Infiniti wins in "Total Quality Index" survey

bolido2000

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
3,720
1
0
Strategic Vision Total Quality Index

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

How brands scored in the consumer survey. Based on a 1,000-point scale.

1. Infiniti 898 (tie)
Mercedes Benz 898 (tie)
2. Cadillac 896
3. Jaguar 895
4. Lexus 894
5. BMW 893
6. Acura 886
7. Audi 883
8. Lincoln 880
9. Saab 880
10. Volkswagen 874
11. Volvo 873
12. Saturn 871
13. Hyundai 868
14. Nissan 862
15. Honda 861
16. Chevy 861
Industry avg. 858
17. Mitsubishi 857
18. GMC 852
19. Mercury 851
20. Chrysler 851
21. Dodge 850
22. Ford 850
23. Buick 849
24. Land Rover 849
25. Toyota 848
26. Pontiac 845
27. Mazda 843
28. Oldsmobile 838
29. Subaru 838
30. Jeep 838
31. Kia 830
32. Suzuki 817
33. Isuzu 808


Quote:
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DETROIT:

Emotions can trump problems when consumers size up their new cars, a survey out Monday shows. Volkswagen beat all multi-brand automakers for satisfying customers in the first three months of ownership, according to the annual survey by Strategic Vision, an automotive research firm in San Diego. Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti scored at the top for all brands.

The survey, called Total Quality Index, asked 40,000 owners how much they like their vehicle overall; how many glitches they found; how much quality they perceive in the packaging and performance; how emotionally attached they are; and whether they would buy the car again if they had the chance.

Both Volkswagen and Mercedes have scored poorly on rival J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS), which surveys consumers only on things gone wrong in the first 90 days.
"Often the things right with a vehicleó plus brand image in the case of Volkswagen and Mercedes ó can overwhelm the things gone wrong," says Strategic Vision's Dan Gorrell. "And this points to the importance of building in emotion and desirability to new products, not just reliability."

VW has topped all automakers the last three years in the Strategic Vision survey, even though sales in the USA are down 50,000 the last two years and its score in the Power IQS was down 15% last year.

Mercedes, which tied with Infiniti for first among brands in the Strategic Vision survey, improved from sixth last year. But it ranked 13th among brands in the IQS.

"We made progress in Power's survey, but we aren't in the top 10, which is where we have to be," says Mercedes spokeswoman Donna Boland. But Strategic Vision's Total Quality Index "shows we are on the right track."

South Korean automaker Hyundai, which vaulted ahead of the Toyota brand in this year's IQS, beat both Toyota and Honda in the Total Quality Index.

Toyota, which ranked 20th among all brands, "suffers from blandness and ubiquity, especially with high-volume cars like Camry and Corolla," Gorrell says.

But he credits Toyota with working on the problem by expanding its design resources in North America to cater more to American tastes.

Other key findings in the Strategic Vision survey:

* General Motors topped 11 of 19 product categories. Saturn Ion, Chevrolet Malibu and Corvette and Cadillac XLR were among the top ranked. "GM does very well with people who buy (its brands), but it has a long way to go to win over people who end up buying an import after considering imports against GMs," Gorrell says.

* Saturn and Hyundai ranked higher than Honda for vehicles priced below $23,000.

* VW, Nissan and Chevrolet were the only brands to beat the industry average for vehicles priced $23,000 to $30,000, the heart of the industry.

* Fewer than one in three buyers reported any problem in the first 90 days. Chrysler scored worst, with 5% reporting serious problems. Just 2% of Honda and Toyota owners reported serious problems.
 

Scouzer

Lifer
Jun 3, 2001
10,358
5
0
14. Nissan 862
15. Honda 861
16. Chevy 861

Heh heh heh...the fanboys aren't going to like that one...
 

RagingBITCH

Lifer
Sep 27, 2003
17,618
2
76
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
 

FrogDog

Diamond Member
Jan 12, 2000
4,761
0
0
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
Fanboy.
 

Excelsior

Lifer
May 30, 2002
19,047
18
81
Originally posted by: FrogDog
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
Fanboy.

Indeed.
 

Fingolfin269

Lifer
Feb 28, 2003
17,948
31
91
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.

Well, when you have a link in your sig titled HONDA/ACURA FANBOY WEBSITE then the list is always going to be crap if Honda scores horribly on the list. :p
 

BigSmooth

Lifer
Aug 18, 2000
10,484
12
81
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
The list isn't necessarily crap, it's measuring something different than just quality/reliability alone. No "survey" can be perfect.
 

RagingBITCH

Lifer
Sep 27, 2003
17,618
2
76
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: FrogDog
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
Fanboy.

Indeed.

You don't have to be a fanboi to admit/know VW sucks.
 

gogeeta13

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2000
5,721
0
0
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.

ditto.

Can you say Electrical Problems and Jetta!
 

FrogDog

Diamond Member
Jan 12, 2000
4,761
0
0
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: FrogDog
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
Fanboy.

Indeed.

You don't have to be a fanboi to admit/know VW sucks.
So one company is misplaced and so the list is crap? Heh, why am I bothering...
 

Excelsior

Lifer
May 30, 2002
19,047
18
81
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: FrogDog
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
Fanboy.

Indeed.

You don't have to be a fanboi to admit/know VW sucks.

Yes..VW sucks entirely..sure.

You obviously don't know what you're talking about.
 

Nebor

Lifer
Jun 24, 2003
29,582
12
76
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: FrogDog
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Hah to all you honda/nissan fanbois who were saying that Saturn sucks... read the list! :p

Um, VW scored higher than all those brands. We all know what VW's reliability is like. That list is crap.
Fanboy.

Indeed.

You don't have to be a fanboi to admit/know VW sucks.

Yes..VW sucks entirely..sure.

You obviously don't know what you're talking about.

He meant to say, VW, Lamborghini, and Audi suck. All crappy cars, all part of the same faimly. At least one of the kids made it though. I'll give you a hint, he's air cooled. :D
 

Thraxen

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
4,683
1
81
Did you people read anything but the list itself? It's not measuring reliability alone. Just because companies like Toyota or Honda are lower on this list doesn't mean they aren't built better.

owners how much they like their vehicle overall; how many glitches they found; how much quality they perceive in the packaging and performance; how emotionally attached they are; and whether they would buy the car again if they had the chance.
 

Fingolfin269

Lifer
Feb 28, 2003
17,948
31
91
Originally posted by: Thraxen
Did you people read anything but the list itself? It's not measuring reliability alone. Just because companies like Toyota or Honda are lower on this list doesn't mean they aren't built better.

owners how much they like their vehicle overall; how many glitches they found; how much quality they perceive in the packaging and performance; how emotionally attached they are; and whether they would buy the car again if they had the chance.

Maybe you need to read that part again also? What's wrong with the part you quoted? It's just saying that people, OVERALL, enjoy certain brands (hah, a lot of other brands) more than the normal fanboi brands.
 

Thraxen

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
4,683
1
81
Maybe you need to read that part again also? What's wrong with the part you quoted? It's just saying that people, OVERALL, enjoy certain brands (hah, a lot of other brands) more than the normal fanboi brands.

I was just making the point because a lot of people were upset with the placement of certain brands, or taking shots at brands that placed lower than on other lists. Which is really quite ridiculous since the survey is "measuring" rather subjective things like emotional attachment. Also, asking a question like, "Would you buy this brand again?", may not yield accurate results. A lot of people will say yes rather than admit to themselves they made a mistake or could have done better with their current purchase. Actual repeat buyers is the only true way to measure that factor.
 

weirdichi

Diamond Member
Sep 19, 2001
4,711
2
76
Whoopee. FIVE points separate the top 5. As far as I'm concerned, you can group all those together based on just scores. Like said before, many other factors come into play when asked if they would buy the car again. What if that particular dealer screwed the customer and they vowed never to buy a certain vehicle brand again just cuz that dealer sucked? Surveys don't tell the whole story.