Ford outscores Asian rivals

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen

By William Ehart

At Ford, quality is job done.

Ford Motor Co. not only tops its U.S. rivals in reliability, but several models are consistently outscoring vaunted Japanese automakers Honda and Toyota, according to the latest research by Consumer Reports.

About 90 percent of the 51 Ford, Mercury and Lincoln models scored average or better in reliability, the magazine found in its 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey, released Tuesday.

"Ford has secured its position as the only Detroit automaker with world-class reliability," Consumer Reports said.

"It's rare for Consumer Reports to see family sedans from domestic carmakers continue to beat the reliability scores of such highly regarded Japanese models as the Camry and Accord," said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports Automotive Test Center.

The 2004 Buick Regal was the last American sedan to accomplish that, the magazine said.

Consumer Reports ranked the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan front-wheel-drive and hybrid models higher than the top-selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in the family sedan segment. The Toyota Prius scored highest.

The Focus and the Milan are built in the same factory and differ only in areas such as trim.

"We're seeing a broader cross section of customers coming into our showroom, and we're very excited about that," said Vincent Trasatti Jr., owner of East West Lincoln Mercury in New Carrollton. "There's a consistently strong quality message coming out of Ford Motor Co."

In general, the survey found that Japanese and South Korean automakers make eight of the top 10 most reliable truck and car brands. There were "bright spots" for General Motors, according to the magazine, but few glimmers for Chrysler, whose Sebring is ranked among the least-reliable family sedans.

The survey is based on responses from Consumer Reports subscribers.

More than a third of Chrysler's models rank "much worse than average," Consumer Reports said. However, unlike last year, the magazine did find a Chrysler model to recommend - the four-wheel-drive version of the new Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck. It rated average in reliability but performed well in road tests, the magazine said.

"It's a very poor result, a continuation of where they've been heading for the last four years, and it's sad to see there's been no change or improvement," said Paul Niedermeyer, a blogger for thetruthaboutcars.com.

"The Sebring has been an unmitigated disaster from day one. It's dead meat, it's disastrous. It's basically a rental-fleet car," Mr. Niedermeyer said. Chryler's new vehicle lineup, to be announced Nov. 4, reportedly will rely on models from Italian owner Fiat SpA, he added, citing a Wall Street Journal article.

Twenty of GM's 48 models have average-reliability scores, according to Consumer Reports, and the Chevrolet Malibu is "on par with the most reliable family sedans."

The Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs scored well, as did the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks.

GM needed Malibu to achieve that strong rating, Mr. Niedermeyer said. "It would have been a disaster if it hadn't. The Malibu has been their poster child for being competitive with the Asian brands."

But Mr. Niedermeyer said the rise of Korean automakers should not be overlooked.

"The other big news is that Hyundai and Kia are right up there with the Japanese," he said. "That's been developing for a number of years, but it's a confirmation of that trend.

"The Malibu has a lot of strengths, and it's a pretty good car. But the new Hyundai Sonata is gong to be out in a few months and will give everybody a run for the money."