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·Any truth in the MGF showing on this Auto Express Survey?
British cars are last for reliability;Japanese models take 18 of top 20 places in survey
BRITISH cars took the chequered flag yesterday as the worst in the country for reliability.
When it comes to breaking down and faults, cars made in the United Kingdom by Rover, MG and Vauxhall fare consistently badly, according to the nation's drivers.
However, Japanese cars come out top of the reliability stakes, claiming 18 of the top 20 places in the Driver Power 2002 survey by Auto Express, the motoring magazine.
The survey was compiled from the experiences of 15,000 motorists, making it the biggest car reliability and satisfaction survey the magazine has carried out.
The most reliable car is Toyota's RAV4, just ahead of the Mazda 626 and another Toyota, the Yaris supermini, which was European car of the year in 2001.
Honda also scored strongly with three models, the Civic, CR-V and Prelude, in the top 10 for reliability.
At the other end of the scale, three of the four most unreliable cars were made in the UK, including Land Rover's 4x4 for the fashion conscious, the Freelander.
When it comes to ''build quality'', things failed to improve. Ten of the 20 cars at the bottom of that table were also made in Britain - including the big-selling Vauxhall Vectra, Rover MGF and Land Rover Discovery.
David Johns, editor of Auto Express, said: ''The findings clearly show that if you want a car that will go on mile after mile, year after year without ever letting you down, you have to buy Japanese.
''Sadly, it's not just reliability where owners find British cars falling short of the standards set by the Japanese and Germans. Build quality too is well below average, with nearly half the bottom cars in our survey coming from the UK - including far too many Rovers and Land Rovers for comfort.
''The Big Four, Ford, Vauxhall, Renault and Peugeot/Citroen, should be concerned by the results of our research. Unlike German and Japanese cars, which set the pace in key areas of importance with motorists, they were found languishing at the bottom of our charts with depressing regularity.''
German car makers took the honours in build quality with the *** 5-Series claiming the number one spot, while Audi had four cars in the top 10.
Survey respondents were asked to rate all areas of their vehicles, from ride to handling, practicality to reliability and comfort to build quality.
Despite poor showings in some categories, there was good news for British car makers in the Driver Power findings, as Rover's impressive 75 topped the rankings for best ride quality and comfort.
Nearly one in four drivers reported electrical problems with their cars and 9% said their cars had suffered engine problems.
All 20 of the worst cars in the reliability chart are either British, French or Italian models, with the Rover 800 posting the lowest score.
Junior MPVs head the practicality rankings with the Vauxhall Zafira taking the top spot ahead of the Renault Scenic, Citroen Picasso and Mercedes A-class.
The survey found that latest models are not necessarily the best - the Rover Mini finished ahead of the new *** version in both handling and steering.
In the performance stakes, the Subaru Imprenza took pole position, ahead of the Porsche Boxster, Toyota MR2 and, in a surprising ranking, Skoda's Octavia. Worst performing were the Peugeot 106, Land Rover Freelander and Ford Escort
British cars are last for reliability;Japanese models take 18 of top 20 places in survey
BRITISH cars took the chequered flag yesterday as the worst in the country for reliability.
When it comes to breaking down and faults, cars made in the United Kingdom by Rover, MG and Vauxhall fare consistently badly, according to the nation's drivers.
However, Japanese cars come out top of the reliability stakes, claiming 18 of the top 20 places in the Driver Power 2002 survey by Auto Express, the motoring magazine.
The survey was compiled from the experiences of 15,000 motorists, making it the biggest car reliability and satisfaction survey the magazine has carried out.
The most reliable car is Toyota's RAV4, just ahead of the Mazda 626 and another Toyota, the Yaris supermini, which was European car of the year in 2001.
Honda also scored strongly with three models, the Civic, CR-V and Prelude, in the top 10 for reliability.
At the other end of the scale, three of the four most unreliable cars were made in the UK, including Land Rover's 4x4 for the fashion conscious, the Freelander.
When it comes to ''build quality'', things failed to improve. Ten of the 20 cars at the bottom of that table were also made in Britain - including the big-selling Vauxhall Vectra, Rover MGF and Land Rover Discovery.
David Johns, editor of Auto Express, said: ''The findings clearly show that if you want a car that will go on mile after mile, year after year without ever letting you down, you have to buy Japanese.
''Sadly, it's not just reliability where owners find British cars falling short of the standards set by the Japanese and Germans. Build quality too is well below average, with nearly half the bottom cars in our survey coming from the UK - including far too many Rovers and Land Rovers for comfort.
''The Big Four, Ford, Vauxhall, Renault and Peugeot/Citroen, should be concerned by the results of our research. Unlike German and Japanese cars, which set the pace in key areas of importance with motorists, they were found languishing at the bottom of our charts with depressing regularity.''
German car makers took the honours in build quality with the *** 5-Series claiming the number one spot, while Audi had four cars in the top 10.
Survey respondents were asked to rate all areas of their vehicles, from ride to handling, practicality to reliability and comfort to build quality.
Despite poor showings in some categories, there was good news for British car makers in the Driver Power findings, as Rover's impressive 75 topped the rankings for best ride quality and comfort.
Nearly one in four drivers reported electrical problems with their cars and 9% said their cars had suffered engine problems.
All 20 of the worst cars in the reliability chart are either British, French or Italian models, with the Rover 800 posting the lowest score.
Junior MPVs head the practicality rankings with the Vauxhall Zafira taking the top spot ahead of the Renault Scenic, Citroen Picasso and Mercedes A-class.
The survey found that latest models are not necessarily the best - the Rover Mini finished ahead of the new *** version in both handling and steering.
In the performance stakes, the Subaru Imprenza took pole position, ahead of the Porsche Boxster, Toyota MR2 and, in a surprising ranking, Skoda's Octavia. Worst performing were the Peugeot 106, Land Rover Freelander and Ford Escort