THEY were once a byword for reliability. But German marques such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz are more likely to let drivers down than cheaper Japanese models, Britain's biggest car reliability survey has shown.
The Honda Jazz shared top honours in the Which? Car poll with the Czech-built Skoda Fabia and Swedish-made Volvo C30, all scoring 96 per cent.
The survey of nearly 90,000 cars also found, contrary to popular belief, that German car-makers were dec
idedly middle-ranking in the brand reliability stakes. Which? Car said Audi, BMW and Mercedes had only average overall scores of 78 per cent in the brand reliability index, of cars up to eight years old. Volkswagen was rated as poor with 75 per cent.
British cars also fared badly, with Land Rover joint bottom. Chrysler/Dodge came in at 67 per cent. MG and Rover were also near the foot of the table.
The top seven most reliable marques were all Japanese, topped by Honda (85 per cent), Toyota (84) and Daihatsu (83).
However, Honda's pre-eminent reliability was dented by the British-built Civic in the individual models section, of cars up to two years old.
The car was placed joint bottom of the 21-strong medium-car category with the Citroen C4, with 82 per cent reliability.
Which? Car said problems with the Civic included the battery, fuel and braking systems, handles/locks, suspension, paintwork, exterior trim and rainwater seals.
Richard Headland, the magazine's editor, said: "That's quite a few specific troublespots for a new car."
By contrast, the Japan-built Civic Hybrid scored 95 per cent.
Mr Headland said the key to Japanese carmakers' success was their closely controlled and simplified production.
He said: "They have tight process control, right through from concept to full production, and also export this method to their factories outside Japan very successfully.
"By forging strong local relationships with parts suppliers, they are usually able to ensure quality is consistently high.
"Japanese cars are also often designed with the simplicity of manufacturing in mind – to reduce complexity and improve ease of assembly."
Mr Headland said other firms had failed to successfully copy the Japanese because of old- fashioned factories and lower investment.
He said: "I'm sure lots of manufacturers aim to mimic the Japanese system, but haven't quite cracked it yet. Japanese companies are very hot on organisation and culture, and these things can take a long time to change in a manufacturer."
The least reliable models listed in the survey were the Ford S-Max and Galaxy, which came in at 75 per cent. No Chrysler or Dodge models were included in the survey of individual cars because too few owners took part in the poll.
The Volkswagen Passat jointly propped up the bottom of the large-car category with the Citroen C5, on 80 per cent. The Ford Focus, Britain's best-selling car, scored 90 per cent. The Vauxhall Corsa, the next most popular model, was on 88 per cent, but the third best-selling Vauxhall Astra scored only 83 per cent.
The full article contains 524 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
