Merc & Toyota top of the crop

The engineering mistakes that forced Japanese giant Toyota to recall thousands of its vehicles had no impact on this year's Synovate Quality Awards.

Results of the survey - the biggest of its kind in South Africa each year - was released in Johannesburg this week. The survey forms part of Synovate's Syndicated Automotive Research into the quality of sales and service transactions as well as product quality.

About 55000 people are interviewed three months after purchasing their vehicles to ascertain which, if any, problems have been encountered in the first few months of ownership.

The score is calculated as problems per 100 vehicles.

"A lower score equates to a better results in Synovate's PP100 study," explains Synovate client services director Andries Lombaard. "Mercedes-Benz's best score (for the A-Class) is at an incredibly low 14 PP100 - meaning out of 10 vehicles of this model, at least eight are completely problem-free, even from the smallest squeak or rattle."

Good news is the vehicle market as a whole has performed well and problems per 100 vehicles have decreased dramatically over the last year, from 93 problems per 100 vehicles to 81 this year.

"The industry average has been consistently improving over the years and the manufacturers are reaching a standard that has never been seen before. This improvement rate is going to be difficult to sustain but based on past performance, vehicle owners are likely to continue to benefit from fewer and fewer quality problems" Lombaard said.

"Mercedes-Benz and Toyota performed exceptionally well this year and dominated in their segments and categories, winning six and 13 awards respectively.

"These awards recognise those manufacturers and celebrate their work to improve service delivery and quality," he said.

The Winners

Best plant manufacturing passenger vehicles: Mercedes-Benz: 51

Best overall luxury passenger car : Mercedes-Benz: 46

Best volume passenger car: Toyota: 62

Best brand overall: Peugeot: 63

Passenger Vehicle Segments: Gold Awards

Entry: Toyota Yaris T1: 41

Small hatch: Toyota Yaris T3: 45

Small sedan: Toyota Corolla 140i: 47; Toyota Yaris: 49; Chevrolet Aveo: 50

Top hatch Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 14

Top sedan: Toyota Corolla 140: 79

Medium: Volvo S40: 25

Top Executive: Mercedes-Benz E-Class 38

Sports Coupé: BMW 1-Series Coupé /Cabriolet: 50 MPV/Station Wagon Mercedes-Benz B-Class : 42