[07CR]

We have had multiple threads about cars facing smallest of niggles to major breakdowns on Team Bhp. However, there are some cars, which silently do their job without throwing any tantrum. I am interested to hear from you about such kind of car(s) that you might have owned. However, few criteria to remember-

1. The particular car in question should not have reported a niggle/issue atleast for any 3 years of ownership period.
   
2. Definition of niggle free car- It shouldn't have faced even smallest of issue like the power window switch not working, rear parking camera going kaput and requiring a visit to SVC, issue in touchscreen/MID which required you to visit SVC etc. However, if any of such issue occurred, and it got resolved permanently before you had to visit SVC for resolution, then it won't be counted as a niggle.
   
3. Known negatives of the car should not be counted as an issue or niggle. For eg- the new gen VW/Skoda cars have under performing Air Con units, these should not be counted as an issue or a niggle. However, a DSG failure should be counted as a Niggle/Issue.
   
4. Dealer or aftermarket fitted accessories malfunctioning should'nt be counted as a niggle/issue.

I am also adding a poll option. Incase you have owned multiple cars, feel free to multi select the brand (unless both cars are from same brand).

First entry from my side-

Ford Ecosport S TDCI (July 2018 model).

It has completed nearly 33K kms as of now, and there is not even a single niggle or issue faced! There have been a very few (5-6) instances of the touchscreen being frozen in Android Auto mode, but just plug in and plug out of the USB cable solved it. Therefore, won't count it as a niggle. Even the dreaded 17 inch rims haven't caused any alloy wheel damage(Touching all the wood ). Hope to see my other car (Kia Sonet June 2021), proving to be a niggle free one!

Eager to hear more such instances.

[V.Narayan]

Of the 13 odd cars I've bought over my driving life the 4 that were tantrum free are, in chronological order:

Maruti Zen {the older real Zen} 2003 to 2014
Honda Jazz 2010 - 2020
Volvo XC60 2015 to date
Lexus ES300h 2017 to date

We also have a 2015 Amaze that has given no trouble but its driving is only about 2500 kms a year so I am not including it in this list.

Going forward for the couple of more cars I'm likely to invest in this lifetime I'll simply stick to Lexus and Volvo.

Today's cars are infinitely more reliable than cars of yore. Don't let the nostalgia mongers fool you. With the coming of EVs I expect reliability to go up. Today's niggles are due to overdosing on electronics and not really due to mechanical shortfalls.

[car_crazy1400]

Though I have owned many cars, mostly Japanese like Maruti Suzuki and Toyotas. However, the most surprising for me has been my 2015 Mercedes GL 350.

Except for 2 faults, one being a Sensor coil and the other being the rear airmatic baloons asking for replacement, I have had no issues at all.

Much lesser of a hassle than my previous Skoda and Fiat experience.

[Stolidus500]

Except the Toyotas, 2014 Duster 85, has been rock solid for all it's almost 3 lakh kilometres and 8.5 years. Once backlight of the stereo failed (replaced in 4th year) and the MID failed (started working on it's own after 2-3 years). So barring these incidents it's been regular maintenance stuff only.
Honorable mention Santro Xing, it's not been as solid but given it's users, usage and erratic maintainence, it's been going on and on.

[lamborghini]

I can't even think of one car we have owned - not even the famed Corolla Altis, Etios, Liva that have withstood the test of time over at least 5 years.
Granted, the Toyota's have been the least troublesome - but they have had the seatbelt replaced under warranty, and small niggles are present - like the Corolla passenger seat guide rails seem to be loose resulting in a shaking seat which requires replacement of guide rails.
Heck, even our 2001 Accord has had the seat motors fail.

The closest is the 2019 Lexus ES which has covered a little over 3 years but with an ultra low running of not even 5K/year, I don't think it counts.

What has been impressive though has been the run with a few Europeans - the Laura, Tiguan, etc. Though not niggle free, they haven't had any serious issues either barring the occassional speed sensor related scare (ABS warning light).

In the bottom of the list however is Mercedes : most niggles, most expensive to maintain.
The A6 would have made an appearance too due to it's air suspension, but given it was only the air suspension which seemed to be an issue for several similarly equipped vehicles of it's time - I will give it the benefit of doubt as the rest of the vehicle held up exceptionally well.

[sunikkat]

Of all the cars I have owned 2016 Octavia is the most niggle free. Not a single issue in 7 years of ownership.
Infact all my cars have been niggle free, but of the lot Fiesta 1.6s used to throw small tantrums with headlights, power window, ac water leaking inside the passenger foot rest, boot lock, horn etc.

[HighRevving]

While I find this poll and thread interesting, I have my own reservations from what to make out of it.

• Any car can develop 'niggles' if the driver abuses it. Including, a Toyota. A naughty kid determined to break a power window switch, will break it. Ask its parent and they will defend their kid with all the love, but blame it on the manufacturer.
• Including things that are within the user's purview and excluding some which are not, may not be totally fair.
• A tie rod can wear prematurely if the person drops their car in potholes everyday but it could last many years with someone else. So, I am not sure of the 3-year period that we are talking about.
• While aftermarket additions to the car may not be counted, things like PPF are known to mess around with the parking sensors. In essence, it is mostly up to the user.

I think if this poll is conducted on a particular model, it may tell us if whether on an average, that manufacturer + model fares better than another. The niggles should ideally be restricted to bits that the user has no control over (e.g. DSG, fuel pump, AC compressor etc) but even there, some of it can be attributed to some extent, to the user. But having a blanket poll on all manufacturers and models, may be giving too much data that cannot be analysed or utilised.

[fhdowntheline]

I am going against the proverbial tide to state that the Duster has been my most niggle free experience thus far. Every other brand, be it Honda, Toyota, Maruti, Hyundai have faced some or the other niggle, either mechanical or electronic ( including ICE). On the other hand, there is no car which has been so bad that it was unbearable to own.

[RedTerrano]

Voted Maruti Suzuki and Nissan.

The first car I purchased, was a Wagon R. She is now 15+ years, with almost one Lakh Km of running. Except one alternator failure around the 10 year mark, she has given me no grief.

My second car, the Terrano has by now ~60K Km on the odometer, and besides one warning lamp* lit up on the dashboard, she still runs smooth as silk.
*I took her to the authorised service centre and they hooked up the OBD diagnostic. As they could not identify any problem, they just reset the warning.

[CEF_Beasts]

For our family the cars that didn’t throw any tantrums were:

2005-2014 1st Gen Toyota Innova Petrol: Ran beautifully for 9 years, not a single issue in 92,000kms that it was with us. Still regret selling it till this day! And once you join the Toyota family you’ll always replace it with another Toyota.

2014-Present 1st gen Facelifted Toyota Fortuner Diesel 4X2 MT: This one is going to hit the 9 years mark in February and the experience has been absolutely flawless! The car completed 1 Lakh kilometres 2 months ago. Not a single breakdown and not a single rattle or a squeak. The car is still on its stock clutch. Toyota BoF’s simply live on!

2014-2021 Ford EcoSport Petrol MT: A solid built car that also provided a very happy ownership experience. Other than the battery draining once due to our mistake and two recalls from Ford’s end the car ran beautifully for the 7 years it was with us. This is another car that we regret selling.

2017-Present Hyundai Creta Petrol AT: The window Motors just keep failing every 6 months! No matter how many times you replace them they will still fail. Otherwise a reliable car as well, although not the best.

Hence have only voted for Ford and Toyota. The BMW is too young to mention and I hope it doesn’t throw any major tantrum in the years to come.

[Shreyans_Jain]

HONDA

I own two: a 2012 Jazz and a 2014 diesel City. Both cars have done over 175k km. Both have had perfect reliability with zero unscheduled maintenance. Not a single instance of the car breaking down and leaving us stranded. Absolutely no niggles of any kind either. Everything works and works the way it should.

City’s cooling system did spring a leak earlier this year, but the car kept going and never let us down. Details here. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ndication.html (Of hot summers, overheating modern cars and no indication)

City’s build and part quality may suck. But credit where it is due, mechanical reliability has been perfect. Jazz, well, is still as fresh as it was on Day 1. Old Honda CKD product, after all.

[adi.mariner]

We have owned the following cars before the current ones
1. Hyundai Accent GLE
2. Hyundai Santro Xing
3. MS Swift Vdi
4. MS SX4 Vdi
5. and some before (118 NE, Ambassador, MS 800, etc). I was too young to understand anything about them
I don't remember any of them throwing any tantrums and leaving us stranded anywhere.
My pre-owned X3 is 2 years old (with me and overall age of 9 years) and apart from a couple of failed ABS sensors, there haven't been any issues apart from the usual maintenance. I think today's cars are comparatively trouble free if handled with empathy and maintenance is done on time. However cannot comment on the latest cars with touchscreens, etc as I don't have any experience of owning them.

[shashankjain16]

My 2019 Renault Duster has been niggle free fir 3.5 years, 50,000 km

[MaanSingh]

Sorry, but this poll may not give true picture - as % of votes for each manufacturer depends quite a lot upon % sales of each brand.

[diwakarmuthu]

This is an interesting poll. I think the perception of a niggle free car changes every generation. For instance, today's cars come with a lot of electronics that may or may not last a life time, however the mechanicals of the car could last its life time.

At the end of the day, for a car to remain niggle free, the owner / driver needs to understand the car in detail, identify issues in advance and make repairs that would keep the car niggle free.

Maybe the poll should focus on cars with different parameters:
1. Niggles across variants. The top variants in my view may account for major issues on account of greater integration with sensors, electronic components, etc.
2. The ever evolving standards (BS III, IV, & VI) - all bring different facets / components resulting in niggles (We have already see DEF issues in newer versions