nearly 186 new passenger cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickup
trucks
-easy-to-read charts for comparing ratings and reliability of 123 new
models, based on recent history
-detailed reliability data on 222 models covering model-years 1989 to
1996
-a look at how Consumer Reports tests cars
-information on crash-test evaluations, what they signify, and safety
equipment to buy
-how to buy or lease a car
The April issue of Consumer Reports will be available March 25
wherever magazines are sold. For information on subscribing, call
1-800- 234-1645. Copies of the full report covered in this release
will also be available by fax or mail starting March 25, under code
number 9559 for The 1997 Cars, via Consumer Reports by Request,
1-800-419-9824, at a cost of $7.75 per report.