Since you posted that review of the Pontiac Vibe I've been watching Motor Trend reviews of shitty cars. They aren't very harsh. They had a lot of positive things to say about the Cavalier and the Aztek
Yeah. When you're reviewing major products like cars, you kind of have to handle their flaws with kid gloves. If a car company feels like the reviews are too negative, they'll stop giving you test cars. That's why I really like comparison reviews, because car magazines are more open to what individual cars in a segment excel at, giving you a better idea of which cars are actually better. Also, don't always trust the reviews of cars that just come out, especially performance cars. They're almost always overwhelmingly glowing at first and it won't be until months later until car journalists are more open to talking about the flaws of certain models.