Test driving a car doesn’t really give you an idea about things you will not like about the car. Most of the time in the NY area dealers won’t even let you take it for a drive on the highway and even if they do it’ll be very short like one exit, which is not at all enough to get a good feel for it.
What I usually do is after a few test drives and narrowing down to a particular model I check rental car agencies to see if they offer that car, then rent it out for a weekend and do a long road trip. Best way to judje if it is a good match for you. Besides you don’t buy cars every couple of years, at least I don’t.
This is probably a point worth making. Many of the issues with these 7 cars could have been identified during a proper test drive. Problem is, the dealer culture doesn't really allow a proper test drive. More like 1 exit on the highway (if you are lucky to have a highway close to the dealer) and still the distinct feeling that you are wasting his time. So people probably just assume it is normal and make their decision anyway.