CR. Lexus & Mazda & Toyota on top. Tesla & Genesis bottom 5.

mmcartalk

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Kudos to Infiniti and Buick as well.


There is a theory on this (although I myself don't necessarily agree with it) that the reason Buick usually scores higher than any other American-brand nameplate is that the older, conservative crowd that buys them usually drives in a non-aggressive manner that puts little if any real stress on the drivetrains and suspensions, thereby leading to less need for repairs. Interesting theory...but IMO, it doesn't explain why Lincoln, who attracts many of the same, older, easy-driving, Buy-American-First people as Buick does, is often much further down the reliability-list.....in this case, on the bottom. Cadillac, which also used to have pretty much the same conservative buyer-pool as Buick, but, recently, with the addition of sorts-sedans/performance cars and the V-series, has more owners who drive aggressively....and is also well-down the reliability-list. Lincoln, on the other hand, has focused more on traditional American luxury than recent Cadillacs.
 
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Gor134

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That's if they bring a RWD based sedan to the states! But definitely don't sleep on Mazda's reliability, my sister bought a Mazda3 new in 2014 when the SkyActic engine was just out for a year or two, and has put over 220k miles on it with no engine or transmission issues! Mazda definitely has my respect for reliability and build quality.
 
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Yes, just as most buyers of premium vehicles also don’t use CR to make their vehicle purchase decision.
Exactly
But don’t they care that Range Rovers are unreliable? The answer is, quite frankly, no, they don’t. One of my favorite columns I’ve ever written dealt with this exact issue. In it, I argued that Land Rover doesn’t need to worry about reliability scores, and J.D. Power ratings, and Consumer Reports, because they consistently lose every metric and yet their cars still sell for full sticker – and they usually have a waiting list. Simply put, Range Rover buyers don’t consider things like cost of ownership and long-term durability. They want the nicest car they can get, they own it solely under warranty, and then they get a new one.
 

Levi

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Exactly
If the product breaks down, for me it just can't be the best. Sorry, but it is garbage. Imagine if a Macbook or iPhone crashed and had to be rebooted 3 times a day? If a Rolex stopped working once every month and had to be repaired?
 

Will1991

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I do think that reliability is one of the best things to keep costumers.

Thanks to the lack of reliability on my wife’s Mercedes, I’ve pretty much sold her a Lexus for the next time, without getting in trouble due to our previous agreement.
 

IS-SV

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I do think reliability is a consideration for premium car buyers, therefore vehicle needs to be reasonably reliable during typical (1st) ownership period. Not that they check CR.

I‘m probably the only premium car buyer that gets CR in mail lol, (thanks to my mother renewing my subscription every Xmas)
 

mikeavelli

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I do think that reliability is one of the best things to keep costumers.

Thanks to the lack of reliability on my wife’s Mercedes, I’ve pretty much sold her a Lexus for the next time, without getting in trouble due to our previous agreement.

I think though we can also assume people will always want what they want and put up with quality issues. I mean VW, Land Rover for example never move up this list and people still buy them particularly The LR brand. Historically German cars are more likely to give issues (sans Porsche) and they still sell millions globally. Tesla is a “thing” and still seen as hip so people want it. And not to make excuses for them but the company is still a relative newborn.

On the Flipside perceived reliability is basically people doing the exact opposite. Buying cars perceived to be reliable but have issues. ACuRa and now Genesis falls into this camp.

What is amazing is over 30 years later and with todays Lexus vastly more complicated than older ones, quality is still always tops or around the top. No small feat.
 

MichaelL

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If the product breaks down, for me it just can't be the best. Sorry, but it is garbage. Imagine if a Macbook or iPhone crashed and had to be rebooted 3 times a day? If a Rolex stopped working once every month and had to be repaired?
You are right, it isn’t the best, by any realistic measure, but Range Rover has panache, image, and it is expensive. Their buyers don’t care. They want the image and off road reputation, I think it is a POS, but it doesn’t matter. The brand sells. CR is a valuable resource that many discount when they don’t like what they are saying, criticize their methodology if it goes against their brand. It is what it is.