Chevy Monte Carlo, Mercury Mariner SUV rank among most dependable in Consumer Reports survey.

By Christine Tierney / The Detroit News

Just because a vehicle's pricey, sports a Japanese nameplate and looks great is no guarantee that it's a good deal: The influential Consumer Reports magazine predicts new buyers of Nissan's QX56 sport utility vehicles will run into eight times as many problems as owners of the most reliable large SUV.

Many Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. models are highly recommended for reliability, but other Asian brands earned uneven scores and only a couple of domestic vehicles were included in the magazine's list of 2006 models with the best expected reliability.

For the second year in a row, not a single European nameplate made the top cut, based on a survey of owners of more than 1 million vehicles built between 1998 and 2005.

Detroit's automakers are closing the gap with top Japanese automakers when it comes to quality and reliability in the early years of ownership, said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' auto test center.

"But as the cars age, the difference tends to grow so that the long-term durability is basically not as good" for the U.S. brands, he said at an Automotive Press Association luncheon. "By eight years, there are likely to be twice as many problems with the domestics."

Of the 31 2006 models recommended for best predicted reliability, 29 were Japanese -- and two-thirds of those were Toyota and Honda cars. The two domestic models included in the list were the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Mercury Mariner SUV.

A General Motors Corp. spokesman said the company wasn't satisfied with only one model in the top 31 but that internal as well as external measures show steady improvements in initial quality as well as long-term durability.

"We're improving very quickly," GM spokesman Tom Kowaleski said. He said GM's lineup was now "well placed in the mid-range to upper-mid-range across all segments where GM competes."

Of the 48 models forecast to be the least reliable, 22 are domestic nameplates, two are South Korean and four are Japanese -- all Nissan vehicles assembled at the automaker's new Canton, Miss., plant.

The 20 European models with the poorest predicted reliability include three flagships from Germany's premium carmakers: the BMW 7 Series, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Audi A8.

Consumer Reports drew up its list of reliable 2006 models based on the vehicles' track record over the past three years. For new or refreshed models, such as the Chevrolet Cobalt, it based its conclusions on samplings from a shorter period.

Among the Japanese automakers, Nissan's results were spotty, with the Infiniti M35 and M45 sedans rated among the most reliable. But the Nissan Quest minivan, the Armada SUV, the Titan pickup and the Infiniti QX56 were ranked among the least reliable.

The QX56 is likely to have about eight times as many problems as the Toyota Land Cruiser, the most reliable SUV.

The lowest-rated Nissan models are all built at its Canton plant. "They were new vehicles, in new segments, in a new plant, in a new area. If you add up all those things, it's not rocket science that they had problems," Champion said.

On the other hand, the Nissan Frontier and Xterra were among the most-improved vehicles, based on Consumer Reports' own testing.

"You can't gauge reliability based only on a nameplate," Champion said. "Some automakers do have a better track record but individual models -- especially newer ones -- can have problems."

In 2004, Nissan dispatched some 200 engineers from Japan to the Canton plant to fix problems. A Nissan spokesman said that the company was disappointed with the Consumer Reports' projected reliability ratings for some 2006 models.

"It's not clear if the vehicles involved in this survey included changes that began in mid-2004 and are continuing," said spokesman Fred Standish.

He said seven Nissan vehicles topped their segments in the vehicle satisfaction awards issued last month by consulting firm Auto Pacific, and this year's vehicle dependability survey by J.D. Power and Associates showed that both Nissan and Infiniti nameplates improved from the year before.

All five of the top-rated domestic large SUVs were produced by GM: the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL and the Cadillac Escalade. With the exception of those models, however, "large American SUVs have subpar reliability," Consumer Reports said.

The Chrysler Group's popular 300 sedan won mixed scores -- Consumer Reports recommends the model with the V6 engine, but rated the V8-powered 300 below average because of reported problems with the suspension and electrical systems. Ford's best-selling F-150 pickup also was rated below average.

Auto buyers seeking trouble-free cars should steer clear of brand-new models, Champion said.

"Should you buy a new car in the first year? We're saying no, not really," he said, citing a slide in the ratings of several new models, including the new Chrysler Town & Country minivan, compared with the last year of the outgoing model.

Offering a tip to parents, Champion said children seated in the back of sedans with high belt-lines can't see well out the window and are more likely to end up quarreling.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosins...C01-362825.htm

 

2 out of 31...I'd wave the BS flag, but then I'd have some retard call me a fanboy for calling media bias (you know who you are).

What a joke.

 

Well you could claim media bias, but that means you would have to consider Consumer Reports to be media. I consider it to be toilet paper.

 

That's probably because, after 3 years, the owner decides to pull up the sleaves and perform maintenance work himself on the domestics given how easy they are to work on... and not forgetting that the owner may also choose inferior quality replacement parts which might not be as good as the OEM.

How many owners of ***/Euro perform maintenance work themselves after 3 years? Not many I gather, they all take their cars to workshops.

 

People need to stop grouping "asian auto brands" together. A Mitsubishi is not as reliable as a Toyota, nor is a Nissan or a Mazda. Thanks.

 

Shew, thanks for figuring out why domestics tend to fall apart sooner in the long term.

 

Especially when you consider that they voted the Prius "Most Reliable."

I guess if you consider suddenly losing power at highway speeds reliability, it's unquestionably the "most reliable." I've also heard mixed reports on the interior quality of the 2nd Gen. Prius.

 

I am sure Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Mazda would disagree with you about lumping all the asian brands together. They get a free ride out of it.

 

I think this is sooo funny, I work next to a Nissan store... and Titans, Armadas, Murano's are in service every day... people are driving in, and its a lot of vehicles...

and i'd like to say as for our service lines... most of our vehicles are passenger cars, NO Trucks goto service! although I dont pay too much attention, becuase i'm sales not service... it seems that GMT800 is pretty bulletproof product...

But... Asian Brands arent everything they are cracked up to be...

 

My boss bought a Murano (bank boss, not dealer boss thankfully)...she traded it in when the warranty was up. From DAY ONE, the alarm never worked right, and would set itself off all the time. She had more dead batteries, so eventually she stopped locking her car. In Springfield, MA. The same parking lot where MY CAR had its Alpine ripped off about a month ago.

So what did she replace it with? A used Audi. Some people never learn. Now she's mad about the gas mileage. I mentioned I get 25 on average with the GP. She can't believe it. She gets 17. Someone who supposedly did soooo much research on her car purchase is now in shock big time because her friend just bought an '06 Impala SS, and now my boss loves that. She can't believe a V8 can get 28 MPG.

Pretty impressive to think an Audi driver likes an Impala. I think its funny she never listened to me in the first place

 

LOL Jason.. I've got a co-worker who came from India and this is his first job.. well he got a good deal on a used A6 (surprise surprise) and he bought it thinking he would get his dream of owning a German luxury car.
After Katrina and Rita hit his wallet took a big hit not to mention the numerous gremlins in the car.. He averages 12-15mpg (quattro) and when I told him I get 21-24 in the city with my V8 he almost kicked himself... LOL

I told him when he was buying the car that it would bite him in the wallet.. now the guy has to park in the sun to keep the car warm etc. and does the most rediculous things to save gas. (We were driving on the highway once at 65 and he turned the A/C off to save gas.. he then opens the windows which added more drag.. lol. not to mention he will turn off the headlights too until it's reall dark) he just cracks me up almost everyday and it's too funny.