Infiniti, Audi Make Big Move in Initial Quality
J.D. Power released its 2008 Initial Quality Study today, and luxury brands Infiniti and Audi saw the biggest gains. Infiniti now rests at No. 2, up from No. 9 in 2007, behind only Porsche. Audi moved from the 26th spot up to 10th.
Overall, J.D. Power reported “substantial” gains in quality from three-fourths of the 36 auto brands. That’s good news, but as always we have to point out that this study captures just the first three months of ownership, when nothing should go wrong with new cars. The study also takes design into account, meaning the folks who loved Jaguar’s looks — which were top ranked — helped improve its overall ranking, even if its mechanical quality was nearly middle of the road. Jaguar ended up ninth.
The full list of brands and the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles is below. Let us know if these rankings will impact your shopping choices.
Brand, Problems Per 100 Vehicles
- Porsche 87
- Infiniti 98
- Lexus 99
- Mercedes-Benz 104
- Toyota 104
- Mercury 109
- Honda 110
- Ford 112
- Jaguar 112
- Audi 113
- Cadillac 113
- Chevrolet 113
- Hyundai 114
- Pontiac 114
- Lincoln 115
- Buick 118
- Industry Average 118
- Acura 119
- Kia 119
- Nissan 124
- Volvo 124
- BMW 126
- GMC 127
- Mazda 127
- Volkswagen 128
- Hummer 132
- Subaru 133
- Scion 138
- Dodge 141
- Chrysler 142
- Mitsubishi 149
- Saab 149
- Suzuki 152
- Saturn 157
- Land Rover 161
- Mini 163
- Jeep 167
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this jd thing is worthless in my opinion, any thoughts on this from other bloggers and etc?
+1
i have noticed that Audi has been much more reliable in many surveys, JD, CR, and a few others.
thats a good thing.
I agree these types of surveys are meaningless. I used to drive a Audi A6 2.7T and with just 42k on the odometer I was informed by the dealer that both turbo's were leaking and would require $5,000 - $6,000 in work to fix. The best estimate I received from an independent shop was $4,000. I took their advice and traded the car as it was a sign of things to come.
Two words that don't belong together are 'initial' and 'quality'.
I'm not a blogger, but like to stay in touch with automotive news and events. I tend to agree with the information posted in JD Powers' surveys as they are based on information direct from the owners. Has anybody here participated in a JD Powers survey? I have several times and they are extremely detailed and very time consuming. They even enclose a one dollar bill as thanks. It should be a $50 because it takes more than an hour to complete. I've always been very accurate and honest in the surveys I have returned.
I've done several initial quality surveys which cover the first 90 days of ownership. That's when most design failures will show up. I've also done a couple three year follow ups (I've rarely kept a vehicle past the three year mark) and those are more detailed on repairs, reliability, workmanship, and serviceability in regard to the vehicle itself along with questions about the dealership treatment on warranty issues and so forth.