Consumer Reports Finds Asian and European Imports Outscore Domestics in Owner Satisfaction Survey
Hybrid vehicles are a hit in survey: First generation gas-electric Toyota Prius ties Lexus LS430 as the most satisfying vehicle overall YONKERS, NY - Imports continue to outscore domestically-built vehicles when it comes to owner satisfaction, Consumer Reports has found. Asian and European brands fill all but 3 of the 33 slots within CR's list of Most Satisfying vehicles. The three domestically-built vehicles are built by General Motors' Chevrolet and Hummer divisions. They are the Avalanche, Corvette, and Hummer H2, which is based on the Chevrolet Tahoe. As part of its most recent Annual Questionnaire, Consumer Reports asked its subscribers if they would buy the car or truck they own again, considering its price, performance, comfort, and reliability. CR received more than 226,000 responses to the question, which were used to determine owner-satisfaction ratings and lists of Most Satisfying and Least Satisfying vehicles. Findings of the owner-satisfaction survey are published in Consumer Reports' Annual April Auto Issue, which is on sale from March 9 through June 9. A report on the findings is also available free online for one month at ConsumerReports.org. The Auto Issue is available wherever magazines are sold and may also be ordered online at ConsumerReports.org. Among the other findings in the survey: * Hybrids are a hit. The first-generation 2001 to 2003 gas-electric Toyota Prius tied with the nonhybrid Lexus LS430 luxury sedan as the most satisfying vehicle overall. The Honda Civic Hybrid was a close second. * Car-based, unibody sport-utility vehicles outstrip conventional, body-on-frame models. More than 25 percent of satisfaction reports were for SUVs, and owner preferences are clear: This year's Most Satisfying List includes nine car-based SUVs and only three with a separate frame. Though large SUVs were well-liked, conventional body-on-frame SUVs account for most of the low scorers. * Passion often outweighs practicality. Sports-car and sporty-car owners were most satisfied overall. Least enthused were owners of minivans, despite those vehicles' user-friendly designs. Here are Consumer Reports' lists of Most Satisfying and Least Satisfying vehicles. Models are listed within categories in order of percentage of owners who said they were likely to buy them again: Most Satisfying * Small Cars: Toyota Prius, Mini Cooper, Honda Civic Hybrid * Midsized/Large Cars: Honda Accord, Toyota Avalon * Upscale/Luxury Cars: Lexus LS430, BMW 3 Series * Coupes/Convertibles: Infiniti G35 coupe, Lexus SC430 * Sports/Sporty Cars: Chevrolet Corvette, Honda S2000, BMW Z4, Nissan 350Z, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Subaru Impreza WRX, BMW M3, Porsche Boxster * Minivans: Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey * Car-based SUVs: Lexus RX330, Honda Element, Nissan Murano, Honda Pilot, Volvo XC90, Toyota Highlander, Acura MDX, Infiniti FX, Subaru Forester * Conventional SUVs: Toyota 4Runner (V8), Lexus GX470, Hummer H2 * Pickup Trucks: Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Avalanche Least Satisfying * Small Cars: Hyundai Accent, Nissan Sentra, Chevrolet Cavalier * Midsized Cars: Chrysler Sebring sedan, Dodge Stratus sedan * Coupes: Chrysler Sebring coupe, Dodge Stratus coupe, Chevrolet Cavalier coupe, Pontiac Sunfire coupe * Sports/Sporty Cars: Mitsubishi Eclipse * Minivans: Dodge Caravan (4-cyl.), Chevrolet Venture (regular length) * Conventional SUVs: Suzuki Vitara, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Nissan Xterra, Jeep Grand Cherokee (6-cyl.), Mitsubishi Montero, Chevrolet Tracker, Land Rover Discovery, Mercedes-Benz ML500, Chevrolet Blazer, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Isuzu Rodeo * Pickup Trucks: Nissan Frontier, Dodge Dakota (V6), GMC Sonoma S-15 (V6, 4WD), Chevrolet S-10 (V6, 4WD)
