It’s no surprise that Subaru can’t reach up to Toyota in terms of reliability, but what about Mazda? I feel that Mazda is a little more reliable than Subaru because Mazda doesn’t have CVTs and their non turbo engines aren’t boxer engines.
I agree as well that Mazda is a bit more reliable than Subaru. We don't see 4 5 6 year old Mazdas having oil consumption issues or transmission failures, but we are with Subarus.
As for Toyota, Mazda is great and all, but Toyota still holds #1 for now. With the new 8 speed autos and dual-turbo hybrid powertrains coming up this decade it might fall down the reliability spectrum, just like Honda did in the last few years. with the turbos and DCTs and cylinder deactivation
Which Subaru’s are having oil consumption and transmission issues? And which model years? Also, Honda does not use DCT (dual clutch transmission).
@daywalker
I was refering to the problems with the Acura ZF DCTs when I meant Hondas, but really any of the 9 speed or 10 speed automatics are problematic.
As for Subaru oil consumption, here are some of the affected cars (many TSBs were issued, not sure is a recall was issued)
2011-2014 Forester (2.5-liter engines), 2013-2014 Outback (2.5-liter engines), 2013 XV Crosstrek (2.0-liter engines), 2012-2013 Impreza (2.0-liter engines) and 2013-2014 Legacy (2.5-liter engines).
And, we all know Subaru CVTs are weak. They fail around 110k miles, I came to that through my research but same case with Scotty's customers and on this forum, so around 100k miles the CVT fails.
Not really any problems I can note of Mazda except for the cylinder deactivation.
An internet search brought up this description of the Subaru oil burning issues that resulted in a class-action lawsuit:
https://www.torquenews.com/1084/update-subaru-oil-consumption-class-action-lawsuit
(Bear in mind that Toyota has also had serious oil burning issues on certain engines as well.)
A search also found this rundown of Subaru CVT problems which seems pretty complete:
https://www.cashcarsbuyer.com/subaru-cvt-transmission-problems/
While Mazda may be a little higher than Subaru they are both very close. They also both have relatively high reliability scores.
The true vote of confidence comes with one’s wallet. If it were me and my hard earned money and I needed a non-AWD vehicle and the decision was between Mazda and Subaru, I would probably go Mazda at this point.
Probably so, though they are close enough that if you break it down by specific model, trim level, options, etc, you can get different winners. Which is an interesting thought because there are not really that many Subaru versus Mazda models that are direct competitors and that people are likely cross-shopping.
Both companies are niche brands, but very different. Mazda has been trying to build more Subaru-esque crossover/hatchbacks, but for the most part Mazda is working to be a near-luxury brand, whereas Subaru is all-in on the "sleep-in-your-car-outdoorsy-golden-retreiver" lifestyle thing. Mazda's commercials are shot in California, Subaru's in Colorado.
For what it's worth, Subaru's sales are about 2x Mazda.
The really new Mazda’s in my opinion are topping Toyota in overall quality. Here’s the deal these Japanese manufacturers with the exception of Mazda, are on these CVT transmissions. None of which are bulletproof yet. The newer Subarus like the Crosstrek and Forester are great vehicles and if you need the AWD I’d be grabbing a Subaru WAY before a Toyota. I will say Subaru has added way to many features in the middle screen and is kinda confusing to maneuver around. Where as Toyota’s are very simple to figure out as soon as you sit in them.
My understanding of why Subaru has committed to CVT's: Small, short wheel-base cars with longitudinal engines and AWD are Subaru's bread-and-butter. But that layout doesn't leave much room for a conventional automatic. The CVT fits the space better. Being a mid-size manufacturer, they decided it was better to put all their eggs in the CVT basket rather than spread their limited R&D resources out over multiple different transmissions. They are sloooowly getting the hang of it and the newer CVTs seem better than the older ones. (I still wouldn't tow with one).
@dad2pwd I agree, and I would say Honda, Toyota, Subaru are the companies pioneering making the CVT a reliable option. I would absolutely never tow anything with a CVT.
I would agree with that assessment.
I would say they are pretty even, although time will tell how reliable Mazda is in the future when they move to RWD architecture and develop a new inline 6 engine for their cars to compete against the luxury brands, for now, I think both Mazda and Subaru are tied for reliability IMO and both have their pros and cons.
