2004 CARS HOW C ARS ARE HOLDING UP

Our latest survey of subscribers’ experi- THE NEW-CAR PICTURE ences with their cars shows that vehicles For CONSUMER REPORTS to recommend from Detroit’s Big Three automakers a vehicle, it has to perform well for us and are now slightly more reliable, on aver- in crash tests and achieve average or age, than those from European makers. better reliability.To predict new-vehicle They also tend to hold up better than reliability,we weight the trouble rates to the European makes as time passes. calculate overall reliability data for the It’s the first time in decades that U.S. three most recent years. We give added cars have done so well. weight to problems with the engine, trans- The survey, the largest of its kind mission, and cooling and drive systems. to gauge automotive reliability, yielded In some instances, we use only one information on the serious problems our or two years’ data because the current subscribers have faced with some 675,000 version of the vehicle is less than three privately owned or leased cars, trucks, years old or because we don’t have data minivans, and sport-utility vehicles. It As the problem rate for domestic vehi- for more years. shows that among cars less than a year cles improved slightly, the quality gap Here are the most reliable makes and old, the average problem rate for Euro- between U.S. and Asian makes narrowed models, and some models notable for pean cars and trucks was 20 per 100 cars. slightly.Still, the average 2003 U.S. model reliability problems, from the Big Three For domestic vehicles, it was 18 per 100. still has 50 percent more problems than automakers and their Asian and In our 2002 subscriber survey, U.S. and the average Japanese model. European counterparts: European automakers were Chrysler: Improving. tied at about 21 problems per Detroit makes gains. Chrysler has made great 100. The graph at right shows strides over the past sev- Our 2003 subscriber survey shows that U.S. automakers have a slightly the trend for vehicles up to eral years. Some new lower problem rate than do European manufacturers. However, Asian eight years old. vehicles remain significantly more trouble-free than either U.S. or Chrysler models have Overall, the most reliable European vehicles. The graph below plots the problem rates for vehicles been reliable since their vehicles continue to be those up to eight years old. introduction. from Asian automakers. The The Jeep Liberty SUV problem rate for the newest Average model European was the most reliable 2003 models among all Japanese and Chrysler vehicle. The U.S. Asian Korean vehicles is holding Chrysler PT Cruiser also steady at 12 per 100. 160 had above-average relia- As the tables on page 17 140 bility. The Dodge Ram show, Acura, Honda, Infiniti, 120 and Dodge Neon both Lexus, Mazda, and Toyota have 100 improved to average, been the most reliable makes 80 overall, but they scored over the past five model years, 60 too low in our tests for us based on the average problem to recommend them. 40 rates. (Those averages can Ford: Some early 20 mask a wide range of problem troubles. This automaker Problems per 100 vehicles rates among individual models; 0 suffers from teething <1234 5678 reliability varies from model to Age of vehicles (years) pains: problems with new model for most makes.) or redesigned models in

16 CONSUMER REPORTS &Z APRIL 2004 How the makes stack up over time their first few years. (For example, the The tables below show how the makes rank according to the problem rate we calcu- new-for-2003 Ford Expedition and Lincoln late from our annual subscriber survey. The tables show not only how makes compare Navigator SUVs did poorly.) But this year, with the “average” car for that year, but also how the The most consistently most of the Ford vehicles that had been individual makes fare over time. For many makes, reliable makes. troublesome in the past improved to aver- reliability varies. Problem rates have been rounded. age, so we can recommend them. New vehicles Three-year-old vehicles Five-year-old vehicles The most significant is the Ford Focus, Problems with 2003s Problems with 2001s Problems with 1999s which has scored high in our tests of MAKE PROBLEMS MAKE PROBLEMS MAKE PROBLEMS small sedans, sporty cars, and hatchbacks PER 100 VEHICLES PER 100 VEHICLES PER 100 VEHICLES but had a disastrous first few years where Lexus 9 Infiniti 21 Infiniti 24 reliability is concerned. However, the 2003 Infiniti 10 Lexus 23 Lexus 32 Focus is the most reliable Ford model. Honda 10 Toyota 24 Acura 34 (The 2000 and 2001 versions are still Toyota 1 1 Acura 28 Toyota 35 worse than average.) Other Ford models Acura 13 Honda 35 Nissan 46 that we can now recommend are the Mazda 13 Subaru 36 Subaru 51 Buick 13 Mazda 39 Honda 53 high-rated Lincoln LS sports sedan and Saturn 14 Mitsubishi 41 Mazda 54 three SUVs: the Ford Escape/Mazda Hyundai 14 Nissan 41 BMW 60 Tribute twins and the Ford Explorer. Nissan 14 Buick 48 Saturn 62 General Motors: A mixed record. Pontiac 15 Saab 50 Lincoln 72 GM has some reliable cars and others that Dodge 16 BMW 51 Buick 72 have been troublesome. In the three-year Saab 16 Lincoln 54 Saab 74 weighted average we use to predict Kia 16 Average model 54 Ford 75 reliability, the Buick Regal was the most Jeep 16 Hyundai 56 Average model 79 reliable family sedan in the survey, Average model 17 Mercury 57 Mercury 82 out-performing perennial winners such Chrysler 17 Ford 58 Cadillac 82 as the Toyota Camry and Nissan Maxima. Ford 17 Saturn 58 Mercedes-Benz 87 The best GM car for the 2003 model year Subaru 17 Jeep 58 Chrysler 88 is the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. We don’t Mercury 18 Chevrolet 59 Dodge 90 BMW 19 Dodge 60 Chevrolet 92 Volkswagen 19 Chrysler 60 Plymouth 95 Chevrolet 19 Audi 60 Volvo 95 Our broad look Audi 20 Volvo 62 GMC 95 at reliability Volvo 20 GMC 63 Audi 98 Mercedes-Benz 22 Oldsmobile 64 Jeep 99 Every spring we conduct a major survey of GMC 24 Pontiac 64 Pontiac 99 subscribers that asks about any serious Mini* 25 Volkswagen 78 Oldsmobile 108 problems they have had in the preceding Cadillac 25 Mercedes-Benz 79 Volkswagen 138 12 months with their own vehicles. Our Hummer* 26 Cadillac 91 2003 survey went to CONSUMER REPORTS and ConsumerReports.org subscribers in the Jaguar 30 spring of that year. We use the results of Lincoln 31 * Problem rate based on one model only. the survey in several ways throughout this issue. See the following reports: How the 2004 models will fare, page Average trouble rates over time 77. These lists show our reliability ratings 10 for new cars and let you compare vehicles Graph shows 9 Six-month-old Three-year-old Five-year-old ) 8 2003 model 2001 model 1999 model

by category. We also include the reliability the percentage % ( 7 of subscribers predictions in the new-car profiles, which 6 begin on page 33. reporting 5 Best and worst used cars, page 80. problems in 4 These quick-reference lists show all models individual trouble 3 spots over a 2 in our latest survey that had above-average Trouble rate five-year period. 1 or below-average reliability. 0 Detailed reliability ratings, page 82. Brakes, the electrical system,

These charts show you how 1996 through Engine Brakes Ignition Exhaust 2003 models have held up in terms of 14 power equipment, Electrical Suspension Fuel system Transmission and body integrity Drive system

specific trouble spots. They let you see the Body integrity Paint/trim/rust Body hardware Cooling system are the leading Air conditioning

strengths and weaknesses for each of the Power equipment past eight model years. trouble areas. Trouble spots

APRIL 2004 &Z CONSUMER REPORTS 17 have recent road-test data on either the no vehicle ages uniformly.That’s why we prominent trouble spots. By age five, Regal or the Monte Carlo, however, and so look at our survey data in a different electrical problems outstrip all others. cannot recommend them. way to calculate the Reliability Verdicts For example, the worst car for electrical The GM cars we can now recommend (see page 82). For the Reliability Verdict problems in our survey was the 1996 are the Buick Park Avenue and Rendez- ratings, we compare each make and Volkswagen Passat V6, with an astonish- vous and the Saturn L300, all of which model with all vehicles of the same age. ing 40 percent of owners in our survey improved to average. Our surveys show these trends: reporting a problem. The 1996 and 1997 Several of GM’s full-sized trucks and • As they age, Asian vehicles generally Chevrolet Astro and GMC Safari vans SUVs, including the Chevrolet Avalanche, have fewer problems than U.S. or Euro- were nearly as bad. Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe, and pean vehicles. The 2001 Honda CR-V, But even newer cars can have major the GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL, for instance, with 12 problems per 100 troubles.At least 30 percent of owners re- continue to maintain average predicted vehicles, was more trouble-free than ported serious electrical problems with reliablity,even though their 2003 models many 2003 models. the 1998 and 1999 New Beetle, the 1998 slipped slightly. • Some models that have a troublesome and 2000 Corvette, the 2001 Mercedes Japan: Best and worst. Honda, start do not age gracefully. For example, C-Class, and the 1998 Mercedes SLK. Nissan, Mazda, and Toyota were among the 2001 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV Knowing how a particular model-year the makes well represented in the top still has a higher trouble rate than its 1999 vehicle compares with the norm helps if ranks of reliability.The Toyota Camry (re- counterpart.The 1999 Honda minivan has you’re in the market for a used car. The designed for 2002) and Nissan Altima, had many more problems than did the tables on the previous page look closely at which had sunk to average in our 2002 1996, 1997, and 1998 versions. three-year-old and five-year-old cars for survey,have improved to above average. • Among late-model vehicles, the most two reasons:There are many three-year- Some Japanese nameplates had a common complaints involve squeaks and olds available because they’ve come off mixed showing. Nissan and Subaru have rattles, power accessories, loose trim and lease, and there should be plenty of five- generally good reliability, but the entry- door latches, and electrical problems. year-olds because their original owners level Nissan Sentra sedan dropped to • As the graph on page 17 shows, the have moved on to new cars. below average, and the new-for-2003 typical three-year-old vehicle has about A three- or five-year-old vehicle with Subaru Baja truck was much below three times the trouble rate of a new car, a good reliability history can be an average. The redesigned 2003 Toyota and the typical five-year-old has about excellent value. It is new enough to still 1 4Runner was below average in its V6 4 ⁄2 times the trouble rate of a new model. have most of its useful life, yet old enough version (it was subject to a recall for a By the time a vehicle is three years to have endured the worst part of the fuel-system problem). The V8, however, old, brake problems join the roster of depreciation curve. was much better than average. Europe: Few standouts. Relatively few European cars did well.The handful closeup showing average or better reliability are the BMW 3 Series, the Saab 9-3 and 9-5, HOW RELIABLE ARE GAS/ELECTRIC HYBRIDS? and all Volvos except the XC90 SUV. But all Mercedes-Benz models were You might expect hybrid cars to have seri- below average, as were all Audis, Jaguars, ous reliability problems since they use a GREEN WITH ENVY The 2003 Land Rovers, and the BMW 7 Series, X5 new and relatively unproven technology Civic Hybrid (shown), like the first- generation Toyota Prius, has had SUV,and Mini Cooper. involving a gasoline engine, an electric few reliability problems to date. Volkswagen continued losing ground, motor, and a high-tech battery pack. But the hybrids seem to be holding up well so with the Golf, Jetta, New Beetle, and far. The first-generation Toyota Prius was four-cylinder Passat all worse than among the most reliable in our survey, and average. Many of the problems can be the 2003 Civic Hybrid had outstanding reli- attributed to the ignition coils in the 1.8T ability; we don’t have enough data on the engine shared by those cars. Honda Insight hybrid to predict reliability. Those hybrids come from the most THE PROSPECT FOR OLDER CARS quality-conscious Japanese makers. It When we calculate a make’s overall remains to be seen how well the forth- coming Ford Escape hybrid SUV will do. A problem rate, we look at all the trouble point in its favor: Its hybrid powertrain will spots covered in our survey—engine, use components similar to those in the transmission, brakes, suspension, body Prius. The 2005 Lexus RX 400h SUV hardware, and the like—and treat them hybrid stands a good chance of being equally. reliable, based on Lexus’ track record.

On the road and in real time, however, KROLL TRACEY BY PHOTO

18 CONSUMER REPORTS &Z APRIL 2004