Volkswagen CC vs Nissan 370Z: which is more reliable?
The Nissan 370Z is clearly ahead of the Volkswagen CC on the federal record: 89/100 against 76/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Volkswagen CC
- 7 model years scored
- 604 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 33 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (89/100) · worst 2012 (36/100)
Nissan 370Z
- 9 model years scored
- 191 owner complaints on record
- about 1 complaints per year on the road
- 2 recall campaigns, 1 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (94/100) · worst 2011 (52/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: CC against 370Z
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Volkswagen CC
- Air Bags — 279 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 119 complaints
- Engine — 119 complaints
Nissan 370Z
- Power Train — 96 complaints
- Steering — 44 complaints
- Electrical System — 28 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the CC's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the 370Z's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Volkswagen CC — avoid: 2012.
Nissan 370Z: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017….
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Volkswagen CC prices at about $21,800 and a Nissan 370Z at about $24,200 — the Volkswagen CC is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 25.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Volkswagen CC or the Nissan 370Z more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan 370Z scores 89/100 against the Volkswagen CC's 76/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Nissan 370Z carries about 1 complaints per year on the road against 5 for the Volkswagen CC.
Which Volkswagen CC and Nissan 370Z years should I avoid?
Volkswagen CC: 2012. Nissan 370Z: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Volkswagen CC and the Nissan 370Z?
The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen CC is Air Bags (279 complaints); on the Nissan 370Z it is Power Train (96).
Is the Volkswagen CC or the Nissan 370Z cheaper to own?
A recent used Volkswagen CC prices at about $21,800 and a Nissan 370Z at about $24,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.