subject: Japanese Cars And Their Reputation [print this page] Whenever I ask people their views on cars I always seem to hear the saying, 'You can't go wrong with a Japanese-built car', the same way I always hear 'you can't beat German reliability'.
So, where do these reputations come from and what Japanese cars really impress?
Japanese car manufacturers include, Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi - already you can sort of see a trend occurring. None of these manufacturers really bring up connotations of poor engineering or bad build quality - they all produce good, solid cars.
In fact, the Mazda 2 was named the World Car of the Year in 2008 - which isn't bad going. This little hatchback scored highly on looks, practicality, reliability, safety and on its green credentials.
Japan is of course famous for its technological knowhow - some of the best gadgets come out of Japan and as you would expect, many of these are built into their cars. They also build products to such a high-standard; they set the benchmark for other countries.
The Mazda MX-5 is one of the most reliable cars out there, so much so, it recently won a best used car award - and to win one of those the car has to be reliable. The MX-5 has long been one of Britain's most-loved sports cars which is testament to the build, quality and design of the car.
More recently the Nissan GTR has created lots of excitement in the automotive industry. The GTR - formerly known as the Nissan Skyline was only released in the UK back in March and certainly turns heads. Apparently this sports car can reach speeds of up to 192mph and it certainly has good looks.
Other Japanese cars such as the Honda Jazz and the Toyota Yaris may not be the most attractive looking cars, but they are both extremely affordable and reliable. In fact a recent survey places both of these cars in the top two places of a 'most reliable supermini' poll.
In many surveys Honda actually rank number one for quality and reliability and their cars always seem to be near the top in reliability polls - they are one of the most consistent brands which is why they have enjoyed great success over the years.
So, I'm not saying that Japanese cars are the best cars in the world, but you can certainly rely on them not to cause you too many problems - whatever you do, make sure you check out car reviews online, then you can get a real sense of the car's reliability.
