JD Power annual quality survey

NISSAN, Toyota and some General Motors vehicles have scored well in the latest JD Power and Associates annual quality survey in the United States.

Several individual makes and models achieved big gains over last year.

Chief among them was the GM-owned Hummer brand, which experienced a 36 per cent reduction in reported problems, while Nissan was also dramatically fared better, with its 3.5-litre V6 Nissan Quest people mover the most-improved model.

Hummer, a brand set to be sold in Australia within a couple of years and which finished last in the 2004 study with a score of 173 problems per 100 vehicles, tied for 10th place on the 2005 study.

Hummer’s score of 110 problems per 100 vehicles equalled Hyundai, which was a surprise performer last year.

The top 10 brands were Lexus, Jaguar, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Audi, Infiniti, with Hyundai and Hummer in equal 10th spot.

Two new vehicles, the Hyundai Tucson and Ford Mustang coupe, ranked among the top three vehicles in their segments despite being completely new models in their first year of production.

Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion brand – another under consideration for Australia – also made strong improvements, registering 134 problems per 100 vehicles this year against 158 problems per 100 in 2004.

Between them, Toyota and General Motors managed to capture 15 of the 18 top model segment awards.

The Lexus SC430 was the highest-ranking model for the second consecutive year at 54 problems per 100 vehicles. The Prius, Scion tC and RAV4 also polled well.

GM earned five top model segment awards for the Chevrolet Malibu/Maxx, Buick Century and Chevrolet Suburban.

Over at DaimlerChrysler, the chief of Mercedes-Benz Cars Group, Eckhard Cordes, has suggested that a top JD Power ranking "may not be a priority for Mercedes-Benz", according to a report in Automotive News Europe.

He claimed the study’s quality criteria might not be relevant to Mercedes’ international customer base.

"One has to carefully analyse whether as a global car-maker it is really advisable to be the J.D. Power No1," he said.

The survey measures 135 attributes across nine categories, including ride, handling, braking, engine and transmission as well as a broad range of quality problems reported by vehicle owners.

It is based on the responses from more than 62,000 owners of new 2005 model-year cars and trucks. They were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.

Top models per segment*

Small car: Toyota Prius
Mid-size car: Chevrolet Malibu/Malibu Maxx
Premium mid-size car: Buick Century
Full-size car: Buick LeSabre
Entry Luxury car: Lexus IS300/IS300 SportCross
Mid-luxury car: Lexus GS300/GS430
Premium luxury car: Lexus SC430
Sporty car: Scion tC
Premium Sportscar: Nissan 350Z

*Courtesy JD Power and Associates