From trunk space to cup holders to baby seats
Consumer Reports' David Champion and his team put cars to the test
What car has the top fuel efficiency? What's the best car for short or tall drivers? Who makes the most reliable cars?
David Champion is working on the answers to all these questions - and more.
As senior director for Consumer Reports' auto test division, he directs a staff of 21 who put vehicles to the test on a 327-acre test track in East Haddam, Conn. From the $105,855 Mercedes Benz SL550 to the humble $12,596 Toyota Yaris, every automobile goes through a six-month period during which the team evaluates everything from "jiggly highway ride" to "sturdy cup holders."
Champion says someone in his field can make between $80,000 and $140,000 annually.
He said it's best to start with an engineering degree and typically work as a test engineer for a vehicle maker, since there aren't a lot of opportunities for publication car testing.
Where do you get the cars that you test?
We test 80 models a year, and we actually buy the cars as a consumer would, going into local dealerships anonymously and putting a deposit down on our own personal card. It's only later that we bring in a check from Consumer's Union.
Then we drive the car as you would in everyday life, putting in over 2,000 miles before we start the formal testing process, which occurs at the test track. So that means you're loading kids in the back, and maybe finding out the baby's car seat is difficult to install, or putting groceries in, and find that you hit your head on the trunk.
We write everything in a log book, including notes such as 'mother-in-law was uncomfortable in the backseat,' or 'radio controls were too small.' Every staff member rotates through the cars, so you drive a different car every day.
How do you put each car through its paces?
Once the break-in miles are completed, we have 50 different criteria that each vehicle goes through.
Acceleration and braking tests are done on three different surfaces; interior noise is registered; a fuel meter is spliced into the gas line to measure the exact amount that an engine consumes.
We use suitcases and duffle bags to assess the volume of trunk space, and an expandable box to test cargo space. We even watch the moon charts to look for a night when there is no moon, and that's when we'll look at a car's high and low headlight beams to evaluate light intensity.
So what's your current favorite car?
The Infinity G35 - it's agile and quick, a really fun-handling car, and also comfortable to drive. But since we buy different cars every year, I have different favorites.
A couple years ago, it was the Subaru Impreza WRX sTi, a race-bred rally car for the road. It made your hair on the back of your neck stand up. This year, though, it's been redesigned, and it's gone soft.
How did you get into car testing?
My father was a tire engineer for Goodyear in England. I'd go to work with him and see the orange cones fly everywhere as the cars zoomed by on the test track.
Then I earned a mechanical engineering degree from University of Aston in Birmingham, England, and started working at Lucas Electrical, a supplier of electrical components.
I next moved to Land Rover, setting up their hot-climate test facility in Phoenix, and then their cold-test facility in Northern Ontario. It wasn't the best situation for my sinuses.
What do your kids think of your job?
Every day when I go home, I have a different car that I'm driving. So they get annoyed if I pick them up from school, they never know what kind of car I'll be in.
And when we're on the road, I'll start asking them, 'How's the legroom? Can you see out the window? Are the seats comfortable?' And they'll say, 'Dad, enough with the questions already.' 