latest JD Powers Initial Quality Study online

Several interesting observations:

- Hyundai jumped up to #3 on the list!
- BMW is back in the above average category
- Porsche and Nissan have fallen in a big way



And, if you look at specific "brands":

- Jaguar makes a big jump
- Honda doing better than Acura?
- Infiniti radically outperforming Nissan
- Audi radically outperforming Volkswagen



In a nutshell, the larger observation is that the Korean cars have caught up with everybody else on initial quality. Everybody else has been improving, but the differences are all much smaller now than they've ever been in the past.

Heh, I guess the JD survey I just completed for my car was too recent to be included in that list.

I find it interesting that the best-rated cars have, on average, at least one problem per car. In other words, there's no hope that you'll ever have a trouble-free car, the best you can hope for is that you'll have very few problems.

Well, the notable thing that they don't mention is the severity of the problems. A loose screw and a transmission replacement both count as one.

It makes my heart glad to see Hummer at the bottom of that list.

It makes my heart glad to see Hummer at the bottom of that list.

LOL... me too man, me too.

Buy a car named after a sex act and you're bound to get ******'d.

-Zeke

I'm *NOT* surprised to see Mini (the brand) above avarage, however. The quality car-to-car seems to vary greatly.. My car, for example, went in on under-warranty items about 12 times, for different things. (Luckily, once I got OUT of warranty, I have NOT had any non-normal wear issues!) However, a coworker has yet to take her Mini it except for the standard oil change...

Me.

My thoughts, as a certifiable car guy:

- Hyundai jumped up to #3 on the list!

My co-workers' have been trouble-free; but careful about generalizing about Korean cars, as Kia is still sucking wind

- BMW is back in the above average category

My early MY2001 E46 was virtually trouble-free until I totalled it.

- Porsche and Nissan have fallen in a big way

Dare we blame their big, goofy new SUVs for their fall from grace?

- Jaguar makes a big jump
- Honda doing better than Acura?
- Infiniti radically outperforming Nissan
- Audi radically outperforming Volkswagen

And don't forget Toyota's cheap Scion being near the bottom of the list! Unfortunately these survey anomalies lend credence to the folks who discount them, based on the notion that the more people spend on a purchase the more they'll prevaricate to defend it.

I'm *really* disappointed that Mazda's new models dragged them so far down, and really impressed at Chevy's rise to the mean (and notably better than sister Saturn - or even Ford).

There is a also the skew that Acura owners have higher expectations that honda owners. After spending $50K+ on an auto you tend to expect more.

That said; My girlfriend's Hyundai definitely has less problems than my Audi. Maybe its because the Audi has 10X more gizmos and luxuries.

It makes my heart glad to see Hummer at the bottom of that list.

The submissions are good for a laugh:
http://www.fuh2.com/index.php

And now, it's the JD Power 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study, based on 2001-model-year cars. Unsurprisingly, Toyota and Honda continue to stay on top of the pack, although if you look at the specific brands, Honda and Acura are surpassed by some names like Infiniti (which, as of 2001, hasn't yet shipped any of the new cars like the G35). Porsche, as of 2001, hasn' shipped the Cayenne yet, so it's also highly ranked. I'm surprised that BMW is above average, although we see no BMWs anywhere on the top-three lists, and only one Mercedes.