2:00 pm, October 26, 2011
WITH the Indian summer gone, the most and least dependable 4x4s and SUVs have been revealed.
Warranty Direct has found that Honda’s HR-V (1998-2006) performed best, with only three in 100 recording a fault in the last 12 months, followed by Suzuki’s Grand Vitara (2005 onwards), the Honda CR-V (2007-) and the Subaru Forester.
In stark contrast, Land Rover’s Range Rover (2002-onwards) was shown to be the most break down prone off-roader – two thirds of its reported faults were suspension or electrical hiccups – behind the Jeep Grand Cherokee (1999-2005) and Volkswagen’s Touareg (2003 onwards).
The study of nearly 16,000 three to eight-year-old 4x4s and SUVs revealed the market segment to have some of the most expensive to run vehicles on Warranty Direct’s books.
Predictably, says Warranty Direct, the top 10 is dominated by Japanese and Korean manufacturers, but Land Rover’s Freelander (2006 onwards) breaks their stranglehold, with only one in five breaking down annually and a modest average repair cost.
As used 4×4 prices rise prior to the inevitable cold snap, buyers are advised to seize the moment.
The study used Warranty Direct’s reliability index rating (www.reliabilityindex.co.uk), which takes into account how often vehicles break down, average repair cost and time spent in the garage to calculate its overall reliability. The lower the reliability index number, the more reliable and cheaper to repair the car.
Warranty Direct’s Duncan McClure Fisher said: ‘Modern 4x4s are a far cry from the noisy and uncomfortable off-roaders of the past. They are fairly expensive to run but our study shows that there’s a handful of incredibly reliable 4x4s which won’t break the bank.
‘A four-wheel-drive vehicle is most definitely the transport of choice for any motorist during our cold months, particularly judging by our last few winters.’
