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The 10 Most Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 2005 This page lists the top ten cars of model year 2005 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA or more concisely, R-D GPA). It has been updated from the original by including the including the rating for the Exhaust System, whenever available. Although there are very minor changes in order, the changes will help make comparison with R-D GPAs of earlier years more exact. 2005's Top 10 (Top 11 by Tie) Cars The 11 best cars of 2005 are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first). The equipment of each model is that offered in the U.S.
In 1985 Honda dominated the list of the best accounting for 4 of the Top 10, but in 2005 Toyota accounted for 8 of the 11 best automobiles. Another notable difference between the best of 1985 and the best of 2005 are the averages of their Reliability-Durability GPAs; the average R-D GPA of 1985's Top 10 was 3.75 and the average R-D GPA of 2005's Top 11 is 3.87. This is a jump of 0.12. Note the diversity among the 12 best - one small sedan (the Honda Civic), one small hatchback (the Toyota Echo), 3 family-size gasoline-powered cars (the Toyota Camry V6, the Honda Accord Inline 4, and the Toyota Camry Inline 4), one family-size hybrid (the Toyota Prius), one sporty car (the Toyota Camry Solara Inline 4), two midsize SUVs (the Toyota 4Runner V6 and the Honda Pilot), one pickup truck (the Toyota Tacoma Inline 4 2-wheel-drive), and one luxury sedan (Toyota's flagship Lexus LS). Also note that the Mercedes-Benz line has no automobile in the Top 10, unlike the Top 10s of 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985. A version of the Toyota Pickup has made the Top 10 list for all of the years for which Reliability-Durability Grade Point Averages have been computed to date - 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 2005. Manufacturers of the Top 10 Toyota Motor Corporation accounted for 8 of the most reliable and durable cars of 2005; Honda Motor Company accounted for 3 of 2005's best. Cars engineered by Japan-based corporations accounted for all of 2005's best cars; Germany-based corporations accounted for none. Note that in 2005 (as in 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, and 1979) none of the Detroit 3 had a car among the Top 10. The following chart gives each car maker's percent share of the Top 10 of 2005.  The Next 9 Cars of 2005 The next 9 cars of the Top 20 are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).
The 20 best automobile models of 2005 were engineered by companies headquartered in either Japan (95%) or Germany (5%). Note that all of the 20 most reliable and durable cars of 2005 had a Reliability-Durability Grade of a high A. Auto Company shares of the Top 20 Cars of 2005 The car manufacturer shares of the Top 20 vehicles are:
The Next 10 Cars of 2005 The next 10 cars of the Top 30 are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).
The 30 best automobile models of 2005 were engineered by companies headquartered in either Japan (97%) or Germany (3%). Note that in 2005 all of the third-tier cars had a Reliability-Durability Grade of A, but in 1985 all of the third-tier cars had a Reliability-Durability Grade of B. This points to a sizable jump in quality of the Top 30, resulting mainly from expanded offerings from Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Company. Auto Company shares of the Top 30 Cars of 2005 The car maker shares (rounded to the nearest percent) of the Top 30 vehicles (with 1985 shares in parentheses) are:
By 2005, Toyota had increased its share of the Top 30 by 17 percentage points (from 50% to 67%) and Honda Motor Company had increased its share by 6 percentage points (from 17% to 23%). BMW AG held on to its 3%. The Detroit 3 accounted for none of the Top 30 in both 1985 and 2005. Chart of the 30 Best Cars of 2005 The following bar graph depicts how much above average the Top 30 cars of 2005 are. The 30 best are listed in descending order (best first). The Remaining Models of 2005 with a Reliability-Durability Grade Point Average Greater Than 3.00 There are 53 cars with a Reliability-Durability GPA greater than 3.00. The remaining cars of the Top 53 are:
The 53 best automobile models of 2005 were engineered by companies headquartered in either Japan (92%), Germany (6%), or the U.S. (2%). The all-wheel-drive Ford Escape Hybrid accounts for the one U.S. entry among the Top 54. The Toyota Group provides Ford with the continuous variable transmission housed in the Escape Hybrid. In 1985 there were only 29 automobiles with a GPA greater than 3.00, but in 2005 there were 53. Nearly all of the increase may be attributed to a greatly increased product offering by Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Company. However, Subaru Division of Fuji Heavy Industries made a solid contribution to the Top 53 (3 models), as did Mazda Motor Corporation (3 models), and the Infiniti Division of Nissan Motor Company contributed 2. Auto Company shares of the Top 53 Cars of 2005 The car manufacturer shares (rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent) of the Top 53 vehicles are:
Computations To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 2005 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used. The April 2010 and 2011 issues of Consumer Reports are the primary sources of CR's reliability ratings, with supplementation by CR's 2010 and 2011 New Car Buying Guides and Used Car Buying Guides. CR's ratings are converted to numerical values following the standard academic pattern: a grade point of 4.0 (an A) is accorded a rating of Much Better Than Average, a 3.0 (a B) is accorded a rating of Better Than Average, a 2.0 (a C) is accorded a rating of Average, a 1.0 (a D) is accorded a rating of Below Average, and a 0 (an F) is accorded a rating of Much Below Average. Then, for each age range, the grade point of CR's overall reliability rating is weighted 2/3 and the average of the grade points of the category ratings is weighted 1/3. Finally, the average for the two age ranges is taken. The 4-cylinder, 2-wheel-drive Toyota Tacoma, the 4-cylinder Toyota Camry Solara, the V6, front-wheel-drive Mazda Tribute, the non-turbo Subaru Impreza, the non-turbo Subaru Impreza Wagon, the V6, 2-wheel-drive Toyota Tacoma, the V8, 2-wheel-drive Toyota Tundra, and the Porsche 911 offered only one age range of data. Best and Worst Vehicles of Each Model Year The Best Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 Additional Resources The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 Best Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Worst Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Best Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Worst Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 For additional car quality information, visit www.AutoOnInfo.net and CarsOnInfo.net.In particular, for additional durability information, see:
www.CarQualityInfo.net: The car-quality website for the brighter-than-average North American consumer.
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