泡网俱乐部

BMW不才，至少还可以排在欧洲其他小兄弟前面。
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U.S. cars top European in reliability

By Matt Nauman, Mercury News

For the first time in 25 years, European cars aren't as reliable as those made by U.S. automakers, Consumer Reports magazine says in its annual auto issue that hits newsstands today.

Asian automakers continue to lead the industry, the magazine says, but domestics topping the Europeans is a sea change.

Especially considering the high quality of cars the Europeans have been known for, "this year they seem to have dropped considerably," said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' auto test department and head of its 327-acre testing facility in Connecticut.

In all, only eight of 41 European cars and trucks tested by Consumer Reports' editors and evaluated by their readers earned the coveted "recommended" check mark.

They were: BMW 3-Series, Porsche Boxster, Saab 9-3 and 9-5, Volkswagen Passat six-cylinder, Volvo S60, S80 and V70.

European bestsellers such as the Audi A4, BMW 5- and 7-Series, Land Rover Discovery, Mercedes-Benz C-, E- and M-Classes, Mini Cooper, Volvo XC90 and VW Golf, Jetta and New Beetle aren't recommended.

In a telephone conference with reporters, Champion revealed a startling statistic: a new 2003 BMW 7-Series sedan has more problems than an 8-year-old Lexus LS 400 sedan.

Consumer Reports confirms a growing awareness of less-than-perfect quality with the cars and trucks made by European automakers.

Last year, J.D. Power and Associates' Vehicle Dependability Study of 3-year-old vehicles showed "substantial quality gaps" between domestic and European models. On average, European vehicles had 49 more problems per 100 vehicles than did U.S. cars and trucks at three years of ownership.

Will growing awareness of quality problems begin to affect the reputation and sales of European cars?

"I'm sure it will," Champion said. "People who buy these expensive cars tend to be busy people. Any down time in their day is a big annoyance to them."

A Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman said via e-mail that her company wouldn't comment on the findings until it got more specific details from Consumer Reports. A call to the U.S. headquarters of Volkswagen in Auburn Hills, Mich., wasn't returned Monday.

Most of the problems with European cars, according to Champion and Rik Paul, the magazine's automotive editor, relate to electrical systems and power components such as seats.

European brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi "do tend to make very complicated vehicles," Champion said. Still, vehicles from Lexus and Infiniti offer similar complexity without similar problems, he said.

And, Paul noted, the problem more precisely is an apparent lack of progress rather than lack of quality.

The number of problems with European vehicles actually fell from about 21 per 100 vehicles in 2002 to 20 in 2003. Domestic vehicles, however, fell from about 21 in 2002 to about 18 in 2003.

The average for all vehicles in the survey is 17 problems per 100 vehicles, while Asian models only have 12 problems.

Consumer Reports has been issuing unbiased, independent evaluations of automobiles since 1936, said James Guest, president and chief executive of the Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of the magazine.

It takes no advertising and buys the vehicles it tests anonymously, Guest said. Consumer Report spends $1.9 million a year buying the cars and trucks its editors tests. Reliability data comes from a survey sent to its 4.1 million subscribers. This year's issue is based on the 675,000 responses that were returned.

A 2003 Forrester survey showed Consumer Reports to be the second-most-influential source of information for car buyers after dealership personnel. A CNW Marketing/Research study showed that more than 40 percent of car shoppers use Consumer Reports before buying a car or truck.

Contact Matt Nauman at mnauman@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5701. His fax number is (408) 271-3786.

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