JD Power Survey 2007 - MPVs

With families and their belongings to carry, MPVs must be reliable, comfortable, practical and inexpensive to run – everything the winning Toyota Corolla Verso is.

MPV league table

1 Toyota Corolla Verso
Rating 81.2%
Overall ranking
The Corolla Verso is a very reliable car, and owners really appreciate this. They rate the mechanicals, interior controls and bodywork as being extremely sound.

Owners also like the Toyota dealerships. They like the quality of service and advice they get from dealership staff and praise the facilities and booking-in procedure.

On the car itself, owners like the styling, the levels of comfort and the easy-to-use controls. They are also pretty pleased with the running costs and, in particular, the price of insurance.

If there's anything about the Corolla Verso owners are less happy with, it's the performance. On almost all aspects of ownership, the Verso scored in the top half of the MPV class; only on performance was it among the also-rans, being rated as merely average.

2 Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Rating 81.1%
Overall ranking 28th=
The A-Class ran a very close second to the Corolla Verso. It seems Mercedes has got its act together on the reliability front and, like the Toyota, it performed extremely well in this area.

Interior build quality proved to be the A-Class's major strength - owners reported no nasty niggles, rattles or glitches. Heating and ventilation systems, the stereo and the seats also got the thumbs-up, and the engine and transmission proved to be strong.

The A-Class scored highest for exterior styling. On the downside, owners felt costs of service and repair were too steep.

3 Hyundai Matrix
Rating 80.2%
Overall ranking 40th=
This was a solid performer right across the board. Owners liked the comfort - the Matrix was among the top scorers in this area.

They also liked the service they received from the dealership: the Corolla Verso was the only MPV that outscored the Matrix for service quality. The booking-in system was a cinch for most customers and the staff were usually well informed and polite. The Matrix was let down only by problems with its heating and ventilation systems.

4 Nissan Almera Tino
Rating 80.1%
Overall ranking 42nd=
If you own a Nissan Almera Tino, it's unlikely you'll ever have problems with the gearbox.

When it came to transmission reliability, the car was streets ahead of all the others in the MPV category. Owners were also very pleased with the interior, which has proved to be extremely robust, but there were some issues with the controls on the dashboard.

Owners liked the seating, styling and ride quality, too. However, the Tino didn't quite hit the mark in the service department. Owners weren't too enamoured with the Nissan's running costs, either.

5 Citroen Xsara Picasso
Rating 79.5%
Overall ranking 53rd
The Xsara Picasso is the first MPV to fall under the 80% rating in a good year for MPVs.
It's still in the top half of the overall classification, though, and the scores show that owners have been pleased with their purchase.

It's the score for comfort that stands out, and it was this aspect that pushed the Picasso up the order. Only the Citroen Berlingo and the Volkswagen Touran scored better.

So what irritated owners? Not very much, in fact: it's a consistent performer
and the only real gripes concerned interior glitches.

6 Volkswagen Touran
Rating 78.9%
Overall ranking 60th=
The Touran might be in the bottom half of the overall classification, but it's still a decent performer. Owners loved the engine, and liked the comfort the Touran offers. Ride and handling also came in for praise - in this area it came out joint top with the Nissan Almera Tino.

Overall, the Touran found favour with owners, but it could have been much further up the order had it not been for issues with the controls and cabin. There was also a number of problems with the exterior.

7 Vauxhall Zafira
Rating 78.3%
Overall ranking 73rd
Vauxhall dealers should be proud, because there is no area related to service that Zafira owners are unhappy with.

However, owners aren't quite so happy with the car itself and, in particular, the engine and transmission. Reports of problems with the heating and ventilation systems also pushed the Zafira down the order. The styling and interior left owners a little less than satisfied, too, but they were happy with the ride and handling.

8 Renault Scenic/Grand Scenic
Rating 78.2%
Overall ranking 74th
The Scenic and Grand Scenic were just pipped to seventh place by the Zafira, mainly because of problems with the interior controls - 63% of owners complained about this, making the Scenic the worst-performing MPV in this area.

There were also issues with the Scenic's running gear - 49% of owners reported problems.

So what's to shout about? Well, the Scenic's comfort levels found favour with owners and insurance costs were comparatively cheap. The stereo was also fairly reliable, as was the transmission.

Scenic and Grand Scenic owners were quite content with the running costs, too - especially the fuel economy and insurance premiums.

9 Ford Focus C-Max
Rating 78%
Overall ranking 77th =
There were quite a few reliability issues with the C-Max and that pushed it down the order. Nearly half of owners reported problems with the suspension and running gear, while 45% had to have interior controls fixed.

30% of owners reported issues with the engine and exterior. Heating and ventilation systems also proved problematic.

At least the transmission has proved sound - the Nissan Almera Tino was the only MPV to achieve a better score in this area. Owners thought the C-Max was comfortable and they also liked the styling.

In the dealerships they got a decent service and found it particularly easy to book their car in for repairs and maintenance.

10 Citroen Berlingo
Rating 77.7%
Overall ranking 82nd=
If you want a comfortable car that's practical and convenient, you won't go far wrong with the Berlingo. It was the top MPV in this section of the survey.

However, owners weren't overly keen with the way it looks. They liked the sound system, though. Although they said the seats were pretty robust, 30% of owners reported problems with the interior controls.

Mechanicals were generally solid, but 25% of owners had issues with the brakes and suspension. Most pleasing for Berlingo owners was the fuel economy - the Citroen came out top of all the MPVs in this year's survey for fuel costs.

11 Renault Kangoo
Rating 76.9%
Overall ranking 88th
Although the Kangoo is roomy, owners felt the seating could have been better. Despite this, owners were quite content with the Kangoo's general level of convenience. It's easy to get in and out of, and is extremely practical for families with kids and shopping to carry.

Problems with the controls were suffered by 40% of owners, but if you want a car with a robust engine and transmission, the Kangoo could be for you. Don't worry about dramas with the heating and air-conditioning systems, either - owners had hardly any issues in this area, unlike many other MPVs.

The dealership facilities scored lower than those of rivals, and owners felt that picking up the car from the dealer could have been a little smoother.

12 Kia Carens
Rating 76.8%
Overall ranking 89th=
The ride, handling and brakes let the Carens down. Of the MPVs, only the Chrysler Voyager and the Kia Sedona had more problems in this area.

The engine was also vulnerable, with almost 30% of owners reporting issues. Owners weren't too quick to praise the performance of the engine and transmission, either - it came out bottom of all MPVs in this area. The Carens was also unable to keep up with its rivals for the appeal of the interior.

However, on the positive side, owners say it's cheap to insure, pretty comfortable inside and a practical everyday vehicle. The seating is reasonably good, too, and Kia garages
were felt to be pretty efficient at booking their cars in for service.

13 Ford Galaxy
Rating 76.2%
Overall ranking 95th=
The Ford Galaxy's ride and handling caused a few headaches for owners, with 46% disappointed in this area.

The car wasn't deemed as being robust enough inside, either: 30% of owners have needed repairs to the interior fittings. The exterior also caused difficulties for 30% of Galaxy owners, but the transmission was pretty sturdy.

Despite these problems, the Galaxy still scored reasonably highly for reliability, and
that's how it managed to stay off the very bottom in the MPV category.

However, the Galaxy was unable to match other MPVs for repair costs, and the cost of insurance and fuel were considered to be comparatively high.

Owners weren't entirely satisfied with the service they got from Ford dealers, either. They felt the dealerships weren't the nicest places to be, and the system for picking up their cars was more onerous than they expected.

The ace up the Galaxy's sleeve was its performance. Owners were reasonably pleased with it, helping the Galaxy gain valuable points.

14 Kia Sedona
Rating 75.9%
Overall ranking 99th=
The Kia Sedona's reliability has been found wanting: 66% of owners
reported issues with the ride and handling, and 55% had problems with the heating and ventilation systems.

Ownership costs were comparatively high for this category and the dealerships weren't on a par with the rest, either. Owners were even less complimentary about engine performance and the way the Sedona drove.

There were also issues with the exterior. All in all, owners rated the overall Sedona ownership experience as below average.

15 Chrysler Voyager/Grand Voyager
Rating 73.5%
Overall ranking 112th
Owners aren't fans of their Chrysler Voyagers. In terms of the overall ownership experience, the car fell well short of the rest of the MPVs.

It even finished 112th out of 113 cars overall, and the reason is clear: it has been unreliable. The main issue has been with the transmission - 68% of owners reported problems. Then there's the engine: 54% of owners had issues.

It wasn't much better inside the car, with 32% reporting problems with the controls and 40% needing heating and ventilation repairs. Owners also felt the cost of repairs was too high, as was the cost of insurance and fuel.

MPV league table