When people think of great, high-quality vehicles, these brands come to mind first.
The Toyota Corolla is the bestselling car in the United States. The Ford F-Series pickup has been the bestselling truck for 34 years straight. But does that mean Americans consider them the best?
If you ask automotive research firms, the answer is Americans aspire to something a little more high-class. Think Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW."The perception of the quality of the mainstream is certainly a cut below the luxury brands," says Eric Lyman, the director of residual values for the automotive analysis firm ALG. "People expect that a luxury good has higher quality—that's why it's considered a luxury good."
Volkswagen is the only non-luxury nameplate to make our list of the car brands consumers like best. Taking top honors: Porsche.
Behind the Numbers
To arrive at our list, we selected the top eight luxury brands and the top eight non-luxury brands on a recent quality perception survey from ALG, and the same from a J.D. Power and Associates study that rates customer satisfaction with dealer performance during the first three years of ownership. We also selected the top eight brands in J.D. Power's latest APEAL study, which surveyed purchasers and lessees as to how they rated their 2010 model-year cars after the first 90 days of ownership. The brands that placed the highest on two of the three reports qualified for our list.It's important to consider all those factors, experts say. Popularity isn't just about which brand is the prettiest—or even the safest.
"When new-vehicle buyers go through the shopping process, vehicle appeal, along with price and perceptions of quality, is of major importance," says David Sargent, the vice president of vehicle research for J.D. Power.
Vehicles from brands that are perceived well also generate faster sales, higher profit margins and less need for cash incentives. In fact, 97% of highly satisfied owners recommend their vehicle to friends; among the least-satisfied owners, only 8% do the same, according to J.D. Power.
Foreign Vs. Domestic
While Porsche dominated our list with top honors in the appeal category, Lexus, considered a "premium" brand, took the No. 2 spot. It excelled on all three surveys, with scores all well above industry averages. That's no surprise—Lexus parent company Toyota is part of a high-quality, high-satisfaction winners bracket that Asian automakers continue to dominate."Typically we always see the top-tier Japanese brands along with Volkswagen as the top brands," Lyman says.
Indeed, Lexus was virtually unharmed during parent company Toyota's recall troubles last year, and Toyota itself ultimately suffered only slightly in dependability, appeal and quality perception ratings.
But the gap in consumer approval between foreign and domestic automakers is slowly shrinking. This year the Ford marque Lincoln beat Porsche as the most dependable car brand on the market, and GM's Cadillac took the No. 2 spot on J.D. Power's consumer satisfaction index survey. What's more, the domestic brands have been improving steadily in vehicle appeal and durability ratings during the past four years, with the greatest improvement occurring between 2008 and 2010. All are signs of a possible sea change in the foreign vs. domestic landscape.
"It's reasonable to expect that the gap will if not close completely will certainly narrow in the next few years," Sargent says. He attributes the change to a concerted effort on the part of Detroit to focus on quality. Ford has done especially well.
"They realized that they were getting a reputation along with other domestics of having quality that wasn't up to par with the imports, and they figured, 'We need to do something about this,'" Sargent says.
If consumer preference has anything to do with it, it'll most certainly pay off.
The Cars Americans Think Are The Best
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Volkswagen
Volkswagen has always been strong in the quality sector, says Eric Lyman, the director of residual values for automotive analysis firm ALG. Lately, however, it has faced some tough competition: "Typically we always saw the top tier Japanese brands, along with Volkswagen, as the top brands in perceived quality," Lyman says. "Now we're seeing some of the domestic brands, particularly Ford, in the mix there with some of those top Japanese brands. In fact they have now overtaken VW."J.D. Power CSI Score: 779/1,000
J.D. Power APEAL Score: 797/1,000
ALG Score: 68.2/100
Average: 548
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Audi
Audi's all-new A8 sedan, available in a V8 or W12 long wheelbase form, earned high marks from Consumer Reports' test driver: "It's the one we'd personally choose when comparing the A8 to competing high-end cars - such as the BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class," reviewer Mike Quincy wrote.J.D. Power CSI Score: 794/1,000
J.D. Power APEAL Score: 832/1,000
ALG Score: 72.7/100
Average: 566.2
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Acura
Along with Porsche, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, Acura received the highest possible overall score for initial quality in J.D. Power and Associates' 2010 quality report. Second in total points only behind Porsche, it moved up from the 14th rank position it held in 2009. The Acura RDX scored particularly well in initial quality tests, according to J.D. Power.J.D. Power CSI Score: 828/1,000
J.D. Power APEAL Score: 822/1,000
ALG Score: 78.1/100
Average: 576
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BMW
BMW's "ultimate driving machine" tagline hints at what the German company aims to make—cars built by and for drivers. That attention to driver-oriented engineering and performance has paid off: Last year BMW scored among the highest brands in J.D. Power's APEAL study, which asks consumers to rate their new vehicle's performance, execution, layout and design.J.D. Power CSI Score: 814/1,000
J.D. Power APEAL Score: 846/1,000
ALG Score: 80.2/100
Average: 580
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Lexus
Lexus posted some of the highest numbers for our list, beating all other brands with its high customer satisfaction score and the second-highest score on ALG's quality perception survey. It has long been recognized as one of the strongest luxury brands on the market.J.D. Power CSI Score: 846/1,000
J.D. Power APEAL Score: 827/1,000
ALG Score: 83/100
Average: 585.3
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