27 June 2008
Some French cars are highly unpopular with UK owners – six out of the bottom ten in the Which? Car customer satisfaction survey* are Gallic.
The motoring magazine’s customer score** demonstrates how happy (or otherwise) owners are with their cars. Renault scores an unenviable hat-trick - three cars in the bottom five with the wooden spoon going to the Renault Espace. Peugeot hasn’t fared much better, with two cars in the bottom ten, and there’s one Citroën in there too.
Owners’ comments on the lowest scoring cars of the 219 models rated include:
> 210 Chrysler Voyager (1997-2001), customer score 69%. “Very expensive on fuel costs. Sluggish when full”.
> 211 Peugeot 206 (1998 on), 69%. “Poor interior quality.” “Clunky gearbox, poor visibility.”
> 212 Peugeot 307 (2001 on), 68%. “Poor quality with lots of small faults.”
> 213 VW Sharan (1995 on), 68%. “Niggling faults, and repairs are expensive.”
> 214 Citroën Xsara (1997-2004), 68%. “Recurring problems.” “Clutch has always been stiff.”
> 215 Renault Scenic (1997-2003), 67%. “Radio only works after the engine is warm.”
> 216 Fiat Punto (1999-2005), 65%. “Drives like a tin can, awesomely plastic.”
> 217 Mercedes A-class (1998-2004), 65%. “Terrible ride for a Mercedes”.
> 218 Renault Laguna (2001-2007), 64%. “Unreliable bag of spanners.”
> 219 Renault Espace (2003 on), 61%. “A total waste of money.”
At the other end of the table*** is the Porsche Boxster which is the most popular model, scoring 98%. Japanese cars take seven of the other top ten places, perhaps unsurprisingly as Japanese cars are also the most reliable in the Which? Car survey.****
Richard Headland, Editor, Which? Car, says:
"Car adverts give you the hype, but car owners give you the low-down. Some French cars appear to have lost their va va voom and British owners are less than impressed. It’s no surprise to see several Japanese cars in the top ten as they’re often reliable, economical and good value."
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd