J.D. Power study: Buyers like Porsche most
For the 11th year, Porsche owners say they love their new cars more than those of any other brand, J.D. Power and Associates says in a new study released Wednesday.
In fact, the list of the most loved auto brands is dominated by European luxury makers. After Porsche comes Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Land Rover.
But there, in seventh and eighth place, are two premium American brands: Lincoln and Cadillac. They bested all Asian makes, and Tesla wasn't part of the survey.
The J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) surveyed 84,000 buyers and lessees of new 2015 cars earlier this year to ask them what they like the most about their new wheels, based on 77 attributes.
Because luxury cars come packed with goodies, it isn't terribly surprising that they would rank high in a survey that plays up features and other fancy touches. But J.D. Power says it wasn't just newfangled infotainment systems or the stitching in the leather upholstery that buyers found appealing. Rather, they loved features involving safety.
J.D. Power says, for instance, that the overall score among owners of vehicles with blind-spot monitoring and warning systems is 38 points higher than among those that don't have them. Some 36% of buyers ordered their cars with blind-spot monitoring.
"Unlike other technologies, such as voice recognition, that can be challenging to operate, most safety features provide information in a more intuitive way, giving owners a greater sense of security," said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power, in a statement.
In addition, she says more owners are using the technology on a more regular basis. Since they use it day-to-day, they have better feelings about it.
Not all brands fared as well. Smart, maker of those tiny cars, was the brand that buyers found least appealing. It was followed by Fiat and Mitsubishi.
Here's how the brands ranked and their score, out of 1,000:
1. Porsche 874
2. Jaguar 855
3. BMW 854
4. Mercedes-Benz 853
5. Audi 852
6. Land Rover 843
7. Lincoln 842
8. Cadillac 838
9. Infiniti 835
10. Lexus 831
11. Mini 825
12. Volvo 825
13. Acura 810
14. Hyundai 809
15. Volkswagen 806
16. GMC 804
17. Ram 803
18. Buick 801
19. Ford 798
20. Kia 798
INDUSTRY AVERAGE 798
21. Chevrolet 797
22. Mazda 796
23. Scion 796
24. Dodge 795
25. Chrysler 788
26. Subaru 788
27. Honda 786
28. Nissan 786
29. Toyota 781
30. Jeep 763
31. Mitsubishi 755
32. Fiat 749
33. Smart 683
Top car models:
City car: Fiat 500
Small car: Chevrolet Sonic, Kia Rio, Ford Fiesta
Small premium car: Audi A3, BMW 2 Series, Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
Compact car: Volkswagen Golf, Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Beetle
Compact sports car: MINI Cooper
Compact premium car: BMW 4 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Lexus RC
Compact premium sporty car: Porsche Cayman, Porsche Boxster
Midsize car: Mazda MAZDA6, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima
Midsize sporty car: Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang
Midsize premium car: BMW 6 Series, Audi A7, Infiniti Q70
Midsize premium sporty car: Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911
Large car: Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler 300, Toyota Avalon
Large premium car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Top SUV, MPV, Van and Pickup models:
Small SUV: MINI Countryman, Volkswagen Tiguan, Buick Encore
Small premium SUV: Audi Q3, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Compact SUV: Mazda CX-5, GMC Terrain, Subaru Forester
Compact Premium SUV: Porsche Macan, BMW X4, Audi Q5
Compact MPV: Ford C-Max, Kia Soul
Midsize SUV: Nissan Murano, Toyota Highlander, Buick Enclave
Midsize Premium SUV: Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5, Audi Q7, BMW X6
Midsize Pickup: Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon
Minivan: Kia Sedona, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna
Large SUV: Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon
Large premium SUV: Infiniti QX80, Land Rover Range Rover, Lincoln Navigator
Large light duty pickup: Ford F-150, Ram 1500 LD, GMC Sierra LD
Large heavy duty pickup: GMC Sierra HD, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Ford Super Duty