REALZEUS:
I have friends with Renaults and they are all very happy with them. On the other hand, people I know with VWs are about to burn the damn things down!
VW is not perfect
VOLKSWAGEN
19th out of 32
Last year’s position 20th out of 30
Cars needing repair work 27%
Average repair cost £324
Star models Beetle (’00-)/Lupo (’99-’05)
Volkswagen rarely does well in our reliability surveys, and this year is no exception. Its best model managed 21 failures per 100 cars, good enough for a four-star rating, but the Sharan (’00-) suffered 41 breakdowns per 100 cars, while the Touareg (’03-) was affected by 32 faults per 100. The Golf (’04-’08) had 24 faults per 100 cars.
But far better than Renault or Alfa Romeo
ALFA ROMEO
31st out of 32
Last year’s position 28th out of 30
Cars needing repair work 47%
Average repair cost £420
Star model 166 (’99-’05)
Alfa has a poor track record in our reliability surveys. This year its worst model, the GTV (’96-’03), recorded a shocking 77 failures per 100 cars, with the GT (’05-) just behind at 68 per 100. Just under a third of all Alfa failures were down to the axles and suspension, with engine faults the next biggest issue – causing more than 15% of problems.
Bottom place for Land Rover
LAND ROVER
32nd out of 32
Last year’s position 30th out of 30
Cars needing repair work 53%
Average repair cost £412
Star model Freelander (’03-’06)
Land Rover appears doomed to remain last in our survey, having been bottom for the past eight years. The Range Rover (’02-) edged out the Discovery (’98-’04) to record Land Rover’s worst result, with 59 out of 100 cars failing. The Range Rover also recorded the highest repair bill, at £7126. Even the Freelander (’03-’06) could muster only two stars.
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"Form follows function"