Consumer Reports says that the biggest source of complaints among owners of new cars are the new (usually touchscreen) infotainment systems. The publication’s annual reliability survey did show improvement in the area, though, as well as the fact that the age-old stereotype about Toyota is still true.
Yep, that’s right, the Japanese automaker came second in CR’s survey, while the number one spot was taken up by its luxury arm, Lexus. Third and fourth spots went to more Japanese automakers, to Mazda and Honda respectively.
Even GM did okay this year, though not all their models performed consistently well. The Cadillac CTS and Chevy Impala (V6) are turning out to be great and fairly problem free over time too, while the brand’s new mid-sized pick-ups aren’t faring nearly as well.
CR also posed the question of whether or not it’s worth buying an all-new car immediately after it comes out. They argue that in doing so, you run the risk of being an inadvertent beta tester, as you discover the bugs that they didn’t. The recommendation, as per the video below, is to wait for a while after an all-new model is released so as to give the manufacturer time to iron out the problems.
However, as the new Cadillac CTS proved, being all-new does not always equal problems…
Check out the series of videos posted below for the full picture, especially if reliability is one of your top priorities when buying a new car.