Toyota and Honda are well-recognised multinational corporations having a huge share at global marketplace, but when it comes to reliability, how seriously are Japanese cars keeping the standard?
Toyota and Lexus have remained fortified quality manufacturers, with Toyota’s Prado, Hilux and Land-Cruiser being the top favourites in the UAE. Acura has also observed record sales in the US with negligible fluctuation. Lexus has been scoring top reliability rating for the past 18 years. Scion and Mazda are also holding up the top spot. Consumer Reports further lays down that out of 10 most reliable cars nine are from the Japanese manufacturers. Apart from general surveys, the massive sales ratio needs no explanation. In the year 2014, Daimler was once leading the chart, followed by General Motors occupying the fourth place, but in the end, Toyota was the winner. Look at the results of year 2015, Toyota again topped the sales charts followed by Volkswagen and General Motors.
The experts claim that reliability of Japanese cars remains undeterred, but one should keep in mind that the gap is narrowing. Other brands have evolved their products as well; no one’s willing to lag behind stampede.
Toyota and Lexus are critically endorsed manufactures and at the same time other Japanese automakers still might be endeavoring.
Brand Matters
Not all the Automobile Giants from Japan cherish the same cup of glory. Some well-known names have lost their stronghold along the years. According to Consumer Reports, Nissan and its luxury brand Infiniti are struggling. Nissan’s Rogue, if not high, gained manageable popularity while other products like Altima, Pathfinder and Sentra dealt wide gap on the sales front. Infiniti has a history of rocky journey. The Q50 Sedan and QX60 crossover are equally under pressure trying to squeeze out the tube. Even Acura’s reputation picked up glitches as new RLX Sedan and remodeled MDX SUV couldn’t take place of TL and TSX with the same rigorous dependability. Chances are more companies may be breathing fire under the hood, but Toyota, Lexus and Honda can be safely singled out ‘far from danger.’
The experts reason that automobile companies risking premature introduction of technology and new features into production line are grinding greater reliability complaints while slow and steady policy seems to be winning. The later can be stereotyped to Toyota and Honda as we understand they are successful.
The companies that shoot new cars in an intention to introduce new technology without proper implementation usually prove to be trouble makers for consumers.
Toyota’s New Camry still uses the same drivetrain introduced in 2007. The all-new Corolla retains the same engine and transmission offered in the previous model with minor ‘Direct Injection’ upgrade mated to a new CVT. Similarly, Honda has been observed to make slight modifications to the core engineering of its vehicles.
Class Matters
Buyers want a good all-in-one package. On the contrary, reliable cars fall short on fuel efficiency, speed and style. The most reliable vehicles are not necessarily most desirable ones.
Check out J.D Power and consumer reports latest charts which imply variant reliability ranking of brands. Toyota is a flag-bearer of compact and middle sized cars, Lexus presides all categories of premium cars, while accord also remains prominent in compact and subcompact categories.
The data suggests that best of Japanese mass automobile producers are not losing the ground any sooner but their European, American and German contemporaries are dramatically elevating excellence of their cars. In any case, Japanese cars stand out to competition due to their durability, reliability and trust.