The other was the Dodge Omni.
But neither of them were Volkswagens or Audis. True, for a time they used VW engine parts (short block) and VW manual transmissions. The basic car was the Simca Horizon. Simca was the French division of Chrysler.
In no way was the Omni/Horizon "identical" to the VW Rabbit/Golf, as you claim. The most you could honestly say was that they were similar.
But your point about Consumer Reports is spot on. They pulled the same stunt with their rollover claim about the Suzuki Samurai. From that link:
" The videos showed, among other things, that the testing personnel had driven the Samurai through the course no fewer than 46 times before getting it to tip up on two wheels on the 47th, a result that was met by laughing and cheering from the group."
From a previous link:
While travelling (sic) at freeway speeds the (Consumer Reports) tester twisted the steering wheel approximately 90 degrees, and then took both hands off the wheel. The O/H failed to display sufficient recovery to satisfy the CR testers."
The CR automobile reliability ratings are highly suspect since they are based on subscriber responses to an annual survey, a "self-selected" sample. CR's subscriber base tends to be far older, better educated, and of higher income than the general population, so statistically, the CR sample is flawed. The process by which the arrive at their ratings from the raw data is never revealed.
Is CR biased? In some cases, without a doubt. Is it intentional? That can be debated, but the bias is there if you look for it.
Is CR useful? Yes, in a way, but only if you understand that it is just one of many data points that can be considered, if you take the time to do some research.
Should CR be taken as gospel? Absolutely not.
Fresh Wind you sound like a car guy.
The point of the talking about Consumer Reports was that they gave Tesla rave reviews last year.
That gave people the impression that engineering/ride/look of the Tesla S was pretty solid.
Is it your contention that the engineering etc of the Tesla S is way over rated. That Consumer Reports review of the Tesla S was unwarranted?