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Million-Mile Cars a Possibility as Automakers Amp Up Durability

Extensive road testing and more sophisticated engines are increasing vehicles' life expectancy.

By Claire_Martin May 2, 2012 10:44AM
Kia Rio photo by Kia.Modern cars could log as many as 1 million miles if drivers wanted to hang on to them for that long, according to a report by FoxNews.com. Credit goes to automakers' aggressive attempts at ensuring the durability of new cars.

“Our durability testing is now more stringent,” Meg Novacek, director of reliability quality at Chrysler, told FoxNews.com. “We test for more lateral loads and aggressive driving on curvy roads."

Indeed, Chrysler is putting twice the miles on test cars that it did five years ago, Novacek says. The test fleet for the new Dodge Dart, set for a June release, saw a combined 8.5 million road and lab miles -- an average of 150,000 miles per car. 

Infiniti, too, is bullish on durability: The manufacturer is simulating 20 years of road use in its testing, and early prototype cars get 300,000 miles of wear. Meanwhile, in the pre-production phase of the redesigned 2013 Malibu, Chevrolet testers logged about 1 million miles on test cars over 22 months. And Kia's 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty comes in part thanks to extensive road testing.

Technology is also contributing to the increase in durability. Oil levels and tire pressure can be self-diagnosed by modern automobile engines these days, practically obviating the need for tune-ups. Future technology, which will likely include the ability to predict and avoid different types of car failures, could contribute even more to the longevity equation. 

But even today, cars are capable of far outlasting their life expectancy. "[T]he best way to make a car last is to do regular maintenance, spring for the pricey synthetic oils and high-grade fuels, address problems quickly, and even to drive less aggressively on the roadways," says John Brandon of FoxNews.com.

One car that has gone the distance -- literally -- is a 1966 Volvo P1800 whose owner diligently changes the oil every 3,500 miles. The car, a red sedan with fins, is on the verge of hitting 3 million miles.

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22Comments
The Beltway
May 2, 2012 1:04PM
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By the time you pay off a five year loan your car is pretty much a POS due to the rust.

You must base that low expectation on your personal experience with Toyotas, like my experience with my POS Lexus that was rusting in just 3 years.  Never had that problem with ANY of my American or European cars, or for that matter any of my other Japanese cars.  We have a 15 year old Jeep with almost 200,000 miles on it that's just starting to get rust along the bottom lip of the rear doors.  Other than that, it's rust free.  As is my 8 year old Dodge Grand Caravan with 175,000 miles on it.  My other cars are all less than 6 years old, so rust even here in the snow belt where salt is a winter staple, isn't a problem.   

frostyross
May 2, 2012 12:02PM
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I can tell you right now that no car that gets used in the winter in places like New York State will last for a million miles unless they find something other than salt or magnesium chloride to use on icy roads. By the time you pay off a five year loan your car is pretty much a POS due to the rust.
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