All i can comment on is my own dealings with Mazda CS, and i have found them top shop in every dealing I've had.

1/ BT issues with phone, new phone paid for £200.

2/ Delay in getting service plan paper work, service plan paid for , cost £299.

3/ Wifi hotspot connect problems phone related, 3 year cover paid for, i forget the cost but it was around £60.

4/ Reliability apart from phone issues =100% with 2015 model.

IMO having owned 8 jap cars from new they all appear to have slipped in reliability, and the styling off all of them apart from Mazda is dire. I keep looking at the competition trying to balance performance, space, value for money, residuals which i found exceptional when selling my 2013 cx-5, power and torque, towing capability, and still come back to the CX-5.

I will probably buy another, but not before test driving a 190 Tiguan, 184 Tucson etc, but neither of those give me 420nm of torque, or a torque converter auto with a excellent record for reliability. Unliike DSG autos.

They've all had their mess ups in recent years but, in general terms, if you want a reliable car and in particular if you're buying used I'd still say Japanese is best.

With one exception. Mazda.

I'm sorry but they have had far too many design cock ups in recent years to put them in the same bracket as Toyota (who themselves are by no means perfect). Disasterous diesels, rusting models, calamitous rotary engines.....all combined with some appalling customer service and denial of issues.

Just look back 10 years on this very forum and find the hundreds of posts on terribly treated owners of the original Mazda 6. It's all there in black and white.

There is a very good reason the average 8 year old Mazda is worth about £2.50.

I think that's somewhat unfair:

No-one's saying they are as reliable as Toyotas or Hondas, but in other respects they beat them hands-down - handling (especially), styling, price. I can source a Mazda3 with the same level of performance and spec as an equivalent Honda Civic for about 15% less on list price alone, and more like 30% less when discounts are factored in (or if you go through a broker).

I understand the 'risk' if you're in the market for a diesel, but with a petrol-engined car - no way would I pay THAT MUCH more for a car that was not that much reliable or long lasting, especially when the higher price of servicing and parts at Honda dealerships is factored in. As regards a Toyota 'equivalent' - there is none - the Auris isn't what you'd call by any stretch of the imagination a 'drivers car' and is about as dull as dishwater inside (it looks like they've stayed in the 1990s) and out.

As regards the rotary engines - yes, they have their problems, but I've seen on SO MANY occasions owners coming to my local dealership with big problems caused by them running these cars as short-trip commuting and shopping cars, with only the occasional longer journey at the weekend. Its been a WELL KNOWN FACT for years that cars with these engines hate such a life and were never designed as such. In my view, I wouldn't be surprised that more than the odd one or two were sold by main dealers who lied to customers about this 'flaw' in their design, but they are really a sports car that can act as an everyday car IF the circumstances are right. Unfortunately few punters did their homework (5 mins only needed) and thus I have little sympathy for them when they come crying about their car's problems.

As regards rust, its been a problem on certain cars (MX-5s old than 7 years), but more on older cars. Its well-documented that the Mazda3 & 6 mk1s have some issues with rust around the wheel arches, but on the early examples - my 3 was built in Oct 2005 and has only a few very minor spots and none elsewhere (touch wood never failing an MOT), and I see many local examples of 3s and 6s of this age in similar condition.

No such problems exist with the mk2s (none reported in the good and bad section) and seemingly only a few for the Mazda3 mk3, mainly early production models in the US - nothing of late to write home about. Very little evidence of problems in other models, especially those designed around the mid 2000s.

Most of Mazda's reliability and quality issues now concern the diesel engines only - can you remember the last time someone actually complained here about such problems on a petrol engined Mazda? And no, I'm not talking about skidpan and his aversion to the performance characteristics of their normally-aspirated engines - that's just a personal preference (perfectly entitled to as well). I have already stated where Mazda could go to change their fortunes as regards diesel engines, though I suspect their new X series petrol engines may (if they prove reliable and useful, performance and mpg wise) convince them to dump diesels for petrols and petrol hybrids (coming soon too) except for their pickup trucks, a bit like Toyota are doing. problem solved, or least they can source their diesels from Honda as previously stated, if the 1.5 and 2.2's design flaws cannot be quickly resolved.

Where I DO also agree (and have made points to that effect) is of (in my opinion) Mazda UK's often indifference to problems of customers that were not caused by them but design flaws (not the RX-8) and had been looked after only at main dealers. I would say that from speaking to other customers and freinds who own Mazdas, they do seem to have improved over the years on this score, but admitedly still have some way to go to match that of Honda and Toyota/Lexus.

Similarly, as stated before, the quality of their dealerships seems to vary a lot, and this would be a good area they could easily improve their standing by forcing through improvements and sometimes removing franchises when things are bad and don't improve. My own local dealership is also a Honda franchise, so its more likely I'll get a good level of customer service given the link to that make - one of the reasons why I get my car looked after there than in another local one.