Porsche's iconic 911 snags the top rating in the latest Ideal Vehicle Awards.
Porsche topped the chart as the most desirable brand in the latest Ideal Vehicle Awards from AutoPacific, Inc., but Ford claimed victory of its own by capturing more individual segment wins than any other manufacturer.
The annual IVA is an effort by the California consultancy to go beyond traditional automotive quality surveys – which traditionally focus on what are known, in the industry, as “Things-Gone-Wrong,” or TGWs. These days, there’s a relatively modest gap when it comes to such problems between even the best and worst makers. So the Ideal Vehicle Awards balance quality problems with the sort of features that surprise and delight customers – such as comfort, ride and handling, fuel economy and performance.
“This research recognizes the vehicles that owners want to change the least. In other words, the vehicles that already match their owner’s demands,” explained AutoPacific President George Peterson.
Porsche, which typically does well when it comes to classic Things-Gone-Wrong surveys, also topped the Ideal Vehicle chart – for the fourth time since 2008. But in a significant illustration of how initial quality isn’t always the final word for customers, Chrysler was tops among mainstream brands. The maker has shown improvement in recent quality surveys – such as the widely-quoted J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey — but still lags the industry average.
Chrysler was followed by Hyundai and Ford in overall brand rankings. But Ford was able to command wins in seven individual product segments, including top hybrid with the Ford Fusion, and top light duty pickup with its F-Series.
“Ford Motor Company leads the industry with a total of seven segment winners. Like last year, no other manufacturer came even close,” said Peterson.
The next-best showing came from Volvo, which scored three category wins with models like the XC70 crossover.
Significantly, American brands won in 11 of 24 Ideal Vehicle Award segments, while European brands captured seven wins, Asians just six.
The most highly rated product in the survey was the Porsche 911. And perhaps no surprise the most highly-regarded segment was the Premium Luxury Car category, a niche that almost by definition demands makers deliver on customers’ every need.
The full list of segment winners follows:
Passenger Cars:
Premium Luxury Car Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Aspirational Luxury Car Volvo S60
Large Car Hyundai Azera
Luxury Mid-Size Car Lincoln MKZ
Premium Mid-Size Car Ford Fusion
Mid-Size Car Subaru Legacy
Premium Compact Car Volvo C30
Compact Car Hyundai Elantra
Sports Car Porsche 911
Sporty Car Dodge Challenger
Hybrid Car Ford Fusion Hybrid
Pickup, SUV & Minivans:
Large Light-Duty Pickup Ford F-150
Large Heavy-Duty Pickup Ford Super Duty
Compact Pickup Honda Ridgeline
Luxury Sport Utility Cadillac Escalade
Large Sport Utility Toyota Sequoia
Mid-Size Sport Utility Jeep Grand Cherokee
Premium Luxury Crossover SUV Porsche Cayenne
Luxury Crossover SUV Volvo XC70
Large Crossover SUV Ford Flex
Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV Ford Explorer
Mid-Size Crossover SUV Toyota RAV4
Compact Crossover SUV Volkswagen Tiguan
Minivan Chrysler Town & Country