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Who makes the most reliable new cars?

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Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#401

Post by randerson »

AlbertCory wrote: post #381
sharkweek wrote: post #213

My 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner is old enough to drink and outside of routine maintenance requires almost no thought. "It's time to get a new car" given that car safety has drastically improved and I have two younger kids in that thing a few times a week but I'm honestly having a really hard time giving it up, something so reliable and plainly functional. New cars with all their computers and smart technology only look lik…

There's one thing about "newer" cars (mine's a 2014) that older cars don't tend to have, and that's the ability to make the car beep remotely. That is insanely valuable in large parking lots. Bluetooth stereo: that, you could install after-market.

I've solved the parking lot problem with a $29 Apple AirTag.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#402

Post by LeoPanthera »

jandrese wrote: post #390

Edit: While I'm still dubious about these metrics I was ranting about an entirely different company here. Sorry. A very similar report has been making the rounds recently from JD Power, probably part of a marketing campaign of some sort. The JD Power list is even more hilarious because it is book-ended by two brands: Dodge and Chrysler. Also it suggests Alfa Romeo for reliability. https://www.cars.com/articles/2023-j…

> So expensive cars that cater to fussy people score poorly compared to cars bought by people who only care about reliability and getting from point a to point b and don't pay attention to their car.

That sounds believable, except that Lexus is at the top of the list, and they are definitely a "fussy people" brand. Meanwhile Chevrolet, Ford, and VW are near the bottom.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#403

Post by rokkitmensch »

omginternets wrote: post #165
rokkitmensch wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(hordes)

Whoops. Semantic collision with Tony Hoare ^^

I figured it was a homonym confusion with eg "dragon's hoard". Still a bulk noun, just not the one anyone was reaching for.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#404

Post by _yb2s »

kspacewalk2 wrote: post #32
nonethewiser wrote: post #12

Lexus is toyota. Accura is honda. So it’s really like: 1. Toyota 2. Mini 3. Honda 4. Subaru 5. Mazda Congratulations Japan.

It's incredible how the Japanese carmakers were able to perfect the auto manufacturing process and then proceed to hold that advantage for what, 30+ years now? It's not a secret how they did it, it's been studied to death, every manner of technology/expertise/management transfer has been tried, and still no one comes quite close enough to threaten their position.

I just don't like any model of Japanese cars... they don't drive, look, or feel as good as a high end European car. But man do I wish European cars were half as reliable as Japanese cars. Driving European cars is a hobby for me, but spending every weekend to keep them working gets old sometimes.

What's especially annoying is that the high end European cars are ostensibly better made... much more expensive materials, more attention to detail (better rustproofing, cable organization, etc.). They probably actually last longer on average if you maintain them well, but they just have unexpected parts failures extremely often.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#405

Post by giobox »

seltzered_ wrote: post #397
giobox wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "First and foremost, the transmission replaces the rather staggering pile of complexity of a modern automatic transmission, typically, with "a few motor/generators, some planetary gears, maybe a band that only engages when a motor is already stopped, and some power electronics." Compared to the 9+ speed automatics, this is dramatically simpler. Quite a few hybrids don't even have a mechanical reverse gear, it's jus…

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV uses a GKN 'multi-mode dedicated hybrid' transmission with some notable differences than a standard auto gearbox. Some Lexus & Toyota hybrids and PHEVs use the eCVT transmission, which uses 2-3 electric motors inside to adjust torque rather than a belt. The Subaru Crosstrek PHEV (internationally also called the e-boxer platform for the Forester hybrid) uses a Toyota eCVT variant that also st…

As I said, there are exceptions, but broadly its just slap motors on output shafts. The motor is usually designed to bolt onto an existing automatic transmission housing.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#406

Post by Tao3300 »

jandrese wrote: post #390

Edit: While I'm still dubious about these metrics I was ranting about an entirely different company here. Sorry. A very similar report has been making the rounds recently from JD Power, probably part of a marketing campaign of some sort. The JD Power list is even more hilarious because it is book-ended by two brands: Dodge and Chrysler. Also it suggests Alfa Romeo for reliability. https://www.cars.com/articles/2023-j…

ICYMI:

> We weigh the severity of each type of problem to create a predicted reliability score for each vehicle.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#407

Post by supportengineer »

carabiner wrote: post #299
geocrasher wrote: post #233

I'm in the market for a used vehicle, and I am looking at mid 2010's Toyota 4runner's and Tacoma's, maybe even Tundra. It's just hard to go wrong with a Toyota.

There are only 4 cars: Tundra, Tacoma, 4runner, prius. The rest are mere toys. Don't get a Tundra if you live in a big city though. Seriously just get a 4runner unless you regularly need to haul stuff.

What's wrong with a Highlander?

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#408

Post by carabiner »

Tao3300 wrote: post #406
jandrese wrote: post #390

Edit: While I'm still dubious about these metrics I was ranting about an entirely different company here. Sorry. A very similar report has been making the rounds recently from JD Power, probably part of a marketing campaign of some sort. The JD Power list is even more hilarious because it is book-ended by two brands: Dodge and Chrysler. Also it suggests Alfa Romeo for reliability. https://www.cars.com/articles/2023-j…

ICYMI: > We weigh the severity of each type of problem to create a predicted reliability score for each vehicle.

Yeah OP is confused. This is CR which is a completely separate company from JD Power. Only JD Power measures JD Power metrics and no one else really cares about them.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#409

Post by randerson »

nonameiguess wrote: post #224
laurencerowe wrote: post #199

Note that these stats only account for reliability in the first three years: > Then the brand reliability score was calculated by averaging results from 2021 to 2023. As someone who usually buys ~10 year old cars and drives them into the ground I'm much more interested in long term reliability. It may correlate but these stats are not that!

It's chronologically impossible to rank the best long-term reliability of new cars. At best, you can rank who made the most reliable new cars 10 years ago, which isn't helping anyone trying to buy new cars now. As someone who usually buys 10 year old cars, an article about the reliability of new cars is clearly not aimed at you.

It would have to be from the small list of cars you can still buy new that haven't changed much in the last decade. The Chrysler 300 and Dodge Challenger come to mind.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#410

Post by rapind »

SkyPuncher wrote: post #346
sharkweek wrote: post #213

My 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner is old enough to drink and outside of routine maintenance requires almost no thought. "It's time to get a new car" given that car safety has drastically improved and I have two younger kids in that thing a few times a week but I'm honestly having a really hard time giving it up, something so reliable and plainly functional. New cars with all their computers and smart technology only look lik…

FWIW, the computers don’t tend to break. The things that do break are essentially the same as they were 20 years ago. The bells and whistles are mostly for creatures comfort. The mechanical components haven’t changed much. The only thing that I couldn’t fix on my own in my 2020 vs my 2006 was re-alignment of lane keep system after replacing the windshield.

The thing most likely to cause an accident with my car is the horrible Apple Car Play system via USB. I don't know if it's a VW problem, Apple problem, or just a bad combination of the two. It can be so frustrating and fiddly that I'll just pull over to deal with it. I've been considering going old school with a mount and just use the car speakers via bluetooth instead.
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