RELIABILITY (C.R.) - Europeans continually receive pathetic reliability ratings
 

So tell me this, is this what you fellas consider "superior engineering"? Excerpts taken from current nonprofit Consumer Reports issue. Everything written in order, as taken from the article.

-Among the 32 models with the highest reliability rating, 29 carry Japanese nameplates, with Toyota (16) and Honda (7) claiming the most.

-Among the 38 models with the lowest rating, more than half (20) are European

-So far, so good for hybrids. The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic gas/electric hybrids were among the most reliable cars.

-Subaru was the only brand whose entire model line is now recommended.

-A full half of the sedans and small cars that earned our highest Reliability Rating are made by Toyota, including Lexus and Scion models. Top models were the Lexus IS300, Toyota Prius Hybrid, previous-generation Acura RL, Scion xB, and Toyota Corolla.

-Not only didn't European automakers have even ONE model among the top vehicles, but they DOMINATED the least-reliable list. 14 of the 15 sedans and small cars with the lowest ratings were European , including such high-priced luxury models as the Mercedes Benz S-class, E-class, six-cylinder C-class, Jaguar S-type and X-type, and the BMW 7-series.
Some believe these models' technological complexity makes them prone to glitches. However, their Japanese competition, namely Lexus and Acura, produce feature-laden luxury cars that are trouble free. *COUGH* superior engineering and reliability *COUGH* *COUGH*

-Most of Volkswagen's models, including the Golf, Jetta, and new Beetle, also rated far below average in relaibility.

SUVS-------
Asian models also monopolized the top ratings in the SUV segment, with the lowest ratings going to a mix of European and U.S. models. The most reliable SUVS are the Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Highlander, Mitsubishi Endeavor, and Toyota RAV4.
Among the new or redesigned models, the redesigned Lexus RX330 was above avergae, but the new Buick Rainier, Nissan Armada, VW Touraeg, and Porsche Cayenne were all below average. In fact, there were NO European SUVs in our survey that rated average or above .

PICKUPS-----
The only pickup to earn the top rating is the Toyota Tunda. The new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon both scored above average--a rarity for first-year GM products.

The myth of Superior engineering needs to be re-evaluated. Clearly, the snob-factor alone is not enough to justify its reputation. It's time for the rising sun to dominate the market once again.

Mazda tops reliability......again
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/?news_id=1657

German cars in last place, say DRIVERS:
http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=20810

BBC News: German cars NOT Reliable:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3129581.stm

I rest my case

Good work detective! :rolleyes:

Six sigma at work for the japanese automakers

Out of 3 bmws my family has owned all 3 had problems including an engine replacement at 10k miles on a 1995 530i, odometer reset at 4k miles on a 1992 325i, 2002 X5 - don't get me started.

Out of the other cars 7 Japanese cars: Montero, Landcruiser, Sequoia, Celica, Camry, Solara, Eclipse no problems whatsoever.

We'll see how the 8 fares.

The US tend to import European luxury models, and mostly german at that.

German car build quality has been slipping for 10 years and isnt a patch on what it should be.

believe it or not one of the MOST reliable european cars is the ford focus (made in spain, non of your US made focus tat here). Also a lot of 'Japanese' cars are made in the UK.

According to
http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/to...28339010848601

Top 10(most reliable makes) are :
1 MAZDA
2 HONDA
3 FORD
4 HYUNDAI
5 SEAT
6 BMW
7 DAEWOO
8 PEUGEOT
9 VOLKSWAGEN
10 VAUXHALL