There Appears To Be a Formula To Long-Lasting Cars
The top 3 long-lasting vehicles in this study all share one thing in common. Is that their secret to success?
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
- What the list revealed about long-lasting cars
- Body-on-frame vs. unibody
- Are body-on-frame vehicles making a comeback?
- Which is best?
- Save on insurance with Jerry
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The formula to a
long-lasting car
might ultimately come down to its bones
, if data from iSeeCars is any indication.According to a
study
on long-lasting cars capable of topping 200,000 miles of service, truck-based SUVs represented the majority of the list.What the list revealed about long-lasting cars
Truck-based SUVs like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Toyota Sequoia—both body-on-frame designs— topped the list by a wide margin, with the Sequoia twice as likely to reach 200,000 miles compared with the next vehicle on the list, the Chevrolet Suburban.
The top 15 long-lasting nameplates in this study have more than 3% of their vehicles reach 200,000 miles of service, and includes SUVs, pickup trucks, minivans, a sedan and a hybrid hatchback.
“With new and used car prices at record highs, many consumers are likely keeping their vehicles on the road for an extended period of time or are looking to buy a reliable vehicle to get the most return on their investment,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. “Toyotas account for the majority of the top ten longest-lasting vehicles, which validates the brand’s reputation for building enduring and reliable vehicles..”
Toyotas and Hondas on the list also have lower-than-average ownership costs, according to Brauer, and owners are more likely to keep their cars on the road if costly repairs don’t become an issue.
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Body-on-frame vs. unibody
Most consumer vehicles come in one of two styles: body-on-frame and unibody.
Body-on-frame vehicles are the oldest style, having their origins at the beginning of the modern automotive industry. Body-on-frame vehicles consist of a structural frame on which different styles of bodywork were applied. One of the earliest, simplest designs—the ladder frame—is still in use in most full-size pickups and SUVs, as well as most heavier-duty work trucks.
Unibody designs—short for “unitized body”—consist of major structural elements welded together into a single structural element. While unibody frames are more demanding to engineer and manufacture, the end result is a body with considerable weight savings compared with its body-on-frame counterparts.
Are body-on-frame vehicles making a comeback?
In a sense, yes, but they never really left. Body-on-frame vehicles typically include full-size pickup trucks and truck-based SUVs, while unibody construction is common on passenger cars, small- to midsize SUVs and some smaller pickup trucks.
But a relatively recent application of the body-on-frame design called the skateboard chassis is giving automakers another option in simplifying development of electric vehicles. The skateboard chassis is a self-contained platform rolling electric motors, batteries and driving components into one package.
The primary advantage of a shared skateboard platform is that it allows automakers to develop multiple electric vehicles without having to reinvent the metaphorical wheel.
Tesla already uses a skateboard chassis, while other automakers like GM and Ford have pursued similar developments.
Which is best?
As
Motortrend
reports, the type of chassis matters depending on how you plan to use it. If you need a durable work vehicle, get one with a ladder frame to support that added burden. Body-on-frame vehicles also tend to fare better offroad, where the frame provides more flexibility than stiffer unibody vehicles.Most drivers fare well with a unibody design, which combines light weight and high strength in a reasonably priced, generally safer package—though they can be more expensive to repair, since damage to one part of the frame means damage to all of it.
Regardless, if your vehicle is damaged, you don’t want to have to pay out of pocket regardless of whatever frame type you’re sporting.
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