CR rates MINI #3 most reliable car

These studies are completely meaningless and useless. It's like the JD Powers thing.

Audi ranked #19, yet my 2006 Audi A3 had over 200,000 miles without any issues.

Land Rover is not even on the chart as it's lower than the lowest rank, yet my defender has 30,000 miles so far going through mountain rough off road with mud and ice and snow wading through 2 feet of water on flooded terrain and zero issue.

Buy whatever you think and feel suit you and enjoy it and live with that decision knowing that you did what you did based on how you think and feel at the moment.

Stop the "choice-supportive bias" and "post purchase rationalization".

 

Generally, consumers don't bother reporting satisfaction, but shout from the rooftops if they are unhappy; the CR ratings aren't based on "choice-supportive bias," but rather on owner-reported issues. If the VW Taos garners 30,000 complaints in a year, but the RAV-4 gets 500, the Toyota is objectively the better car.

 

FWIW, I have always found the CR crowd-sourced identification of issues to be quite reliable. E.g., my 2010 Mazda 3 (purchased used) was/is known for cupping of the rear tires, blown motor mounts, and clutch failures, but otherwise no major problems. Since acquiring it, I have encountered the first two issues, but not much else.

As for the clutch, it seems to occasionally slip after shifting from 4th to 5th during a full-throttle acceleration (i.e., rpms don't seem to drop as expected, but I'm generally too busy driving to say for sure). Otherwise, it is still going strong at >150,000 miles, but I have always been easy on clutches.

 

One does not have to be a careful owner to participate in these "reviews". And we know that careful owners take care of their vehicles.