2025 RELIABILITY SURVEY RESULTS | TALKING CARS WITH CONSUMER REPORTS #460

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Consumer Reports' 2025 Automotive Brand Report Card reveals significant shifts in reliability rankings. Subaru has surprisingly claimed the top spot, unseating long-time leaders Toyota and Lexus. This success is attributed to Subaru's strategy of conservative redesigns, focusing on incremental updates rather than complete overhauls, which appears to maintain consistent reliability. In contrast, Mazda's all-new CX-90 struggled in its debut year, highlighting the risks of introducing entirely new platforms and powertrains. The report also indicates that while electrified vehicles (EVs and plug-in hybrids) are improving, they still exhibit higher problem rates than traditional gasoline cars, though the gap is narrowing. Hybrids are now on par with gasoline vehicles in reliability. The discussion also touches on the nuances of used car reliability versus new car predictions, noting that while Toyota remains a benchmark for used car dependability, newer models from other brands might offer competitive new car reliability. The episode concludes with a nostalgic look at features from older vehicles, such as manual transmissions and lower beltlines, that are increasingly absent in modern cars.