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Who makes the most reliable new cars?

consumerreports.org

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Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#71

Post by toast0 »

jansan wrote: post #28

From my years at a major car supplier I know that Toyota was never interested in our latest developments, even if we offered them at a cheaper prize. They only purchased components that had been in use for other cars. I own a Toyota Avensis. It is the most boring car in the world, but I never ever had any issues with it. Mine is the second facelift, built in 2015, based on a chassis that had been in production since…

> Maybe this explains a bit why Toyota is on top in the reliability ranking. They are very reasonable cars. Would I buy one if I had more money? Hell, no!

Maybe if you pay enough for the car that dealer service drops off a loaner, picks up your car, then drops off your car and picks up the loaner with minimal interaction, a less reliable car is fine. Or if you have a useful car and a fun car, the fun car doesn't have to work all the time. Otherwise, having a car that just works is worth a lot.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#72

Post by JumpCrisscross »

Would love to see this scattered against maintenance cost.

Having to take my Subaru in for an oil change every six months is annoying, even if it means I’ve only ever had one serious issue. (Computer flipped out because someone didn’t close the gas cap tightly enough, leading to a service visit requirement, which is absurd.)

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#73

Post by doubled112 »

FlyingBears wrote: post #22

Mini is hot garbage on wheels comparable to VW. I am really surprised to see this.

I don't know about Mini, but I hope the new VWs are better than my experience.

My VW is admittedly 10 years old, and still under the Dieselgate warranty, but I've averaged 2 warranty repairs per oil change interval for 3 years now.

They haven't been able to figure out the cranks forever but does not start for those 3 years, two dealerships have tried now.

They are fairly expensive trips I'm glad to have warranty on. EGR, DPF, 4 sensors in one trip, etc. I'm almost to a new exhaust system and the CEL is on again.

Wish me luck! I went back and forth to the dealership 7 times before they put it back together right last time.

If that's the experience, count me out. It's the last one.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#75

Post by neogodless »

535188B17C93743 wrote: post #43
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.

Isn't Subaru also Toyota?

No. They certainly have partnerships on specific models (Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota 86, Subaru Solterra EV / Toyota bZ4X), but they are not exclusive, and each have their own platforms and powertrains for most of their models.

Toyota has partnered with Mazda as well - for example, there was Mazda 2 rebadged as a Toyota Yaris for a few years.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#76

Post by toastercat »

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.

Been driving the same car for almost 17 years now (2005 Honda Civic LX) and still going strong. Fine piece of engineering. Thanks Honda!

My family has sworn by Japanese cars since I was a kid, with most of us buying exclusively Honda or Toyota (incl their luxury lines, Acura/Lexus).

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#77

Post by jerlam »

This article seems quite similar to the one posted two days ago on HN about Brother printers - they're great because they have very low innovation.

The top car brands - Lexus/Toyota, Acura/Honda, Subaru, and Mazda - have been widely scolded for not trying very hard to build EVs and would rather refine the same exact ICE cars for decades.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#79

Post by fiddlerwoaroof »

stonogo wrote: post #50
fiddlerwoaroof wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Tesla has been much less costly to own over the last three years than my Honda Odyssey: I have had several mobile repair visits for cosmetic issues and some OTA “recalls” but I find it hard to believe that any ICE car is more “reliable” than a Model 3 that didn’t gave obvious QC issues at delivery.

The linked article differentiates cost of ownership and reliability. An unreliable car can be low-ownership-cost if it's under warranty.

I mean, much less maintenance in absolute terms: no oil changes, transmission trouble, etc. Mostly just replacing windshield wipers and tires. The mobile service issues were all basically cosmetic issues that wouldn’t really impact reliability.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#80

Post by alex_c »

>We weigh the severity of each type of problem to create a predicted reliability score for each vehicle, from 1 to 100.

It bothers me to see a 1 to 100 scale for this - what does the number actually mean in practice? Comparing a score of 80 and a score of 20, does that mean the lower score is likely to need 4x as many trips to the mechanic? 4x as much spent on repairs in a year?

In other words - how big is the gap between first and last place in real-world terms? Presenting the scores this way suggests a huge difference, is that actually the case?

Either way, surprised to see Mini near the top and Mercedes-Benz all the way at the bottom!

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