Autoblog

click above image for more pics of the 2008 Toyota Highlander from our review

Consumer Reports seems to have a few more fans ever since the folks there proved that they have no bias for Toyota by knocking the Japanese automaker down a few pegs. One of the measures taken after three Toyota vehicles, including a Lexus, were bumped from CR's recommended list was that no future Toyotas would get the benefit of the doubt and be labeled as "Recommended" based on the automaker's past performance. The first Toyota vehicle to be hit by this mandate is the new 2008 Toyota Highlander, which, despite becoming the highest rated mid-size SUV (it's really a CUV, but whatever) with three rows of seating, did not receive an automatic "Recommended" designation from the magazine. The Highlander received the highest score of 81 in CR's most recent test, while competitors that were tested alongside the Highlander like the Subaru Tribeca and Ford Taurus X scored 70 and 75, respectively, yet managed to earn the "Recommended" label. Like the Highlander, the Buick Enclave scored relatively well (75) but did not get recommended, with CR citing insufficient reliability data to make the call.

Though Toyota does not find itself in CR's good graces at the moment, the magazine has made it clear that if Toyota's reliability rating returns to "excellent", it will resume automatically recommending its models again. We're just curious, but do any CR readers out there know what other brands or automakers (not individual models) are also automatically recommended based on their past performance?

Click here to read a non-subscriber's version of CR's article, and click here to read our own review of the 2008 Toyota Highlander Sport.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

The General's chief product guru, Bob Lutz, responded to questions regarding GM's reliability in the company's FastLane Blog's most recent video Q&A chapter. According to Lutz, who cites comparisons to company "H" and company "T" as being perpetual reliability yardsticks, GM has aimed at making every component throughout the automaker's brands "bulletproof," including the engines, transmissions and every mechanical part imaginable.

The move began about four or five years ago, and despite high ratings in J.D. Power and Associates initial quality reports, Lutz explains that all the money spent was in an effort to "shoot for infinite life," as opposed to what Lutz calls, "100,000-mile bogies."

Lutz goes on to recount his aim of making Buick the American equivalent of Lexus, which was just confirmed with the recent release of J.D. Power and Associates long-term reliability ratings. Buick sat pretty, right next to Lexus. Mission accomplished Bob. Congrats.

[Source: GM FastLane Blog]

In the recently released 2006 Annual Car Reliability Survey by Consumer Reports, seven models from Mercedes-Benz were rated as Least Reliable. The last generation S-Class, CLS, E-Class, SL, CLK, V6 SLK and the M-Class SUV were all ranked least reliable based on the Consumer Reports survey comprised of responses from 1.3 million of the magazine's subscribers. A Mercedes spokesperson blames the brand's poor performance on a couple of issues that include brake dust on high performance stoppers (that's part of the charm!) and problems with the company's new 7-speed transmission that have reportedly been fixed. Mercedes-Benz has certainly had quality issues the past several years that can't be denied, which may in part be blamed on its insistence of imbuing its lineup with the latest whiz-bang gadgetry that ups the complication factor exponentially. Still, many fault Consumer Reports for using an outdated and flawed survey method that doesn't accurately report the reliability of the vehicles that appear on and off its lists. Michael Karesh, a vocal Autoblog commenter and purveyor of a Consumer Reports alternative site called True Delta, has written several articles that address the most serious problems with the way Consumer Reports conducts its surveys. Despite one's opinion on the validity of what Consumer Reports reports, there's no denying the fact that the periodical holds serious sway with consumers. It's no wonder Mercedes is so miffed at the rankings it received at the hands of Consumer Reports subscribers, though the German automaker needs to recognize the part its own vehicles played in these standings.

[Source: Money.cnn.com]

Related posts:

• Major Mercedes recall: 1.3 million cars
• Mercedes tops reliability report
• One big lemon! Dealer sues Mercedes-Benz over defective $1.7M roadster

We've given Ford credit in the past for its super smooth roll out of the Fusion midsize sedan and its counterparts, the Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ. To date the three sedans haven't had a single recall for anything minor or major, not an easy feat when you're launching all-new models as Ford found out the hard way with the recall-plagued Focus launch back in 2000. Still, our kudos mean little in the grand scheme of things. However, when Consumer Reports calls out your success in its predicted reliability ratings, potential customers take notice.

In its newly released 2006 Annual Car Reliability Survey, Consumer Reports discovered that the Fusion and Milan actually scored higher in predicted reliability than the Honda Accord V6 and Toyota Camry V6. The Zephyr also did will in the upscale cars category, scoring slightly behind the Lexus ES350. Other domestic models did well too, including the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS, both of which were above average in predicted reliability.

Despite these pockets of success, the domestics still only managed to account for six of the 47 vehicles that achieved the highest predicted reliability scores and got a little red circle with a white dot next to their names. The Japanese, meanwhile, accounted for 39 (21 from Toyota/Lexus and 11 from Honda/Acura). The Fusion/Milan/Zephyr, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Pontiac Vibe were the six American vehicles that scored highest. The remaining two vehicles were a split between Europe and Korea with one going to the MINI Cooper and the other to the Hyundai Azera.

Mercedes-Benz wound up the worst brand in reliability with eight models, including the new S-Class, rated as least reliable. Nissan, which has lately scored very pourly in these reliability rankings, still contributed the only five Japanese vehicles to be rated least reliable, though CR says its vehicles are showing about half as many problems as they did last year.

Check out CR's full press release after the jump with more details from this year's survey.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Any time that we start to see a hint of paradigm shift in the auto industry, it's mandatory that the detractors come out of the woodwork with stories of woe. For example, in the article linked below, we learn that someone can get taken for a $8,000 ride to replace one of Toyota's hybrid transmissions.

But, people tend to forget that OEM parts and shop labor for recently-introduced vehicles have always been expensive. Those that don't work on newer vehicles - or those that don't ever touch their own vehicle - get used to ultra-cheap refurbished components. Take the Wayback Machine to 1976 and look up the price for a brand-new carburetor, distributor, or hubcap; one would surely leave "the vapors" after adjusting for inflation. Fast-forward to 1986 and get a quote for a fuel injector, mass airflow sensor, or aluminum wheel, and our prospective consumer had better break out the smelling salts. While we're popping the balloon of nostalgia, don't forget that modern vehicles spend far less time in the shop.

Two things are definitely true when it comes to repair costs. First, modern cars are indeed more expensive to repair after a collision. Blame the switch from big chrome bumpers and body-on-frame structures to energy-absorbing crash technology for that. The upside is that those parts perish so that the vehicle's occupants don't have to. Second, it usually goes that the more expensive the vehicle, the more expensive the repair bills, so be careful when buying a depreciated luxury barge that will soon need be in need of TLC.

[Source: MSN Money]

Warranty Direct is an auto warranty company in the United Kingdom that decided to put some of its raw data to good use in a comprehensive reliability index that ranks the country's 100 most reliable vehicles according to their frequency of failure. The Honda Accord tops the list and Japanese manufacturers produce no less than every car in the top 10 and 16 of the top 20. The first non-Eastern marque to appear on the list is the Jaguar X-Type at 13. The results are based on the 55,000 vehicles insured by the company and each make and model's frequency of failure. You can check out the full list here where you may be surprised how high and low your favorite marques have landed.

[Source: Gizmag and ReliabilityIndex]

According to the German automotive association ADAC, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are the most reliable among the German brands. The C-Class, CLK-Class, E-Class, M-Class, S-Class, and the SLK-Class all took top spots in the association's latest report, more than any other German automaker. The ADAC was especially impressed with the C-Class (pictured). This is particularly surprising considering the quality troubles Mercedes-Benz has had to deal with the last few years.

[Source: Canadian Driver]

A new UK reliability study conducted by research firm Warranty Direct has crowned the home-built Honda Civic as the nation's most trustworthy car. The award covers Civics built from 2001-onward.

The criteria? The study compared the average cost of repairs against the number of service on top. The Warranty Direct's top picks also included the Rover 45, Citroen Xsara and Ford Focus. The sample pool? Some 48,000 units eight years old or younger.

More details available by clicking on the link.

[Source: Motortorque at AskaPrice.com; Southern-counties.co.uk]