November 2006
Consumer Reports Autos Staff Bio
JAKE FISHER
Senior engineer, Consumer Reports Auto Test Division
Hometown: Sparta, NJ
All-time favorite car:
"I really can't pinpoint just one, but here are three that have certainly left an impression on me. The Toyota MR2 Spyder is a lightweight, nimble, and incredibly fun sports car to drive. Every time I've been in one it has been impossible to wipe the broad smile from my face. The Mazda Miata is just as fun, and arguably better looking, but the MR2 is more distinctive and its mid-engine layout allows it to turn on a dime. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is another favorite of mine. With over 270 hp powering all four wheels, it's an impressive compact car. The razor-sharp handling is tuned like a true race car."
Off the track:
Fisher competes in wheel-to-wheel Club Racing at Lime Rock Park and at other racetracks in the Northeast. "In addition to Club Racing, I've competed in autocrosses, rallies, time trials, and ice races. In the past, I've raced on huge frozen lakes in Massachusetts. You slip and slide and learn a whole lot about car control. It's a blast!" Fisher became a father in 2003.
How he got into auto testing:
"I've always loved cars, had a passion for them. I knew from the age of five that I would be in the automotive industry." It may have all started when Fisher tried to help his father work on his VW Bugs. "One day I tripped and fell face first in a hubcap filled with gas. I think somehow gasoline got into my bloodstream, and I was never the same.
"When I was 13, I bought a Porsche 914 with $500 that I saved from my paper route. To make it roadworthy, I took just about every last piece of the car apart to inspect, improve, and fix it. I was absolutely amazed by how all the complex systems in a car worked together so transparently and reliably. There is no other mass-produced machine in the world that comes close to having the complexity, power, and utility that an automobile has, while still being easy and comfortable for anyone to use."
After graduating Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Fisher was hired by General Motors in Detroit as a development engineer. Working in the Thermal Division, Fisher designed and tested air conditioning, heating, and engine-cooling systems. He traveled to Arizona to test the systems in hot-weather conditions, and to Canada to test them in the cold. "I spent a few years with GM, but I was not happy with just working on small subsystems. I wanted to look at the whole car--how the entire vehicle interacts with the driver. When I learned of a job opening at Consumer Reports in 1999 to test different types of cars, I jumped at the opportunity."
Work at Consumer Reports: Fisher spends a lot of time behind the wheel of the test cars. He tests braking, acceleration, emergency handling, air conditioning and heating systems, and the vehicles' ergonomics, among other things. He was also very involved in developing the Consumer Reports Car Buying Kit and the auto section of ConsumerReports.org.
Senior engineer, Consumer Reports Auto Test Division
Hometown: Sparta, NJ
All-time favorite car:
"I really can't pinpoint just one, but here are three that have certainly left an impression on me. The Toyota MR2 Spyder is a lightweight, nimble, and incredibly fun sports car to drive. Every time I've been in one it has been impossible to wipe the broad smile from my face. The Mazda Miata is just as fun, and arguably better looking, but the MR2 is more distinctive and its mid-engine layout allows it to turn on a dime. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is another favorite of mine. With over 270 hp powering all four wheels, it's an impressive compact car. The razor-sharp handling is tuned like a true race car."
Off the track:
Fisher competes in wheel-to-wheel Club Racing at Lime Rock Park and at other racetracks in the Northeast. "In addition to Club Racing, I've competed in autocrosses, rallies, time trials, and ice races. In the past, I've raced on huge frozen lakes in Massachusetts. You slip and slide and learn a whole lot about car control. It's a blast!" Fisher became a father in 2003.
How he got into auto testing:
"I've always loved cars, had a passion for them. I knew from the age of five that I would be in the automotive industry." It may have all started when Fisher tried to help his father work on his VW Bugs. "One day I tripped and fell face first in a hubcap filled with gas. I think somehow gasoline got into my bloodstream, and I was never the same.
"When I was 13, I bought a Porsche 914 with $500 that I saved from my paper route. To make it roadworthy, I took just about every last piece of the car apart to inspect, improve, and fix it. I was absolutely amazed by how all the complex systems in a car worked together so transparently and reliably. There is no other mass-produced machine in the world that comes close to having the complexity, power, and utility that an automobile has, while still being easy and comfortable for anyone to use."
After graduating Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Fisher was hired by General Motors in Detroit as a development engineer. Working in the Thermal Division, Fisher designed and tested air conditioning, heating, and engine-cooling systems. He traveled to Arizona to test the systems in hot-weather conditions, and to Canada to test them in the cold. "I spent a few years with GM, but I was not happy with just working on small subsystems. I wanted to look at the whole car--how the entire vehicle interacts with the driver. When I learned of a job opening at Consumer Reports in 1999 to test different types of cars, I jumped at the opportunity."
Work at Consumer Reports: Fisher spends a lot of time behind the wheel of the test cars. He tests braking, acceleration, emergency handling, air conditioning and heating systems, and the vehicles' ergonomics, among other things. He was also very involved in developing the Consumer Reports Car Buying Kit and the auto section of ConsumerReports.org.
