German association founded in 1903, theADAC still serves as the gold standard when it comes to studies on the safety and quality of cars. And quality, it is precisely the question in a new in-depth study carried out by the German organization on no less than 580 models on the market. The goal? Look closely at the finish of the models on the current market to see where the manufacturers are exactly in this area. So, who manufactures the prettiest “foamed plastics” and other details obsessively tracked down by certain motoring journalists, as Stéphane Schlesinger regularly jokes about?
Well on this subject, there are some big surprises in the results communicated by the ADAC. The first of these surprises concerns the compact car market, from generalist models to low-cost brand vehicles and premium references. If the top of the ranking is well occupied by premium brands, the Germans are beaten by Volvo: the XC40 SUV indeed obtains the best score (1.7 on a scale where it is necessary to have the fewest possible points) in front of the BMW Series 1 (2.0) tied with the Audi Q3, followed by the surprising Mazda CX-5 (2.1) tied with the 100% electric Mercedes EQA.
Here are the top 5 and the flop 5 of compact cars. Volvo is in the lead, MG and Jeep bring up the rear
MG, Jeep and Ssangyong as bad students
On the side of the bad students in this category of compact cars, it is the 100% electric MG ZS which displays the worst score (3.7) tied with the Ssangyong Korando and the Jeep Compass. The Dacia Duster does a little better (3.6) as does the Nissan Leaf (3.4). According to the ADAC testers, who scrutinized in detail all the assemblies and other materials composing the interior of the cars, it is possible to note strong disparities within the same manufacturer according to the generations of models. . Finding Dacias and MGs among the worst-rated cars in this ranking is not such a big surprise, given the price positioning of these brands. Volvo’s excellent position will further surprise those who swear by German brands.
