Archive for May, 2010

If German cars had a stellar reputation for reliability, Lexus would not be where it is today. TrueDelta’s latest Car Reliability Survey results, based on owner experiences through the end of March 2010, provide some evidence that a corner has been turned, but other evidence that work remains to be done.

Two years ago the current Mercedes C-Class had a relatively trouble-free launch, and in the latest results the 2008 is better than average. Nearly three-quarters of owners haven’t had a single repair in the past year.

The redesigned-for-2010 Mercedes E-Class appears poised to go down the same path. TrueDelta’s first reliability stat for the car, 56 repair trips per 100 cars per year, is very close to the average for all cars. For an all-new car with above-average complexity this is quite good. It’s also far better than the record compiled by the make’s SUVs.

Initial stats for the new MkVI Volkswagen Golf, GTI, and Jetta SportWagen are mixed. Gas-powered 2010s barely managed an “about average” score (74, lower is better) while the diesel-powered TDIs, plagued by faulty O2 sensors, scored considerably worse than the average (143). Both scores are considerably worse than those for the 2008 and 2009 model year cars.

All of the updated results:

Car Reliability Survey results

Every year Ford hires RDA Group, a market research firm, to conduct a reliability survey for it. Mostly it uses the data internally, but it also usually issues a press release touting any Ford wins.

This year Ford announced that, based on this survey, they have the auto industry’s highest satisfaction with quality.

This survey also measures things gone wrong, which I can relate to. Satisfaction with quality or reliability is a different animal. While it will track with reliability, it also includes a subjective component and permits owners’ feelings about other aspects of the vehicle to affect responses. Like how the car drives? Then a small problem or two might seem okay, and you’re still “satisfied.”

Expectations also play a large role. If you expected many problems, you’ll be quite satisfied if you only have two. Expect zero, and you’ll be dissatisfied with the same two.

Also, read the text and you’ll find that they’re not actually claiming to be the highest of any manufacturer, but of any “full line manufacturer.” Who does this include, only GM, Chrysler, Toyota, and Nissan? No one else offers a large pickup.

Buick has announced that they’re going to eliminate the CX, CXL, and CXS trim levels with their 2012 models. Instead, they’ll offer a hierarchy of option packages. Why? To eliminate the impression that the base model is the “cheap one,” which is unbefitting a premium brand. Which is why premium brands generally don’t have trim levels.

I’m all for this change, because the trim levels were meaningless and I could never keep straight whether the CXL or the CXS was the top model.

But it will only work if, as they imply, they boost base content so there truly is no “cheap one” suitable only for rental fleets and people who are really Chevrolet’s target.