Is the best-selling car the best car?

As expected, we received quite a few comments about our domestic-brand-only American Top Picks 2008 blog. Reading through the oft-feisty responses, I noted that two readers questioned why the Ford F-150 didn't make the cut—or even get mentioned—in the pickup truck category. One wrote:

Not only is it the best-selling full-sized truck for over 30 years...but when was it listed as the truck pick for a model year by CR? Not only does it outsell every truck in the U.S. but every CAR as well! Shouldn't it receive at least honorable mention every year? ...Why does that work for Camry every year and not the F-150?

Since the issue of vehicle sales vs. the ranking of a vehicle in CR's Ratings comes up on occasion, let's take a look.

No doubt, the F-150 has been the top-selling single vehicle nameplate for many years. Even with the recent drop in truck sales, Ford sold over 700,000 F-150s in 2007. Sales figures make great ad copy or fodder for Internet forum discussions. After all, people love to cheer (or boo) for a winner, and sales numbers set up clear winners and losers. But does that matter to the owner?

Topping the sales charts doesn't mean that a vehicle tops its class. After Ford redesigned the F-150 back in 2004, Toyota and GM completely redesigned their trucks and Dodge made substantial improvements to their Ram. As a result, in our last pickup truck test, the Tundra and Silverado handily outscored the F-150. The F-150's engine was strained; the seats uncomfortable; and stability control (a requirement for being a Top Pick) is unavailable. (A 2009 freshening aims to address these complaints.) The F-150 has been a Top Pick in pickups - but that was back in 1999. (See our video reviews of the current full-sized pickup trucks.)

Let's look at the car side of the market. For the last several years, the Toyota Camry has outsold all cars, selling about 470,000 cars a year. But despite what many people think, the Camry hasn't been a CR Top Pick since the 2000 V6 model. (That said, the Camry scores much closer to the top of the family sedan heap than the F-150 does in the pickup segment.) Sometimes the figures and our rankings line up; the Honda CR-V is the top-selling small SUV for 2007, and it ranks very close to the top of our ratings for four-cylinder SUVs.

It would be naive of us to think that all consumers bought products solely based on how they score in our tests. For example, we don't factor styling in to our scoring. The Ford Five Hundred (now Taurus) is a better all-around car than the Chrysler 300, but while one of them is flashy enough to star in rap videos, the other is more likely to be featured in insurance company ads with its badges removed as the amorphous Generic Car.

Brand image also plays a role in some buyer's minds. Sometimes when we're asked for buying advice (an occupational hazard), sometimes our more affordable suggestions are shunned for the sake of status. (Never mind what happens when we suggest buying a minivan or station wagon.)

There's more to it than that though. Typically domestic brands have many more dealers and are represented in more rural areas, easing sales and service for some buyers. Massive spending on commercials gets those vehicles into the public eye. Car companies have resorted to putting heavy end-of-year incentives on cars to "win" a sales race for bragging rights. Some companies spin their accounting, like Toyota's counting the Matrix in Corolla sales and including the Solara in Camry sales. And car companies can dump excess inventory into rental or other fleets to count as sales.

Motivation to sell a lot of cars runs deep in the industry. There is overhead—plants and labor—that is better utilized when kept busy. Selling more cars can translate into economy of scale of production, ideally increasing profits (unless you have to plunk heavy incentives on the cars to move them out of inventory.) While it might be hard to find parts for an esoteric car down the road, most mass-production cars sell in enough volume and have enough factory support to make this a non-issue.

But when it comes to spending your money, none of these issues has anything to do with how good a car is to drive, how it helps prevent (or protect you in) an accident, or how reliable the car is to own. As American Idol's Simon Cowell would say, this is a talent competition, not a popularity contest - and we're scoring cars based on talent.

See our true list of overall Top Picks for 2008. Watch the Top Picks videos.
Also, read "Who makes the best cars?"

—Tom Mutchler

Comments

[John]

If CR based recommendations on sales figures, then it would be nothing more than a cheer leader for the auto industry. Unfortunately, anyone who is dumb enough to think that high sales merits high marks from CR is not going to have the patience to read your well-argued piece. It's not that your preaching to the choir, but only the choir can read.

[Margaret]

While I do enjoy reading your information from time to time, I believe that your magazine has a distinct bias towards import vehicles.I'm not sure why this is evident but it has been for a considerable time.The previous post demonstrates that as well, suggesting that CR has a more refined & knowledgeable understanding than consumers.Product success as measured by sales is not a popularity contest as you suggest it is a value & utility measurement by the people who count, the buyers.Perhaps your magazine should be a little more cognizant of these factors when evaluating products. Please ensure that you post this.

[Tom in Silicon Valley]

An additional point regarding US pickup sales, the Chevrolet and GMC are esentially the same vehicle with minor cosmetic differences. Combined, these two pickups always outsell the Ford, making the GM version the true most popular pickup for Americans.

[Tim Mahoney]

Quality vs sales is only part of the issue. Not all consumers are either knowledgeable or interested in becoming knowledgeable. My wife is a bright lady. She's a compent manager in the health care field, handling adult responsibilities in a very adult fashion. Her espertise does not extend to automobiles, nor does her interest.

When we first got married and began shopping for vehicles that would suit "us" as a couple, her preference, left to her own devices, was a Dodge Dynasty. It looked pretty. When I explained to her what a POS Chrsyler products were, in general, she relented.

We wound up with a brand new (at the time) 1994 Ford Taurus. A nice vehicle, when it was running. I was the one looking at the antilock brakes, air bags, etc. Her criteria? It had to be green.

[Ruth Fleming]

Having a good name is better than gold. Testing by Consumer Reports has proven reliable in my own purchasing through the years. One great feature is their ratings of a products individual characteristics. Thus one can make a choice based on personal preference: handling, braking, comfort, etc. And "Posted By: John", some of the choir can spell, too. You wrote "your" instead of "you're".

[David]

It is amazing to me the comment that both the Toyota Tundra and Chevy Silverado "handily outscored the F-150." It is common knowledge that Ford makes the best pickup on the road. I'm curious to what tests are you putting these trucks through so that a Toyota Tundra outscores an F-150?? A F-150 can not make the 'top pick' award because it does not have stability control. Funny. I've seen many articles and videos of the Toyota Tundra in action, the working man would never buy one. Take a look at the Silver Creek road test where the Toyota Tundra bed nearly snaps off the frame, while the Silverado and F-150 handle the washboard with ease. Or how about the Tundra's tailgate buckling with any load over 200lbs? Is any of this factored in? Trucks should not be recommended for the average commuter on the highway, but for the construction workers and farmers that pickup trucks are designed for.

[blake n]

First of all to set the record straight, I don't have the exact year but it was 1997 or 1998 Ford's F-series did outsell both the Chevrolet and GMC versions of the GM pickup combined.

Secondly, much of the success of the F-series is due to the experience of customers who drive their trucks 200,000 miles or more. It would be impossible or at the very least impractical for CR to test a vehicle for that many miles. An even better example is the Econoline, the stalwart of plumbers, electricians and airport shuttles everywhere. They can routinely go 500,000 miles and I have heard of more than that is pushing a million miles.