Consumer Reports has just released its list of most and less-loved car brands, based on the survey of owner satisfaction. They asked 369,000 owners if they would buy the same car again if they were given the chance and extrapolated the data for the results. Tesla, Lincoln and Ram are at the top of the list, and Cadillac, Nissan and Infiniti round out the bottom.
What is interesting here is the car content specialist for Consumer Reports Mike Quincy told me that some brands with high owner satisfaction – such as Tesla and Lincoln – have many models with below-average reliability. So, even with their flaws, many car owners are still happy with their choices.
This year, Tesla scored the highest mark on the survey, with owners rating their cars a four or five out of five for driving, comfort and electronics in the cabin. No matter how you feel about Tesla, you need to know that Tesla owners have been completely beaten up with their cars. Lincoln and Ram, second and third place in the survey, may not provide the same worship, but owners show a lot of satisfaction with their purchases. This again means repeat sales and positive word of mouth.
Quincy noted that it is not the expensive brands that earn the points. BMW is 13th, Lexus 19th and Mercedes-Benz 23rd.
‘Just because a manufacturer has very expensive models, such as Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac, Consumer Reports“In the survey of owner satisfaction, it seems that many people are not happy with their purchases, even if they are throwing out big money,” Quincy told me.
Think of the reasons why people choose a vehicle: maybe they grew up with Ford trucks and that’s what they like best. It is known. Or maybe they had a bad experience with one brand of lemon and drove them only to the nearest competitor. The ‘halo effect’ (in other words a lasting positive impression that is pumped into other aspects of a brand or person) is a true bias and vice versa. Consumer Reports says that Jeep is a good example; Jeep Wranglers tend to give low scores on annual reliability surveys. However, ask any Wrangler owner how they feel about their vehicle, and there is a star-eyed dedication to the Jeep experience.
‘Of course we understand the impulse: some of Consumer Reports’ own testers own unreliable vehicles because they feel passionate about their other qualities, such as acceleration and handling, ” Consumer Reports’
Jon Linkov says.
Also interesting is the high rating of Chrysler, which I think is driven by the popularity of the Pacifica minibus, which I can vouch for as a good ride. Hate minivans all you want, but if you are traveling, the Pacifica is extremely practical and comfortable. Similarly, I have managed quite a few Buicks and they score high on the Consumer Reports reliability chart, but the satisfaction level is low.
What are you driving, and are you happy with it?
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