Consumer Reports Dotes On Lexus, Bashes on Tesla

By adpock - October 22, 2015

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Consumer Reports‘ Annual Auto Reliability Study either means a whole lot, or very little, depending on who you ask. But this year, for us Lexus fans, we’ll go with the former. Of course, if you’re a Tesla fan, you may just want to ignore the 2015 study altogether.

As it was last year, Lexus topped Consumer Reports‘ list of most reliable cars. And just to put a little more icing on that cake, Toyota ranked second. Rounding out the top five are Audi, Mazda, and Subaru.

Odds are, if you drive a Lexus, especially a newer one, you don’t spend a lot of time worrying about reliability. That’s probably one of the big reasons you likely bought the car in the first place, because of the marque’s well-earned reputation for reliability, which stems from performing well in surveys like this.

This particular study comes from a survey of some 740,000 new car owners (up to three years old), who also happen to be Consumer Reports subscribers. The participants then share with CR the good, the bad, and the ugly about their vehicles.

Not that we’re gloating, but the bottom five brands on the 2015 reliability list are Infiniti, Cadillac, Ram, Jeep, and FIAT (aka Fix It Again Tony). Not a very strong showing for the FCA brands at all.

And Lexus’s would-be hybrid competitor, the Tesla Model S, didn’t fare much better. Consumer Reports is no longer recommending the car, even though their initial road tests came back glowing. According to the Detroit Free Press: “The 1,400 responses from consumers provided a long list of maladies with the drivetrain, charging equipment, big-screen center console and evidence of a poorly-built vehicle with squeaks, rattles and leaks. It added up to a worse-than-average reliability score.”

On the whole, Consumers Reports found that most people are upset with new transmissions, which are meant to be more fuel efficient, but have proven to be less reliable. The second biggest reliability issue that new owners complained about were faulty in-car connectivity systems. But Lexus has simplified infotainment systems, to avoid such complaints.

“They are the conservative automaker. They’re not the ones coming out first with new technology. Instead you see cars that gradually evolve,” says Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

So congratulations Lexus owners, you’re an evolved bunch, and you drive a darn reliable automobile.