These Automakers Suck, According to Owners
Owners have weighed in on their new car purchases, revealing which brands they are likely to go back to.
The Consumer Reports‘ Annual Owner Satisfaction survey polls subscribers to get their opinions on the cars that they bought, to find out which cars, and brands, are the biggest disappointments. To determine how each brand fairs, CR takes a straight average of the satisfaction that owners showed towards their cars, provided the brand in question has at least two models with data.
Sitting at the bottom of the list, which focuses on 2014 to 2017 model year vehicles this year, is Fiat, with 53 percent of owners saying they would purchase a Fiat again. Sitting above Fiat and making up the bottom five brands on the list are Nissan, Infiniti, Acura and Jeep. 58 percent of respondents would buy a Nissan, Infiniti or Acura again, while 60 percent of Jeep owners would purchase one again.
SEE ALSO: The Most Loved SUVs and Trucks in America for 2016
On the other end of the spectrum, owners love Tesla, Porsche, Audi and Subaru, the same top four brands as last year’s list. 91 percent of owners say they would buy a Tesla again, 84 percent would go back to Porsche, 77 percent would stick with Audi while 76 percent would buy another Subaru. Toyota rounds out the top five brands, also with 76 percent of owners saying they would go back to the brand.
When you look at movement, Lincoln made a jump from 21st to 12th this year, while Hyundai moved up from 24th to 13th. On the flps side, the Ram brand fell from the 5th spot to 17th this year, BMW slid from 6th to 14th and Volkswagen went from 16th to 24th.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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Thought I now subscribe to CR, I think any test that relies on "% of owners who say that they would buy the same brand again" to pick the best and worst makes is silly, because it doesn't say *WHY*. Maybe some owners are just bored with a car after owning it for five years without it being a lemon. I had rented a Nissan Sentra and certainly found it unremarkable. It could however be available at a competitive price and reliable for years for all I know. I know of brand loyal German car owners who will pay any price for their vehicles, not listening to anybody who tells them that they are buying a vehicle that is a) overpriced, b) less reliable than its Japanese peers, c) has outrageous dealer service costs, d) uses custom parts that cost twice as much but add little value, except for non technical people who fall for their make's sanctioned "beware of parts unknown" lie. Infiniti had brought out few vehicles in recent years that had been the best in their class, but I own a 2007 Infiniti G35, and this was their hit that had lasted all the way to 2016 (the coupe had been renamed the Q60 to cover up the fact that while the Q50 sedan was new, the G37 coupe had been carried over for two or three more years). Tesla, Porsche and Audi don't exactly represent a good cross section of owners and probably cost a pretty penny in service. I like the empirical, % defects method CR uses to do reliability, but prefer Car and Driver for reviews because they love driving, are performance oriented, have a sense of humor, and don't treat everything like it's a boring appliance. Reading both publications can be a powerful tool.
" To determine how each brand fairs, CR takes a straight average of the satisfaction that owners showed towards their cars, provided the brand in question has at least two models with data." Don't your writers know how to spell? The above sentence should be, "To determine how each brand FARES...." There's a big difference between the words "fare" (which in this case means to go or happen) and "fair" (which means either something well-balanced and unbiased, or some sort of festival or carnival). If you're not sure, reach for a dictionary!!