Testing and timing: No slight of hand

It's often been said that timing is everything. For example, there's been a lot of scoffing at various companies introducing new or redesigned large SUVs just in time for gasoline to peak over three bucks a gallon this summer.

A similar comment could be made about Consumer Reports' automotive test schedule. October featured a test of very expensive, high-performance sports and luxury cars. November brings a group of large upscale SUVs. From this, some could argue (and will, anyway) that we're blind to what's happening with gas prices.

That's far from the truth. December will bring a very extensive test group of fuel efficient cars, including the Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa, and Toyota Yaris. But why not publish sooner?

Remember that we buy all of the cars we test. This becomes a bit of a challenge, especially with big test groups like this, since we're testing both automatic and manual transmission versions of each model: ten cars in all. In some cases, timing was delayed due a late model introduction, relative to the others, and some cars were hard to find. Luckily we grabbed two Fits when they first hit showrooms; there are now reports of waiting lists. Likewise, it took a while to get our hands on a manual Yaris hatchback due to demand. The Accent hatchback was introduced later this summer, as was the Versa. We couldn't even find a Versa with ABS until early September.

To help remedy this and give our readers/subscribers information when we have it, we've published First Looks of the Fit and Yaris, as well as From the Logbook blog entries on the Versa and Rio. December will bring probably the most comprehensive test of inexpensive cars out there, including the 10 cars mentioned, the Canadian-sold Smart ForTwo, and the Ford Focus ZX3. (Manufacturer incentives make the larger Focus a viable alternative in this price range.)

So please don't think that we've let hyper horsepower cloud our judgments; our mission is to drive and report on as many vehicles as possible and to cover the market better than any automotive publisher out there. We'll continue to gather groups of cars that blow us away with their speed and agility, and also those that impress with their fuel-sipping prowess.

--Tom Mutchler