Cars people love--and hate
Consumer Reports readers say which cars they would--and wouldn't--buy again.
 |
 |
| |
Toyota Prius |
The one car that people most love to love is the
Toyota Prius, according to our latest survey of Consumer Reports
subscribers.
This year more than 250,000 consumers responded to our question asking how satisfied they are with the vehicle they now drive. The Prius drew near-unanimous praise: 94 percent of the 1,640 survey respondents who own or lease a 2004 redesigned Prius said they would definitely get one again.
In all, our survey found 32 cars, wagons, minivans, SUVs, and pickups that at least 80 percent of respondents said they would definitely get again. Twenty-five of those vehicles are Japanese makes. Only one U.S. car, the Chevrolet Corvette, made it to the top group. The rest are European Luxury vehicles and sports cars.
Our survey also shows that satisfaction doesn’t always track
with reliability. The Mini Cooper and Mercedes-Benz SL are among the
most satisfying, even though their reliability records are below average.
Among cars that were least satisfying, domestic vehicles accounted for 12 of the 20 in the lineup; Japanese nameplates accounted for 7. The Land Rover Freelander SUV was the sole European vehicle in the least-liked lineup.
We generate these lists each year based on responses to our Annual
Questionnaire, which is sent to all subscribers of Consumer Reports
and ConsumerReports.org. We ask people whether they
would buy or lease the same vehicle again, considering its price,
performance, comfort, and reliability. The tables below list the percentage
of owners who said they would definitely get the same car again.
|
MOST SATISFYING
|
|
|
SMALL CARS
|
|
Toyota Prius .............................94%
Scion xB .................................. 87
Honda Civic Hybrid ...................81
Mazda3 ....................................80
|
|
|
FAMILY
SEDANS
|
|
Toyota Avalon ......................... 84
Honda Accord ......................... 82
|
|
|
UPSCALE/LUXURY
SEDANS
|
|
Lexus LS430 ............................92
Acura TL ..................................87
Acura TSX ...............................83
Jaguar XJ Series ......................81
|
|
|
SPORT/SPORTY
CARS
|
|
Honda S2000 ...........................89
Chevrolet Corvette ...................88
Mini Cooper ..............................85
BMW Z4 ...................................83
Porsche Boxster ......................82
BMW M3 ...................................82
Subaru Impreza WRX ...............81
Mazda MX-5 Miata ....................80
|
|
|
|
COUPES/CONVERTIBLES
|
|
Lexus SC430 ...........................85%
Mercedes-Benz SL ..................81
|
|
|
MINIVANS
|
|
Toyota Sienna ..........................86
|
|
|
SMALL SUVs
|
|
Honda Element .........................83
Subaru Forester .......................81
|
|
|
MIDSIZED
SUVs
|
|
Lexus RX330 ...........................85
Honda Pilot ...............................83
Toyota Highlander ....................81
Lexus GX470 ...........................81
Toyota 4Runner .......................80
|
|
|
LARGE SUVs
|
|
Toyota Land Cruiser ................84
Lexus LX470 ...........................82
|
|
|
PICKUP TRUCKS
|
|
Toyota Tundra .........................83
Nissan Titan .............................82
|
|
|
|
|
LEAST SATISFYING
|
|
|
SMALL CARS
|
|
Saturn Ion .................................49%
Mitsubishi Lancer .....................46
Dodge Neon .............................45
Chevrolet Cavalier (sedan) ......44
Nissan Sentra ...........................41
|
|
|
FAMILY/LARGE
SEDANS
|
|
Chrysler Sebring ......................49
Dodge Stratus ..........................35
|
|
|
COUPES/CONVERTIBLES
|
|
Chevrolet Cavalier ...................44
Pontiac Sunfire ........................44
Mitsubishi Eclipse .....................42
|
|
|
MINIVANS
|
|
Dodge Caravan 4-cyl. ..............38
|
|
|
|
SMALL SUVs
|
|
Mitsubishi Outlander ................48%
Suzuki Grand Vitara ................48
Suzuki XL-7 .............................48
Land Rover Freelander ...........40
|
|
|
MIDSIZED
SUVs
|
|
Chevrolet TrailBlazer ...............50
Lincoln Aviator 2WD ................50
Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT ........46
|
|
|
PICKUP TRUCKS
|
|
Ford Ranger .............................49
Mazda B-Series .......................49
|
|
|
|
|
subscribe: For complete Ratings and recommendations of appliances, cars & trucks, electronic gear, and much more, subscribe today and have access to all of ConsumerReports.org.
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any sponsor or advertiser of CTV.
Copyright © 2003-2007 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
