Consumer Reports: Car Brands Ranked by Owner Satisfaction

[Tragic Bronson]

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...tion/car-brands-ranked-by-owner-satisfaction/

In this exclusive Consumer Reports survey, car owners tell us about the brands they love—and the ones they don’t

At our 327-acre test track in Connecticut, we evaluate dozens and dozens of cars each year, which we buy at dealerships the same way you do. In addition to testing them rigorously at our track, we drive them on roadways for months and for thousands of miles.

For even more information, we collected data on more than half a million vehicles with our Annual Owner Satisfaction Survey. The Owner Satisfaction Score, based on whether an owner says he or she would buy the same car again, measures whether a car lives up to expectations. Respondents also rate their cars in six categories: driving experience, comfort, value, styling, audio, and climate systems. Combined with CR’s ratings, our Owner Satisfaction Survey gives car buyers valuable guidance when they’re shopping for a vehicle.

A familiar theme is that cars that meet owner expectations consistently score well. Sports cars like the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, and Mazda MX-5 Miata are hits because they deliver the driving fun that their owners were looking for.

In a surprise showing, the revamped Honda Ridgeline outscored the compact pickup field by a wide margin. The Ridgeline and the Ford F-350 are also among the top 10 vehicles ranked by owner satisfaction scores. That’s the first time in at least five years that any pickup truck has made it into the top 10.

The following chart shows which brands satisfy drivers after living with their vehicles for three years. Tesla and Porsche hold the top two spots on the list of brands ranked by the average of their models’ Owner Satisfaction Scores. For a fuller picture, we also indicate how many places each brand has climbed or dropped since last year, and provide ratings for four of the six categories owners evaluate. Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury spinoff, was the only brand to score a top rating in all of them.

 

[mikeavelli]

Wow Lexus and damn Acura....

 

[mmcartalk]

Well, how about Genesis? Looks like, even without SUVs, the attention they are putting into their sedans is paying off. And Chrysler, the brand everybody likes to pan, right behind them.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

Well, how about Genesis? Looks like, even without SUVs, the attention they are putting into their sedans is paying off. And Chrysler, the brand everybody likes to pan, right behind them.

This isn't a measure of reliability...its satisfaction, which to me is subjective and even questionable. For Chrysler, their new infotainment systems are pretty good, so perhaps those buyers are happy now (and now later if s**t hits the fan with repairs)? Tesla is on top despite questionable quality but their buyers seem to love them.

 

[IS-SV]

Yes exactly^, which is why the most useful automotive info from CR is via their reliability charts. Otherwise questionable auto reporting at best.

 

[mmcartalk]

This isn't a measure of reliability...its satisfaction, which to me is subjective and even questionable. For Chrysler, their new infotainment systems are pretty good, so perhaps those buyers are happy now (and now later if s**t hits the fan with repairs)? Tesla is on top despite questionable quality but their buyers seem to love them.

With Tesla, not only that, but some owners, particularly with the Model 3, having to wait forever for delivery.

I can understand some Chrysler owners being happier today than in the past....if, for no other reason, than their vehicles, simply by means of comparison, are significantly better then what we saw just several years ago. Even with Dodge's low overall rating, other sources (and even other surveys by CR) have a lot of Charger/Challenger owners with Hemis are well-satisfied. That might not be surprising, as, with the Mustang GT and Camaro SS, they allow aging Baby-Boomers to (more or less) re-live their youth LOL.

 

[mmcartalk]

Yes exactly^, which is why the most useful automotive info from CR is via their reliability charts.

While yes, still relevant, somewhat less so then in the past. That's because, in the past, the surveys were more about actual vehicle defects/breakdowns/repairs than they are today. Today, significant factors that did not exist years ago are things like how user-friendly a touch-screen might be, how smooth the transmission shifts, how much road noise there is on coarse surfaces, how easy (or difficult) it is to integrate the phone....in other words, ergonomic stuff instead of actual vehicle repairs.

 

[IS-SV]

While yes, still relevant, somewhat less so then in the past. That's because, in the past, the surveys were more about actual vehicle defects/breakdowns/repairs than they are today. Today, significant factors that did not exist years ago are things like how user-friendly a touch-screen might be, how smooth the transmission shifts, how much road noise there is on coarse surfaces, how easy (or difficult) it is to integrate the phone....in other words, ergonomic stuff instead of actual vehicle repairs.

While yes, since I’m a CR subscriber and participant in surveys and they haven’t changed much. What’s changed is their reporting mostly. Have you actually seen these surveys and participated in these surveys?

 

[mmcartalk]

While yes, since I’m a CR subscriber and participant in surveys and they haven’t changed much. What’s changed is their reporting mostly. Have you actually seen these surveys and participated in these surveys?

You could say that me and my brother cheat a little LOL. I have the traditional magazine-subscription...he, the on-line subscription. We each share with the other.....including the surveys.

I agree that the surveys themselves have not necessarily changed that much, but my point is that people's priorities, and how they actually respond to them, often has. Vehicles, on the average, don't break down as much as they used to, so the people who respond to the surveys have to find different things to b**ch about LOL.

 

[Bulldog 1]

Ummm...if it isn't sponsored by J.D. Power, I'm walking away. There is a HUGE difference between residual values; reliability; "would you buy the same car again"; quality than "satisfaction"? What does that even mean? Tesla seems stuck on 90. Like a recently quoted news story that 90% of their vehicles were coming off the assembly line defective? It would be interesting to know what exactly industry leading brands such as Lexus, Toyota, Honda do to make people "unsatisfied" and vote them so low when they are almost perennially the industry leaders in quality and reliability? Was a little bit shocked when I first saw this reported, but the parameters and the source of the information kinda tell the story.

 

[mmcartalk]

It would be interesting to know what exactly industry leading brands such as Lexus, Toyota, Honda do to make people "unsatisfied" and vote them so low when they are almost perennially the industry leaders in quality and reliability?

If you want it from my point of view, more so in Toyota's case than Honda, it is probably because Toyota, though reliable in drivetrains and general longevity, seems to be cheapening out the interiors, sheet metal, and and trim-pieces of their newer models.....presumably to cut weight and costs. Too much, on them, IMO at least, seems to have a cheap, lightweight feel to it. Unfortunately, that can turn some people off even on an otherwise reliable product. Kia and Hyundai, on the other hand, seem to have gone the opposite direction lately. Their sheet metal, trim, and general interior and exterior hardware has a strong, thick, solid feel to it, and a door that closes with a solid, bank-vault thunk has a tendency to impress people.

With Honda, they still do a nice level of hardware, precision-assembly, and fit/finish, similar to what Hyundai and Kia are giving us today, but overall reliability seems to have fallen in other areas. They no longer lead the industry, up with Toyota, in general reliability.

 

[Bulldog 1]

If you want it from my point of view, more so in Toyota's case than Honda, it is probably because Toyota, though reliable in drivetrains and general longevity, seems to be cheapening out the interiors, sheet metal, and and trim-pieces of their newer models.....presumably to cut weight and costs. Too much, on them, IMO at least, seems to have a cheap, lightweight feel to it. Unfortunately, that can turn some people off even on an otherwise reliable product. Kia and Hyundai, on the other hand, seem to have gone the opposite direction lately. Their sheet metal, trim, and general interior and exterior hardware has a strong, thick, solid feel to it, and a door that closes with a solid, bank-vault thunk has a tendency to impress people.

With Honda, they still do a nice level of hardware, precision-assembly, and fit/finish, similar to what Hyundai and Kia are giving us today, but overall reliability seems to have fallen in other areas. They no longer lead the industry, up with Toyota, in general reliability.

Informative insights, as always MMCarTalk.

Sadly, my increasingly negative impression of Lexus of the present seems to be reaffirmed by your assessment.

I've had disappointing experiences in sales, service and body shop this past year and their seems to be a downward trend for the historically stellar Lexus experience I've grown accustomed to since 2006.

I had a dealer (only one at present in Central Florida) in Orlando deny me a courtesy car wash two months ago because, "a few bad apples were abusing the privilege, so the dealership owners decided to eliminate them unless having a service performed."

It was my impression a courtesy car wash was a Lexus tradition? Although I succeeded in negotiating quite a bounty of free product and services, I invested an inordinate amount of time and energy conversing with Lexus Customer Satisfaction this year over various problems from broken Lexus Enform to prematurely worn front brakes to a cheap piece of plastic in the console that failed and started a war that lasted weeks, doing the most damage to my impression of Lexus as a brand.

I mentioned months ago at many levels there seemed to be a diminished cache with Lexus, though I couldn't independently confirm it was at a local level or at a national level.

My expectations of a luxury car experience have not been met in 2017. I fear they may continue to regress even further moving forward.

The four rings have increasingly captured my attention the latter half of the year, especially after driving a Q5 for two weeks while my IS was in the shop. Exchanged pleasantries with an RS5 driver today, what a beautiful V8 beast.

I'll be shopping with open senses next summer. My blind loyalty to Lexus has slowly been eroded this past year.

Your analysis seems to confirm it all.

 

[mikeavelli]

Let's be honest they have what 2 cars and just a few owners. We have to take that into account. Nowhere near a full brand with a lineup of vehicles. Impress me when that happens.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

Let's be honest thiey have what 2 cars and just a few owners. We have to take that into account. Nowhere near a full brand with a lineup of vehicles. Impress me when that happens.

They're a darling brand right now, but they've yet to run a full marathon unlike Ze Germans, even Lexus. Like a lot of things "luxury", they can be disposable. I'm sure the majority of Teslas are leased, and three years is pretty much the term of the lease anyway.

 

[mmcartalk]

Let's be honest they have what 2 cars and just a few owners. We have to take that into account. Nowhere near a full brand with a lineup of vehicles. Impress me when that happens.

Prepare, then, to be at least partly impressed. A new Genesis G70 (essentially a luxury version of the Stinger) will shortly be on the way, and an SUV is now under development. This is the SUV concept.....but, of course, may not be the actual production model.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

I had a dealer (only one at present in Central Florida) in Orlando deny me a courtesy car wash two months ago because, "a few bad apples were abusing the privilege, so the dealership owners decided to eliminate them unless having a service performed."

Lexus USA needs to get in dealers' faces more, because that's very much a Lexus thing that dealers shouldn't be able to override. Both dealers here in Baltimore do no-questions-asked courtesy washes, which is extra important with all the salt on the roads lately.

 

[mmcartalk]

Lexus USA needs to get in dealers' faces more, because that's very much a Lexus thing that dealers shouldn't be able to override. Both dealers here in Baltimore do no-questions-asked courtesy washes, which is extra important with all the salt on the roads lately.

Chances are, though, those hand-washes alone don't get out all the salt from inside the wheel-wells and underneath the vehicle. That usually takes either a (well-directed) hand-held hose, and/or a underspray at a car wash. I don't like automated washes for several reasons, but one of them is that your engine, transmission, brakes, exhaust components, etc..... are usually still hot when they are run through the wash, with that cold water spraying on those hot components from below.....not good for them. I do my own car with a hose.....after I have let the components cool a little. Trucks and SUVs, of course, are usually easier to get at underneath with a hose, because of the added ground clearance.

 

[spwolf]

Prepare, then, to be at least partly impressed. A new Genesis G70 (essentially a luxury version of the Stinger) will shortly be on the way, and an SUV is now under development. This is the SUV concept.....but, of course, may not be the actual production model.

If they keep their huge discounts and bargain bin pricing, I am sure they will keep appleasing the owners.
However does that make them a successful luxury brand?

Sales of 20k for 2017 overall are also too low... but lets see what can G70 and especially SUV do. SUV is crucial there to get their volume up.

But honestly, if they wanted to play with big boys, they need independent dealers.

 

[mmcartalk]

But honestly, if they wanted to play with big boys, they need independent dealers.

Guess it depends on who they are dealing with. Yes, I agree that stand-alone dealerships would be nice, but even having them combined with Hyundai like this is not necessarily a bad idea.....same with Ford/Lincoln. Potential buyers, for example, might go look at a Genesis product, decide they can't afford one or don't want to spend that much, and then have a bunch of lower-cost Hyundais to look at and compare in the same dealership. Who knows?....they might home in a Hyundai instead of a dealership....but, either way, it's a sale for the dealership.

Also, when I myself was new-car shopping last spring, I seriously considered a Genesis G80 AWD.......liked its solid build, good materials, and general interior design. I couldn't care less that it was sold out of a Hyundai shop....I was buying a car, not a building.

 

[spwolf]

Guess it depends on who they are dealing with. Yes, I agree that stand-alone dealerships would be nice, but even having them combined with Hyundai like this is not necessarily a bad idea.....same with Ford/Lincoln. Potential buyers, for example, might go look at a Genesis product, decide they can't afford one or don't want to spend that much, and then have a bunch of lower-cost Hyundais to look at and compare in the same dealership. Who knows?....they might home in a Hyundai instead of a dealership....but, either way, it's a sale for the dealership.

Also, when I myself was new-car shopping last spring, I seriously considered a Genesis G80 AWD.......liked its solid build, good materials, and general interior design. I couldn't care less that it was sold out of a Hyundai shop....I was buying a car, not a building.

Yes, but their sales are relatively low and they have big discounts on all of their vehicles... if they want to actually sell them at premium prices, like premium brand, they have to separate.

I am sure bargain hunters will still go for them, but that does not make it successful as the case with Lincoln is for a long time now.