And the world’s most reliable car is...

….a Toyota, once again. Despite the numerous recalls and engine sludge problems that have been reported during the course of this and previous years, the Japanese automaker is still on the top of the heap for the eighth year in a row.

"Toyota has a strategy that emphasises reliability over excitement," Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' head of vehicle testing was quoted as saying. "They take a conservative approach to redesign and roll out new features slowly. The risk is they may not have the latest bells and whistles, but the reward is world-class reliability."

Japanese brands fared well in the Consumers Reports’ survey, with Mazda, Honda and Subaru joining Toyota in the top ten rankings, Audi as the top ranking non-Japanese brand and Buick the only US brand to make the top ten.

In what is perhaps a sign of the times, it was the infotainment systems that attracted the most criticism, particularly for Infiniti, Fiat and Cadillac. Common complaints included unresponsive touch screens and trouble pairing phones with the system. Younger car owners tended to be the most impatient with glitchy electronics.

"They expect the same connectivity level when they're in the car," said Doug Love, a spokesman for the magazine. The recently merged Fiat Chrysler Automobiles fared worst in the rankings, with its Dodge, Ram, Jeep and Fiat brands in the bottom four.

Toyota vehicles were also the most highly recommended in 10 of the 18 model categories, including hybrids (the Lexus CT 200h), compact cars (the Scion xB), midsize SUVs (the Toyota Highlander) and small and large pickup trucks (the Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra). 

image: reuters.com