Firm Takes a U-Turn With New Car Study : Autos: J.D. Power’s ‘emotional’ index ranks what makes drivers happy.
So what if it guzzles gas or the blinker keeps flashing.
Agoura Hills-based J.D. Power & Associates, which made itself famous by ranking cars based on drivers’ irritation with flaws, has concocted a measurement that gauges driver happiness--things gone right instead of wrong.
“Some people will be willing to put up with a defect here and there if they get a payoff in some other way,” Chance Parker, group director J.D. Power’s Troy, Mich., office, said Wednesday.
Its Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study ranks new cars and trucks in seven categories based on a survey that measures 100 “emotional” attributes of 196 models.
The idea is to gauge the attitudes of owners--what they really like--in categories that include styling, engine and transmission, comfort and convenience, ride and handling, seats, sound system, climate controls, cockpit layout and instrument panels.
The study surveyed 28,000 owners who registered new 1995 cars or trucks in January and February.
The top vehicle score came in the luxury car category, where German auto maker BMW’s 7-Series models ranked most appealing. Chevrolet Corvette led among sporty cars, BMW’s 325 sedan was the top mid-size car, and Volkswagen’s Golf was best among small cars in the survey.
Chevrolet Tahoe was the top-ranking sport-utility vehicle, Dodge Ram led the pickups and Honda Odyssey the vans.
The BMW 7-Series score on the survey’s 1,000-point index was 841. “A nice, solid B,” Parker said. The average for vehicles in the survey is 682; the lowest score is 544.
“The message is that there is considerable opportunity for product enhancements to make cars and trucks more appealing to own and operate,” said J.D. Power III, president of the research firm.
Scores of individual models other than the top-ranked BMW were not released.
J.D. Power didn’t release the rankings of any but the top three models in each of the seven categories it devised.
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How Do You Like Me So Far?
Car and truck models ranked most appealing in J.D. Power and Associates first Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study, which surveyed 28,000 owners on what they like about their new vehicles.
Luxury Cars (30 models)
1. BMW 7-Series
2. Lexus LS 400
3. Lexus SC 300/400
Sports/Sporty Cars (27 models)
1. Chevrolet Corvette
2. Chevrolet Monte Carlo
3. Ford Mustang Convertible
Midsize Cars (61 models)
1. BMW 325 sedan
2. Toyota Avalon
3. Volvo 850 wagon
Sport-Utility Vehicles (19 models)
1. Chevrolet Tahoe
2. GMC Yukon
3. Ford Explorer
Pickups (12 models)
1. Dodge Ram
2. Toyota T100
3. GMC Sierra
Vans (17 models)
1. Honda Odyssey
2. Chrysler Town & Country
3. Oldsmobile Silhouette
Small Cars (30 models)
1. Volkswagen Golf 2-Door/GTI
2. Dodge Neon sedan
3. Saturn sedan
Source: Associated Press
