Another Day, And Another Satisfaction Study- Guess Who Is On Top Now?

Another Day, And Another Satisfaction Study- Guess Who Is On Top Now?
A study released today by noted automotive consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. summarizes the results of its 2008 model year vehicle satisfaction research. AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new passenger car or light truck.

In a year that promises to be the toughest in a decade, owner-based awards like AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award will help customers make their purchase decisions.

The brand with the highest satisfaction rating is Cadillac. The vehicle -- car or truck -- registering highest overall satisfaction in 2008 is the new-for-2008 Toyota Sequoia Large Sport Utility Vehicle. The passenger car with the highest overall satisfaction score is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

There are twenty-eight Vehicle Satisfaction Award categories. At the manufacturer level, multiple top ranked award winners include: General Motors (eleven categories), Toyota (nine categories), Ford (six categories), Volkswagen (four categories), Honda (three categories) and Hyundai (two categories).

"Cadillac wins the Vehicle Satisfaction Award as the top brand in a close race. Strong satisfaction performance by Cadillac cars and trucks has Cadillac winning over other leading luxury marques including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW says AutoPacific president George Peterson. "Top ranked finishes by Cadillac's Escalade, CTS and DTS helped cement their industry topping position."

Peterson continues, "Vehicles that are all new received top rankings in several categories: Cadillac CTS, Honda Accord, Mitsubishi Lancer, Scion xD, Toyota Sequoia, Audi Q7, Buick Enclave, Hyundai Veracruz, GMC Acadia, Saturn Vue and Nissan Rogue. These new-for-2008 vehicles were strongly rated by their owners showing that the industry continues to improve as new vehicles are added to the hotly contested American car and light truck markets."

Top 2008 model year performers are:

BRAND:
Cadillac

PASSENGER CARS:
Premium Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Aspirational Luxury Car: Cadillac CTS
Large Luxury Car: Cadillac DTS
Large Car: Toyota Avalon/Ford Taurus
Luxury Mid-Size Car: Lexus ES350
Premium Mid-Size Car: Honda Accord
Mid-Size Car: Volkswagen Jetta/Mercury Milan
Image Compact Car: Chevrolet HHR/Volkswagen GTi
Compact Car: Mitsubishi Lancer
Economy Car: Scion xD
Premium Sports Car: Audi TT
Sports Car: Saturn Sky
Sporty Car: Scion tC

LIGHT TRUCKS:
Large Light-Duty Pickup: Cadillac Escalade EXT/Lincoln Mark LT
Large Heavy-Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD
Compact Pickup: Ford Explorer Sport Trac/Honda Ridgeline
Luxury Sport Utility: Cadillac Escalade/Cadillac Escalade ESV
Large Sport Utility: Toyota Sequoia
Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility: Ford Explorer
Mid-Size Sport Utility: HUMMER H3/Kia Sorento
Compact SUV/Off-Road Vehicle: Toyota FJ Cruiser
Premium Luxury Crossover SUV: Audi Q7
Luxury Crossover SUV: BMW X3/Acura RDX/Buick Enclave
Large Crossover SUV: Hyundai Veracruz/GMC Acadia
Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV: Ford Edge/Suzuki XL-7
Mid-Size Crossover SUV: Saturn Vue/Toyota RAV4
Compact Crossover SUV: Nissan Rogue
Minivan: Toyota Sienna

In addition to identifying category winners, VSA also establishes numerical satisfaction ratings for virtually every passenger car and light truck in the North American market. Owner satisfaction is measured across 46 specific areas related to a vehicle's operation, comfort, safety and the overall purchase/lease experience. The 2008 ratings reflect input from buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired September through December 2007.



w209w114w209w114 - 5/29/2008 11:19:25 AM
0 Boost
The Passenger cars list is one of the better I have seen around with a few exceptions.

In the light trucks there were a few surprises... Most notably the Ford Explorer? who knew people still found some satisfaction in that.


M35MTM35MT - 5/29/2008 1:23:45 PM
+1 Boost
It was (and I dont know, maybe still is) a best seller...so someone has to like 'em.


AgentOrangeAgentOrange - 5/29/2008 11:39:29 AM
+12 Boost
No offense, but that's not a very credible statement when it's coming from someone with shit for brains..


monorandmonorand - 5/29/2008 12:39:15 PM
+7 Boost
Dead brand? No Future? Cadillac is clearly a rejuvenated brand. They have a solid lineup led right now by the CTS and Escalade, two major players who seem to be loved by the press and public alike. As for their future, with cars like the CTS, Escalade, and some help from the SRX, the brand image of Cadillac has turned around and Cadillac is once again a respectable player.


bestofallcadbestofallcad - 5/29/2008 1:42:03 PM
+7 Boost
michaeltaylor. You do not know what your talking about Cadillac as been a Luxury leader for years they did have problems in the 80's and they started coming back in the late 90's and really started to come back in the 2000's.

Give them credit they are producing a terrific Automobile. Your comment it is a dead brand your sadly mistaken.

I have owned Cadillacs for years and yes I have filled out the surveys when I have gotten them.

So you must be a dead bread since you can not see a come back when it hitting you in the face!!!!!

Most winners have lost then won again!!!

Many people have seen what Cadillac is producing now and how exciting their line up of new cars are, that is why Cadillac is back on top again!!!!


Agent009Agent009 - 5/29/2008 1:50:16 PM
+5 Boost
MichaelTaylor - "Cadillac is relying on the CTS for survival. You can't survive on one car alone."

Funny my great aunt bought a STS over the LS last month, said the LS floated too much all over the road, and the ES was flat out ugly. Being almost 70 a GS is probably not her flavor either.

Probably not my choice over the two, but to her that was merit enough.



Htay7500Htay7500 - 5/29/2008 3:57:12 PM
0 Boost
cadillac is dead? I must've shoved that damn telephone pole up my ass...


Peyton18Peyton18 - 5/29/2008 11:44:01 AM
+6 Boost
I just bought a new Jetta Wolfsburg....and while its a decent car, I feel bad if this is the highest amount of satisfaction in the mid-size group...

PS when did the jetta become midsize?


M35MTM35MT - 5/29/2008 1:24:35 PM
+2 Boost
I dunno either should be compact, even though it grew a bit in 06


Agent009Agent009 - 5/29/2008 1:51:00 PM
+2 Boost
It is about interior capacity not exterior size.


StarStar - 5/29/2008 1:40:11 PM
-8 Boost
Luxury Mid-Size Car: Lexus ES350

What a joke! A front wheel drive car (Camry with leather interior)is the choice for mid-size luxury car??????? The Cadillac CTS is an "aspirational luxury car"? If the poorly built ES350 is "luxury", where is the SUPER-luxury mid-size category that would automatically include the automotive legends, the pinnacles of engineering... Mercedes and BMW?
What kind of drugs do the people that thought Lexus ES350 is a luxury car, use? It's a frickin Camry...


StarStar - 5/29/2008 3:17:39 PM
-11 Boost
We know that nothing that comes from Japan stands a chance against the X3 or R-class, so why make yourself look like a fool. The worst car that Germans build is still far better than the best car the Japanese build.
You want a great television set, you buy Japanese, you want a great car, you buy German. Is that simple.


Htay7500Htay7500 - 5/29/2008 3:56:08 PM
+7 Boost
you can get an acadia or outlook for less than the fishy r-class, unless your a badge whore. I would like to know if a x3 can do this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6qoXJpo47Dk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jY3cZYre5oo




StarStar - 5/29/2008 4:02:18 PM
-11 Boost
Are you for real??? Who in the right mind compares a Japanese economy tin can like Subaru with luxury cars made by Mercedes and BMW? Is low IQ a requirement for belonging to the Japanese car fan club?


Htay7500Htay7500 - 5/29/2008 4:31:41 PM
+3 Boost
"Who in the right mind compares a Japanese economy tin can like Subaru with luxury cars made by Mercedes and BMW?"
you can ask the people from auto und sport who did the comparison. the forester won because it was agile and had lots of room. it could also do the things that was mentioned in the other video I posted but you're too blinded by the fact that this was intended for utility and space rather than luxury.


but you're right, everything with a BMW badge dominates...


...if I was on acid.


ShredmoShredmo - 5/29/2008 5:26:05 PM
+2 Boost
I'd absolutely love to compare the X3 to the Forester... preferably at a stop light.


VISOVISO - 5/29/2008 6:00:08 PM
+2 Boost
You're just sore because your poor BMW got screwed in yet another survey. At least it placed the horrific X3 on this list instead of being shut out like on CR


CTBjoeCTBjoe - 5/29/2008 9:13:13 PM
-1 Boost
BMW MAKES GREAT CARS, BUT YOU ARE A "MORON' YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


shepsanshepsan - 5/30/2008 7:25:53 AM
+1 Boost
It is apparent reading many of the comments made by posters that a great deal of criticism is made by those who simply like to hear their own voices. It matters not that those comments are completely devoid of evidence and no more than biased opinions. I would venture that those vociferous people have never driven or owned the car they bad-mouth.

Instead of inspiring adulation, their words confirms recognition that the big-mouth has an adolescent brain, is not a true car enthusiast and should be put to bed without supper.

Objectivity and at times subjectivity are the precepts that a true enthusiast seeks when researching an automobile. Being a fan-boy is in itself not a bad thing; being a fan-boy with blinders on to all other brands short changes the fan-boy to the reality of “what’s, what” in the field. It also short-changes the rest of us who really want to know about developments in the field.

I find the tirades of these idiots a boring experience.



StarStar - 5/29/2008 1:53:08 PM
-11 Boost
Apparently MichaelTaylor is not alone.
Looks like other people with down syndrome share his opinions. Scary, I know...


800over800over - 5/30/2008 11:23:30 AM
+1 Boost
What does that have to do with anything? Buy something else on the list then. (or something else for that matter)


CarboyCarboy - 5/29/2008 3:25:14 PM
0 Boost
Luxury Sport Utility: Cadillac Escalade/Cadillac Escalade ESV

Mid-Size Sport Utility: HUMMER H3

Large Luxury Car: Cadillac DTS

Isn't the Escalade on the top because they are mainly used as "PIMP Wagons"?

Isn't the Hummer Used because it's another "PIMP Wagon"?

Isn't the DTS there because it's the only good one?


blueshirts0819blueshirts0819 - 5/29/2008 3:31:28 PM
-4 Boost
For Hummer H3 and Cadillac Escalade they are so bling out the drivers probably can't tell there is a manufacture defects with the truck.

For Cadiilar DTS, the drivers probably so old they probably couldn't hear or see the defeats let along the road.


w209w114w209w114 - 5/30/2008 11:08:41 AM
+1 Boost
M35T, that was before the industry moved away from truck based SUVs. The Edge should have been the Explorer's replacement.


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