8th Jun 2012, 16:14
Was that 2007? I would look at the new Fords if out shopping in 2012. Not archaic design and high quality as well.
8th Jun 2012, 16:31
I have no idea what "rating service" ranks Honda, Toyota and Subaru tops. None of these brands has ever topped J.D. Powers long-term reliability ratings. For over a decade Lexus, Buick and Lincoln have traded places for the most reliable cars on Earth. Most Toyotas earn an "average" rating in long-term reliability. Yes, Lexus is Toyota's luxury division, but it is hardly the same as a much cheaper Toyota. Subaru only sells a handful of cars in the U.S., and even Chrysler outsells Honda.
8th Jun 2012, 17:45
The only story that came to an end for me was the unreliable 2009 RAV-4 that I used to own, posted on this website under the title "sloppy"; go ahead and read it. The problem is you can't post any comments, thanks to the Toyota fans that got it disabled.
8th Jun 2012, 18:37
That FOUR SPEED may seem unsophisticated and old-fashioned, but I'll tell you one thing: the simpler something is, the more reliable it will be.
I have an '06 Corolla with the 4-speed automatic. It shifts so smoothly I rarely notice it, and highway RPMs are kept at a minimum (I don't see 2500 RPMs until around 75 MPH or so) despite the lack of an extra gear.
Our '96 Corolla has a 4 speed automatic - and 205,000 miles. No issues.
9th Jun 2012, 20:43
"Yes, Lexus is Toyota's luxury division, but it is hardly the same as a much cheaper Toyota."
Nearly all of Lexus' cars are rebadged and slightly redesigned Toyota's. The Lexus ES? The only difference between that and a Camry is body panels, badges, some minor suspension tweaks and some sound deadening.
Except for the high performance versions of some of their models, Lexus uses the same engines you will find in Toyota models. The 3.5L V6 is the most commonly used. The 2.5L V6 in the IS 250 is one of the few engines not used in Toyota models.
All this being said, Toyota is cheaper in price from Lexus (obviously,) but that's where the cheapness ends. We own 3 Toyota's in our household. All of them have been excellent vehicles that have given us very few issues (the oldest is our '96 Corolla with 205,000 miles. It's the only one that's given us any issues due to its age. That being said, it's never had an issue that rendered it undriveable and has never left us stranded). We have many friends who drive Lexus vehicles. A good friend of ours drives a 2001 Lexus ES300 with 220,000 miles on it, and it has never given him a single major issue.
9th Jun 2012, 22:23
I am not fond of the Corolla either. We bought a use 2004 Civic EX, and the new Mazda 3 is also far superior. I helped my kids test and evaluate quite a few, and these 2 were the result as starter cars.
11th Jun 2012, 07:25
I think this comment crosses the line without definitive proof to back it up. It is one thing to continuously give an opinion that nobody really wants to hear over and over again, however it is another to post what could very well be libelous statements without the proof to back them up.
I drive a domestic, but even I believe this comment crosses the line and probably should be removed. In fact, if commenters can't conduct themselves in an appropriate manner, they should be removed rather than allowing them to destroy an excellent web site.
That (in my opinion) is what is happening with folks like the Toyota hater & the Fusion Guy - they are pulling an informative web site down into the muck of their very biased opinions.
11th Jun 2012, 17:54
Comment 17:45 sounds like an honest reviewer. I've ridden in and driven the RAV-4 and find it to be one of the loudest vehicles I have ever been in. You can't carry on a normal conversation inside these vehicles. They also are prone to have lots of rattles due to loose body panels. The same is pretty much true of the similar Honda CRV. I haven't found Toyotas (any of them) to offer nearly as much in quality, reliability or styling as any domestic vehicles.
12th Jun 2012, 10:42
OK, I'm locking this thread.
The usual suspects are repeating the same points that have been rehashed endlessly elsewhere.
If some of these comments had car manufacturer's names replaced by political parties, they'd pass unnoticed on many a political website. I suspect regular visitors pay as little attention to them, as they do to the politically charged comments of a typical news site.
That said, I don't think that me choosing to censor contentious opinions is an appropriate solution, except in exceptional circumstances.
Steven Jackson, CSDO Media Limited
steven@carsurvey.org
8th Jun 2012, 13:24
In the end, all that matters is what the results are, and as of the last check, most reports still show Toyota, Honda, and Subaru at the top of the overall reliability lists.
End of story.