Car Brand Perception Survey Puts Toyota Way Ahead Of Brands Like Mercedes

I wonder why Mazda was rated so lowly! Mazda got the amazing-bargain Miata, Mazadspeed 3. They also reinvented themselves with the turbo charged CX-7 and non-turbo CX-9. The new Mazda 3 sedan looks good as do the Mazda 6 sedan. I'm just surprised the brand itself ranked so lowly.

I agree with you. Mazda's according to CR itself perform much better than average but this is about perception though and since Mazda doesnt sell in the numbers as the others then most of perception comes from guys like Badgewhore who are biased in the first place. Yota and Honda are good perception and deserve it however I am sick of the heard mentality of folks overall. I just bought my first Mazda and am completely satisfied with it. Read my post on the others vs Mazda CX-9. Or any other Mazda for that matter.

Dont remembering marrying any of your family members...

because toyotas have good mechanical quality for the price

and mercedes?

drive around ur town and see how many MB auto shops you'll find

actually there aren't as much jap shops as there are euro brand shop because japanese cars are made so that an average person can repair the problem with the car. however high end euro cars are more difficult to fix when there is a problem and are need to be taken to a professional.

That's because Mercedes brand perception has always been nothing but prestige and luxury. It's not like they can go higher and reach the Maybach ultra luxury status anyways so it's a given they can't gain anymore in brand recognition.

Brands like Honda, Toyota, Lexus they have more to gain.

when it comes to RELIABILITY and durability of electrical systems/accessories and electronics, mercedes HAS A LONG WAYS TO GO for further improvements. and honda and toyota can not improve much on the near PERFECTION they already enjoy.

That near perfection stuff is old. Believe it or not, NEW toyotas aren't as reliable as people think.

So your saying that people who drives Lexus LS 600's knows that their cars are well under Mercedes, and people who drives their Mercedes are who stays in the shop 364 out of 365 days a year knows that their car is way above than what Lexus can ever offer?

I actually own a S550 and an LS460 and my Lexus has been in the shop more often than my S. While the S is in for regular maintenance the LS had suspension issues after 30,000KM and several wood grain pieces were becoming loose and squeaky. My S was and still is as solid as the first day I drove out of the lot. I may have gotten unlucky with the LS but it just shows that no car is perfect, not even Toyota made.

why are toyotas and hondas compared to mercedes in the first place? trying to cause another flame war? people love to hate on benz cause they are the most recognized luxury brand in the world. everybody knows mercedes and u can deboost me for that but you're only doing that because u know its true and is in denial. the star symbol is known worldwide even in 3rd world countries. i cant speak the same for audi, bmw , jaguar, and lexus. but toyota is known worldwide in 3rd world countries for their trucks which are awesome and last for decades

what you say about people hating on mercedes 'cuz it (used to be) #1 in luxury is true. same reason a lot of people hate on toyota these days.

also true is what you say about toyota trucks. i have one that's 14 going on 15 yrs old, and it is in as good or better condition than many other trucks a mere 5-6 yrs old. (granted, i don't abuse it. tho' i do skimp somewhat on maintenance, which it just shrugs off.)

toyota cars have a similar toughness. i still see many mide-1980s modele on the road.

Lexurious: Everybody will attack the most strong. Few months ago, here at autospies I saw an article were Mercedes is the Most recognized and desired brand, sadly not everybody have the money to buy it, but you are right. Regarding electronics, however, is true that japanese are the best, (till now) cause germans and americans are catching them.

Are you sure it's not your education system? Have you ever seem to wonder why the majority thinks their Toyotas are much better cars & they think Mercedes are POS's?

LOL! yes indeed, cappy is the MOST OBVIOUS product of our crappy education system! lol!

I'm pretty sure if BMW was on TOP of the list you'll be praising Consumer Reports.

it so happens, that whatever CR has to say about autos IS newsworthy. the business press, as well as the general press, consider CR "the authority" on UNbiased, objective info due to their 60 years of TESTING cars they buy (not borrow). and many decades of detailed statistical analyses of REPORTED ownership experiences.

consumer reports has never had a representative sample set and sample size as such most of there reports should be regarded as invalid. Moreover, any report that is based on public perception will be skewed; remember "the world is flat".

You obviously don't understand the term "perception". That's what they're measuring, nothing more. Nobody said that perception equals reality. But in the car wars Perception = sales.

And I love your argument. This test isn't valid but even if it is, what it's measuring isn't valid. Nice try.

It funny how people say Lexus are just over grown Toyotas like Lexus customers are suppose to feel shame. Lexus customers are happy that the richest automaker in the world Toyota makes Lexus. Toyota quality is better than Mercedes per consumer reports.

Toyota has better perception than Mercedes, LOL! I would love a C300 Sport with 4matic in manual. Much over anything bland Toyota makes. Every car looks way to similar up front, and their engine choices are even blander. Nothing is exciting about them anymore. They used to have sleepers with the Celica GT-S and Corolla XRS with 180hp back when 130hp was a lot for a compact.

They had the previous Celica GT-4 as well, and not to mention the Supra. I am just lost as to where their TRD team went. It's all show and no go for Toyota lately. I still say they should offer a TRD variant of there models in the states with power to boot. A Matrix TRD with the V6 from the Rav 4 would be menacing.

As for Mazda, their low ranking is very puzzling. I see the 3 and 6 all over the place. Not to mention the CX-7 and CX-9 are great SUVs, the 9 won SUV of the year last year. My cousin has a 2004 6s fully loaded, with over 110,000 the only things he has done are brakes, tires, and oil changes. The car runs great. But again it uses Fords 3.0L V6 with Mazda tweaking, the base platform is very sturdy.

This is all B.S. If people had an $80,000 gift card redeemable at any dealership for ONE (1) car that could NOT be used for anything else, are you really stupid enough to think that the majority would buy Toyotas? Come on.
Fact of the matter is, the majority of people are full of S%@* when it comes to just saying stuff over the phone or in surveys. They get all political and green all of a sudden.
Completely pointless study AND post.....

only 1745 people surveyed??? what a crap survey on one of the most important purchases in a persons life.

We shouldn't take these surveys too seriously. The respondents are too nice to hang up...but they probably rush their answers only thinking about the cars they're currently driving...or a commercial they just saw. Alot of B.S. at Consumers, but I still enjoy reading it... Are their car price reports really accurate...the 'dealer cost' figures are what I'm most interested in... What do you think??

It's scary to think how many people rely on CR for advise concerning cars. Their recomendations become almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. CR tells them to buy a Toyota because they are dependable. Then CR asks why they bought one, since they only ask CR subscribers, the answer is because it is dependable. What came first the Chicken or the Egg? All this survey does is confirm CR subscribers read CR - duh.

Listing Toyota as number 4 for Performance however can only be explained by assuming that lot's of CR readers drink.

Using your logic, Mercedes shouldn't be in the top 5.

huu76: "...most of Toyota recalls are due to 3rd party suppliers making bad parts (no excuse but you can change suppliers), most of the Big 3's recalls were because the cars themselves were put together half-assed..."

PLUS, big3 intentionally choose shitty 3rd party suppliers due to their corporate culture of always going with THE LOWEST BIDS. hence, the resulting cars were basically ASSEMBLAGES of THE CHEAPEST PARTS AVAILABLE. euro brands are little different, which is why their electrical/electronic parts go on the fritz so often. i would not own a german car that was no longer under warranty. otoh, i'd be fairly confident with any toyota or lexus product even 5-7 years old, that has not been abused.

People hate anything they can't afford. Of course you find lowlifes who eat 99c hamburgers for dinner to claim that they trust Toyota and not Mercedes. When did they have the chance to drive a Mercedes? Plus, you have all the Japanese car salesmen who lurk on all the automotive websites on the Internet spreading b***s**t about German cars that poor, uneducated people take as Gospel.
I pity any human being that can choose a ToyotaLex over a Mercedes.

Remember Star, at you not with you...