CR is one source of information available to us when making purchases. I maintain that their testing methods for appliances and cars have improved and become more, not less accurate, than even ten years ago. Name another US-based source that tests as many brands and models using standardized criteria.
I am one of the people who almost always checks in on CRs ratings when making purchases. So far, their track record for predicting the performance of products I've purchased has been remarkably accurate.
The GE double oven I bought brings water to a boil very quickly, has a superior self-cleaning cycle, and doesn't bake quite as evenly as the Frigidaire it replaced.
My Speed Queen washer uses a lot of water, is very good (but not excellent, as was the Maytag 8100 front-loader it replaced) at cleaning, has a shorter cycle time than most HE washers, and doesn't extract as much water as most HE machines (especially front-loaders).
The 2014 Ford Fusion I purchased handles well on the highway, has a fairly quiet interior, and is a bit tight for floor space in the driver's compartment. It shifts smoothly and has a rather old-school 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine that sounds raucous in pedal-to-the-metal situations. The voice-activated features ("Read text message"; "Call Steve") are frustratingly hit-or-miss.
Some of the purchases I've made (the Maytag 8100 pair, for instance) were at or near the top of CR's ratings.
Although a recently-acquired top-loading SQ washer was in the middle of the pack (the dryer further down the list, a rating I absolutely agree with) the set of criteria I had for this purchase did not emphasize water/energy consumption. I don't care for impeller / agipeller-based top-loaders, so SQ was the obvious choice for me. Everyone here knows I prefer HE front-loaders, but circumstances involving installation on an upstairs wooden floor where laundry room noise intrudes on the other three upper level apartments led me to a top-loader this time.
Naturally, my purchases also involve checking out the opinions of AW members. While opinions vary widely about particular brands even here, I certainly put more stock in the user reviews at this site than, say, the ones at Lowe's or Home Depot. On top of that, several people here actually service appliances for a living, so we are privy to insight/information not available to the average consumer.
Anyway, no one should expect CR to be the be-all and end-all of information about products. It's simply one of any number of resources you can consult when making purchases.
Having said all that, will I be washing all my loads in cold water? No. No I won't.
