A Larger form of Dependability

When a car just won’t cut the mustard for your driving needs having an SUV that will take care of you and your family is important. It may be time for you to trade in your old clunker that doesn’t want to make its way to work and back on a regular basis anymore and have a new vehicle that will give you the dependability you deserve. Which one is right for you? Let’s take a look at the different categories and see what SUVs made their way to the top of the list to be the most dependable in each group.

Small SUV – Our SUVs have gotten much smaller over the past several years; which means to win in this segment is quite an achievement. The dependability champion for the small SUV segment is the Buick Encore which has become one of the favorites on the market. The Mini Countryman and Volkswagen Tiguan also ranked high on the list but the Encore took home the win. Dependability for any vehicle is based upon the number of problems per 100 vehicles for that particular model for the year and the Encore had the fewest to give you an SUV that will easily make every drive you need.

Compact MPV – This is a segment of vehicles that is tiny, mostly because it’s made up of car platforms that are built with a little more space to give you a vehicle that is enjoyable in the city environment but also offers the size to fit more than some of the sedan counterparts. For this category the Toyota Prius V won top honors with the Kia Soul following behind. No other vehicle in this segment scored above the segment average which kept them completely out of the consideration for this award.

Compact SUV – This is a segment that is a little larger than the previous two in the size of the vehicles. There are certainly some names in this group that you recognize such as the Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota FJ Cruiser and Honda CR-V. The wonder in this category was the Chevrolet Equinox as the most dependable compact SUV on the market, giving us a great little SUV to enjoy from GM. The platform mate, GMC Terrain, which won the award last year did not place anywhere near the top, making a surprising fall that GM will certainly need to address in the future.

Compact Premium SUV – With a wide variety of great luxury SUV to choose from its hard to figure out which one is the most dependable. Many times you expect the winner to come from Toyota or Honda which would mean a Lexus or Acura at the top, but the winner for dependability is the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class. This compact luxury SUV will never let you down and it took the award over the likes of the BMW X3 and X1 and the Acura RDX which came in second in the category for dependability.

Midsize SUV – Taking the award for a second year in a row the Nissan Murano is the most dependable midsize SUV. This is a surprise winner and a continuous one with the Toyota 4Runner in the group along with the Buick Enclave and even the Toyota Highlander. The Murano offers an attractive build, interesting features, stylish details and an ability to get you where you need to go without a complaint or any problems along the way. Even if you feel the Murano is a bit too polarizing in its style you should check it out and see what it has to offer to go with the dependability factor.

Midsize Premium SUV – In the larger class, at least larger than the compact class, we see the name we expect making its way to the top. The most dependable midsize premium SUV is the Lexus GX, which is a clear and expected winner from the luxury name that Toyota built. A stablemate wasn’t far behind in the Lexus RX and the Porsche Cayenne made its way to the third place finish in this category. Obviously you can’t go wrong with any of the three of these SUVs if this is the size vehicle you need.

Minivan – Since we are talking vehicles that are larger than sedans, minivans find their way onto the scene and we can learn what minivan will keep the whole family rolling the best. While there aren’t a lot of minivans left, the Toyota Sienna is the best one of the bunch with the Chrysler Town & Country coming in a close second for dependability. Somehow the Honda Odyssey, which won the award last year, failed to come in above the segment average, which left it out of the running to be considered for this award.

Large SUV – There are only a few that you might consider when looking to the large SUV segment. When you get inside one of these beasts you expect it to protect you from everything including a nuclear holocaust, but only one was the top in the class for dependability, which may steer you away from the nuclear danger. The winner in this category is the GMC Yukon which has become a favorite for many years. The Yukon was followed closely by its platform mate, the Chevrolet Tahoe, to be a formidable pair from GM that you can certainly trust to keep on working even after you are done for the day.

Large Light Duty Pickup – This category is full of great vehicles to make it a difficult race. Trucks have become some of our favorite vehicles to drive as they can get a lot of work done, offer plenty of space, and pose a formidable presence on the road. The dependability winner in this category is the Toyota Tundra which took top honors over the GMC Sierra which won last year. For this year the Sierra placed second and the Chevrolet Silverado came in the third spot to be a trio of trucks that will get things done and be ready for action whenever called upon.

Large Heavy Duty Pickups – When you look to the heavy duty trucks of the world one of the most necessary aspects of the truck is dependability. These trucks need to be tough as nails, built to withstand any abuse we put them through and offer an ability to keep on going even when the workload is tough. The winner for this category is the Chevrolet Silverado HD which was followed very closely by the GMC Sierra HD to give you a pair of GM trucks that you know you can depend on to get the job done.