A few days ago, the authoritative US impurity "Consumer Report" announced the latest issue of the annual top ten most reliable models. Japanese cars are still the biggest winners, occupying a full 8 places, not only Toyota and Honda, which have domestic fires, but also the relatively niche Mazda and Subaru, which have also successfully made the list. In addition, The Korean Kia and the "native" Cadillac also made the list.
Although many models are not sold in China, their brothers and sisters are still quite numerous in China. Kung Fu Auto will take you to see today what kind of charm these models have.
(1) Lexus GX, the more expensive the more reliable?
Lexus has consistently performed well on all sorts of reliability lists, but the Lexus GX has scored a staggering 100 points, which is quite surprising.
But then again, the car's presence in The country is actually very low. The really good series of Lexus in China is basically ES, NX and LX. Polarization is severe, either a cheap "entry-level" model or an ultra-high-priced, and up-priced addictive LX.
In fact, the BBA is similar, it is low-end and ultra-high-end, and the middle class is relatively weak. But in the United States, it seems that the middle class is going, and many domestic entry-level first-class models, like the BMW 1 Series, have no sense of existence at all in the United States.
Another point is that several Lexus cars, in the United States reliability score, show a typical trend of more expensive and more reliable. Although GX scored 100 points, the ES of the domestic fire actually only got 68 points, and the cheapest UX only had a pitiful 60 points, just passed, which is the shame of the thunder car.
(2) Kia Niro Electric, bland but reliable
Kia Niro Electric is the only Korean car on the list, saying that the quality reputation of Korean cars in the United States is still quite high, and it is generally believed that their reliability is not inferior to that of the Japanese series, and it is also cheap.
The evaluation of it by the US media is that the space is spacious, the car and machine system is smooth, and the ergonomics are not bad, and the interface is relatively friendly. The new car adopts the electric drive system provided by Kona Electric, which has large torque, smooth driving, and then the mileage is relatively long, reaching 239 miles, equivalent to 384 kilometers, which is a relatively good mileage in the American electric SUV. In addition, its high-speed stability is relatively good, which is a good thing.
However, the US media did not only praise it, but also emphasized that its shape is more conservative, and there is no new power of electric vehicle coolness. And without the single-pedal driving function, the Model 3 is more interesting to drive and looks better.
Despite giving it a high rating for reliability, it seems that the US media still prefers its own Model 3.
(3) Highlander + Prius, Toyota all-you-can-eat size market?
Toyota has three models in the list, namely primie, prius and highlander, which is also the biggest winner of this list.
The Prius Prime is actually a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius, strictly speaking, the two should be regarded as a car, but the old beauty forcibly separated it.
Prius this car is relatively unfamiliar to the Chinese, in terms of size, it should be a car between Zhixuan and Corolla, which is an entry-level compact sedan. Since this market is not very large, Toyota has not vigorously promoted the car in China.
However, it also has another special identity, that is, it is the originator of the global oil-electric hybrid, in 1997 Toyota first launched the Prius, equipped with the original THS system, and has since begun to work in the field of hybrid.
As for the Highlander, this generation is the fourth generation of models, and the overall praise in the United States is quite good. The difference is that in China, due to the limitation of displacement tax, there are only 2.5L hybrid versions of oil-electric, while the United States has hybrid and 3.5L V6 engine versions, and there are more choices.
Domestically, Highlander sold 11,457 vehicles in November, breaking through 10,000 for two consecutive months, and deliveries have been increasing since its listing. This also shows that the production capacity of this generation of models has indeed been greatly improved, and it is expected that the monthly sales of about 15,000 can be mentioned at the beginning of next year.
(4) Cadillac XT5, true Chinese and American conscience?
The XT5 is the only American "homegrown" model that has been selected as one of the most reliable top ten, but it has another identity, that is, it is a "Mid-Emperor" conscience car.
Historically, luxury cars in the U.S. have been far cheaper than in China, but Cadillac is an exception. Taking XT5 as an example, the same configuration in the US version is 8%-10% more expensive than in China.
In terms of body and chassis, the Sino-US XT5 is completely consistent, and the country has also given a higher warranty mileage. There are slight differences in safety configuration, and the domestic choice is to increase the active brake, but the knee airbag is cancelled, which is to cater to different preferences and have a trade-off.
The biggest difference is the power system, the domestic XT5 series is equipped with a 2.0T variable cylinder engine as standard, and the US version is equipped with a 3.6L V6 engine. In terms of absolute power, the two are actually similar, the 3.6L V6 has more horsepower, but the 2.0T peak torque is higher. But the 3.6L V6 has better ride and NVH, and the 2.0T has more advantages in fuel consumption, which is also a trade-off for different markets.
Overall, the domestic XT5 should be more cost-effective.
(5) Mazda MX-5, CX-9, starved to death domestic fans
As a domestic niche brand, Mazda has two models on the list this time, but they are still models that are not available in China. MX-5 and CX-9, these two cars domestic fans have been calling for domestic production for a long time.
First of all, the MX-5 should be regarded as a real "light run" representative. Light theory power it is not outstanding, there are 1.5L self-priming and 2.0L self-priming two versions, that is, the two SkyActiv-G engines that are very familiar to the Chinese people, equipped with 6AT gearboxes.
But it has a lot of special designs, first of all, the shape is cool enough, and the "teardrop" slipback is really too visually impactful. The second is the design concept of "weight reduction to grams", ultra-thin aluminum alloy cylinder head, independent stringer made of all-aluminum material, etc. The original design limits its weight to less than 1 ton.
So the driving pleasure of this car is really playable.
Then there is the CX-9, which is Mazda's real "zhengyin" medium-sized SUV, the real "big and beautiful". The 5075*1969*1747mm body size and 2930mm wheelbase give it an excellent aura. The whole series is equipped with a 2.5T engine as standard, and it is unthinkable that Mazda is playing with turbines in foreign countries, and the maximum torque can reach 434Nm, and the whole series of models is equipped with Mazda's i-Activ AWD four-wheel drive system as standard.
These two cars should be more eye-catching for the Chinese people.
(6) Honda Insight, an A-Class car thicker than the Accord?
Honda Insight may not be familiar to the people, in terms of size it is similar to the Civic, but the difference between itself and the Civic is actually quite large. Most typically, it is equipped with a 1.5L dual-motor hybrid system, and the chassis is thicker than the Accord.
From the appearance point of view, Insight should be regarded as a combination of Accord and Civic, with both The Horizon's sharp edges and sharp curves, and Accord-style atmospheric stability.
The new car is equipped with a hybrid system composed of a 1.5L naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine + dual motors, which is an advanced version of the set on Lingpai, and the overall power performance is stronger than the Corolla 1.8L hybrid system. From the perspective of acceleration performance, due to the blessing of the motor, its 0-100km/h acceleration is nearly 1 second faster than the 1.5T fuel version of the Civic. And the chassis is very heavy, and the US media evaluation has a cross-level driving texture.
Due to the high degree of overlap with Civic positioning, Insight has little hope of introducing it in China.
(7) Subaru Crosstrek, a very versatile trolley
Compared with Mazda, Subaru, which is also a Japanese brand, has less influence in China, and the Crosstrek is Subaru's smallest hatchback SUV, which is called Subaru XV in China.
Crosstrek is actually very popular abroad, and the main advantage is that it is comfortable and practical. This countryman may be difficult to understand, because the average family abroad has several cars, and Crosstrek is mainly for families without children or with very small children. In addition to this, Crosstrek has a very good comprehensiveness, which is praised.
First of all, its seat is very comfortable, the sitting position is high and the engine cover is relatively short, even if it is not tall, it can have a good view. The power of 2.0L is also enough, CVT is a partial movement adjustment, the power is relatively advanced, and the acceleration is still good. Coupled with the fact that the entire series comes standard with EyeSight advanced driver assistance technology and four-wheel drive system, it is better to drive than the average SUV in places where it is easy to snow and the road surface is more muddy, and there are many such road conditions in North America.
(8) Kung Fu shooting
Compared with the domestic market, the two-stage differentiation of models in the North American market is very obvious, large enough, cars like the Prius, Crosstrek are also very popular, and there are personalized sports cars such as the MX-5, while the domestic is more intermediate. No one is right or wrong, it can only be said that the national conditions and the car environment are different. These models have also won a good reputation for the parent brand with their excellent quality.
What's your favorite?