Consumer Reports' 2016 Annual Auto Issue is running hot and cold on Tesla

The cover of Consumer Reports' 2016 Annual Auto Issue. Readers get mixed signals on the all-electric Tesla Model S.  

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The editors at Consumer Reports boast that "our 327-acre Auto Test Center in rural Connecticut" allows the magazine to "give you the most trusted ratings anywhere."

But the 2016 Annual Auto Issue delivered to subscribers sends mixed messages on the all-electric Tesla Model S.

Highs and lows

A graphic called Standouts and Stinkers From Our Road Tests shows the Tesla Model S P85D achieved a perfect score of 100, the first and only car ever to do so.

Another graphic, this one on owner satisfaction, says that Tesla Model S owners find their EV "most satisfying" among buyers of luxury midsized/large cars.

The Acura RLX and Cadillac XTS are listed as "least satisfying."

Still, the Tesla Model S earns an overall score of only 77 in a section called Profiles, which says "reliability has dropped to below average."

I recall earlier reports describing problems that I haven't seen in the 11 month I've owned a 2015 Tesla Model S 60, including failure of the flush-mounted door handles to extend on a car purchased by Consumer Reports.

Then, another graphic shows which Brands Make the Best Cars. 

Tesla isn't shown, because as a footnote says, "a brand must have at least two models with test and reliability data to be included," and Tesla lacks "sufficient data."

In a final insult, the Used Cars section of the 2016 Annual Auto Issue lists the 2012-13 and 2015 Tesla Model S among the Worst of The Worst.

Consumer Reports' 2016 Annual Auto Issue is missing any reporting on the Autopilot features of the Tesla Model S, including the driver's ability to "summon" the car and have it back out of the garage.

New car ratings

Eight pages of rating charts appear in the April issue, but the Tesla Model S isn't listed among Electric Cars and Plug-in Hybrids.

Instead, the EV appears under Ultraluxury Sedans, even though the BMW 750i, Lexus 460L and all the others listed are powered by an internal-combustion engine, which has quickened climate change.

In fact, Consumer Reports apparently gives no points to the Model S for being one of only a handful of cars with zero emissions.

Nor does the magazine report Tesla's claim that the Model S and Model X SUV are the safest vehicles made.

And upstart Tesla also isn't praised for being first with such technological advances as Autopilot -- automatic steering, speed, lane-changing and parking.

Top-rated, relatively rare Tesla Model S attracts smiles, thumbs ups -- and envy

At the supermarket, above, or at a free Tesla Supercharger Station on the New Jersey Turnpike, below, the gorgeous, relatively rare Model S turns heads.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Oh, there goes another Mercedes (Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Cadillac etc. etc).

When you drive a Tesla Model S, other drivers really notice, and you don't see yourself coming and going.

In its third year of production, the luxury 4-door hatchback still is relatively rare.

I've gotten thumbs ups from a passing motorcyclist on the interstate, a pedestrian and others.

The reaction of other drivers is mixed.

Some are aggressive, like the moron in a Volvo wagon who tried to pass me on Thursday after both of us got on Route 80 west in Englewood, N.J.

My Model S 60 is a couple of seconds slower to 60 mph than the P85D that just broke the Consumer Reports ratings system, earning a perfect road test score of 100.

But the zero to 30 mph and 40 mph times are dazzling when I've been challenged to a stoplight grand prix start.

I've yet to lose one.

E-ZPass discounts

Tesla's Model S uses an external E-ZPass that is mounted over the bottom of the license plate, but you'll have to jump through hoops to get the "green" one that entitles you to off-peak discounts as the owner of a zero-emission vehicle.

The off-peak discounts are available on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and at the Hudson River crossings.

First, you have to register your car, then send in a copy of your registration showing the make and model, and if you're lucky, in four to six weeks the so-called Green Pass will come in the mail.

My first attempt, using snail mail, failed. The second time, I faxed in my request and got the exterior E-ZPass, but it was black like the one on my Model S.

I called, and was told exterior passes come only in black, but that my pass is programmed to give me the green discounts.

The E-ZPasses we use to get off-peak discounts in my two Toyota Priuses are green, not white.

Our 2007 Prius with 64,000 miles on it is for sale. If you want to get 40 mpg to 50 mpg and help the environment, send an email to the address at the top of this blog.

LOADED: Navigation system, Bluetooth, six-disc CD player in dash.

Carpool discounts

All drivers are entitled to a carpool discount at the Hudson River crossings -- 24/7 -- but you have to call your E-ZPass provider and register for the discount.

Then, you have to stop in a staffed cash/E-ZPass lane so a toll taker can see you have three or more people in the car.

The regular off-peak E-ZPass toll at the Hudson River crossings is $9.75, the Green Pass off-peak toll is $6.25 and the carpool toll is $5.75.

The peak E-ZPass toll is $11.75, and the cash toll is $14.

The Model S on vacation at the Basin Harbor Club on Lake Champlain in Vermont, where we also recharged our own batteries.