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J.D. Power dependability survey is out, but you shouldn't depend on it

J.D. Power has just released its latest automotive dependability survey, which of course has usual suspects Buick and Lexus ranking high. Those are safe and solid findings, surely. But when you look a little closer, there are curiosities. Our Consumer Editor, Jeremy Korzeniewski, offered an explanation a couple of years back for why this survey should be viewed with a degree of skepticism, and his take is worth a re-read. What jumped out at Jeremy were the relatively low spots assigned to Mazda, Subaru and Scion among the ranking of makes. Back in 2016 when he wrote his piece, they were ranked 21st, 23rd and 24th respectively. In this year's survey, Mazda ranks 15th and Subaru 26th, both below the industry average of 142 reported problems per 100 vehicles. (And Scion, of course, is in car-brand heaven.) Now, part of what is going on here is surely the fact that all automotive brands are producing dependable vehicles compared with years gone by, so the degree of variance between the best and worst on the list is not as great as it once was. "For the most part, automotive manufacturers continue to meet consumers' vehicle dependability expectations," Dave Sargent, a J.D. Power vice president, said in a statement. "A 9 percent improvement is extremely impressive, and vehicle dependability is, without question, at its best level ever." That said, when a brand like Subaru, regarded by many as mechanically bulletproof, ranks 26th, it leaves people who know cars scratching their heads. Something there does not compute. The problem, as Jeremy pointed out, is one of methodology: When he wrote his piece, there was no weighting assigned to the problems reported in the survey. And that still appears to be the case. Therefore, a problem with an infotainment system or a loose piece of trim is deemed as serious as a blown engine or leaky transmission. (And yes, infotainment is still the biggest problem across the board.) Jeremy's point: If the categories of problems were weighted, you'd see a different picture. When you look at the Consumer Reports brand rankings (subscription required), you get a very different picture. in CR's rankings, Subaru is No. 6 among brands, which, well, sounds a lot more like it. CR singles out the redesigned 2017 Impreza as a car with some new-model problems. (The BRZ had the fewest.) The two surveys jibe a little more closely when it comes to Mazda, which CR ranks 12th, a drop of six places from previous-year rankings.

Mazda CX-5 in auto-brake accident on Japanese test drive

As we slowly march towards a world where our cars will drive for us, there will be mishaps. Systems will act up, not behave has intended or we'll simply forget to turn them on. We all remember when Volvo tested the S60's City Safety system. Now Mazda has had an issue of its own.
During a test of a Mazda CX-5's Smart City Brake Support on a dealership lot in Japan, a prospective customer and a dealership employee were injured when they hit a urethane barrier used for testing the system. According to Bloomberg, which spoke with the Saitama Prefectural Police, the impact with the barrier left the customer with an injured neck while the dealership employee suffered a fractured arm. Considering the injuries, we imagine this wasn't a small barrier.
"For any safety function, it's impossible to be 100-percent free of accidents. These technical functions aren't always the easiest to understand," IHS Automotive auto parts analyst, Hiroshi Ataka told Bloomberg.

Mazda teases a new compact SUV for Geneva

Mazda waited until the lights were out to tease the tidy rear end of a brand new crossover. The Japanese automaker didn't say much about the model that will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, only calling it "a brand-new addition to the Mazda lineup," and "the second model in new-generation lineup." We're going to put our chips down on this being the next CX-3 crossover, which has been predicted to arrive by 2020. If that's so, we can expect a larger model than the one currently on sale. The present, first-gen CX-3 rides on the Mazda2 platform. The coming CX-3 will use the Skyactiv Vehicle Architecture supporting the new Mazda3, growing out of the subcompact class into the compact segment. According to one report last year, the extra girth is a play for better sales in the U.S. market. In 2017, Mazda sold more CX-3s in Australia than in the U.S. The stronger, stiffer platform will introduce Mazda3's delights such as the human-centric interior ergonomics, and hopefully the same driving dynamics that we called "the life of the compact sedan party" in our Mazda3 First Drive. Yes, that's all but certain to mean a torsion beam rear suspension, which was said to have been done for NVH reasons after Mazda said it "got a lot of complaints from the media" over the multi-link rear. The engine lineup should mirror the Mazda3 in the U.S., being the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder at launch, followed by the Skyactiv-X. We can probably expect more teasers before Geneva press days kick off on March 5. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.