Ram in 3rd Place in Consumer Reports' Satisfaction Survey

[indept]

I've never been a Consumer Reports fan but I can't argue with this:

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/02/08/car-truck-owner-satisfaction-survey-consumer-reports/

Here's the article:
According to Consumer Reports, Tesla owners are more likely to rave about their vehicles than any other brand. And we're not surprised — Tesla has performed very well in past customer satisfaction surveys, despite the fact that the electric cars themselves tend to have more problems than most other automobiles. Second place went to Lincoln, which interestingly had a higher cumulative score than Tesla in individual category measurements like comfort and storage space. Ram, a truck-only brand, rounded out the top three.

The consumer-focused magazine bases its owner satisfaction score on responses to a very simple question: Would you buy this exact car again? The higher percentage of owners who answer "definitely yes" to that question, the higher the satisfaction score. Further breakdowns are scored for other parts of the ownership experience, which is why brands that rank poorly in Consumer Reports' own reliability charts — like Tesla and Lincoln, for example — can still earn top marks for satisfaction.


The lowest-ranked brands for satisfaction are Cadillac, Nissan and Infiniti. Interestingly, Cadillac performed better than average in Driving and Comfort and middle-of-the-road in the In-Car Electronics and Cabin Storage, but like most other brands, scored poorly in Value. In fact, only Subaru, Mazda and Volkswagen scored better than average in Value. Nissan and especially Infiniti earned comparatively low marks across the board to go along with the bottom-of-the-barrel satisfaction score.

Here's the full list of automakers from Consumer Reports' satisfaction survey, ranked in order from best to worst:

1. Tesla
2. Lincoln
3. Ram
4. Chrysler
5. Subaru
6. Hyundai
7. Porsche
8. Dodge
9. Mazda
10. Toyota
11. Kia
12. Mini
13. BMW
14. Ford
15. Audi
16. Honda
17. Volvo
18. Volkswagen
19. Lexus
20. Jeep
21. GMC
22. Chevrolet
23. Mercedes-Benz
24. Buick
25. Cadillac
26. Nissan
27. Infiniti

It's worth diving into the individual category scores in addition to the official finishing order for a full look at the results. For instance, despite the fact that automakers like Lincoln and Ford use similar infotainment systems, their In-Car Electronics scores don't quite match up. Also, some automakers have full lineups with multiple cars, trucks and SUVs while others offer just a couple of nameplates. Head on over to Consumer Reports for all the details.

 

[tidefan1967]

If I had to guess I would say Tesla influenced that #1 rating with a large donation to CR not to mention the media and those in power want to push us all away from ICE vehicles so pretty much everything Tesla touches will turn to gold. I'm certainly impressed watching their vehicles on the dragstrip but I sure as HELL don't want one.

 

[indept]

I was surprised to see Ram, Chrysler, and Dodge ahead of Ford, Chevy/ Gmc and Toyota. Whatever you do don't tell Scotty Kilmer, it might ruin his day.

 

[Docwagon1776]

If I had to guess I would say Tesla influenced that #1 rating with a large donation to CR not to mention the media and those in power want to push us all away from ICE vehicles so pretty much everything Tesla touches will turn to gold. I'm certainly impressed watching their vehicles on the dragstrip but I sure as HELL don't want one.

Or, their buyers are often cult-like and are very satisfied with their decision irrespective of the vehicle itself. Buying a Tesla is buying a narrative, not just a vehicle, much like Harley-Davidson was in their prime.

 

[jejb]

Or, their buyers are often cult-like and are very satisfied with their decision irrespective of the vehicle itself. Buying a Tesla is buying a narrative, not just a vehicle, much like Harley-Davidson was in their prime.

Agreed. It's become a yuppie symbol to own a Tesla. You know this whole vein of information is tainted when one of the least reliable vehicles on the road is ranked #1.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Ram is #3 and all. But I'd rather see them #3 in the reliability ratings.

 

[CamperMike]

If I had to guess I would say Tesla influenced that #1 rating with a large donation to CR not to mention the media and those in power want to push us all away from ICE vehicles so pretty much everything Tesla touches will turn to gold. I'm certainly impressed watching their vehicles on the dragstrip but I sure as HELL don't want one.

I don't really buy that. Most tesla models get below average reliability from cr. The owners just love them anyway. If cr was so into the Tesla I would think they'd try to hide the bad data.....

 

[PolarisCobra]

The question 'would you buy this same exact car again' doesn't make any sense to me as a way to determine overall satisfaction. I had a Chevy S10 back in the early '80s. I liked it, fit my needs at that time just fine. We had a baby a couple of years later, and I needed to trade it for something with a back seat (few pickups with four doors in those days). Point is - I was quite satisfied with my pickup, but my needs changes, so I needed something different. I would have answered no to the question, even though I had zero issues with the truck.

 

[NJMOPAR]

Of course Tesla owners said yes they'd buy it again. Admittng they made a hugely expensive mistake would destroy their fragile justification of saving the planet.

 

[Docwagon1776]

The question 'would you buy this same exact car again' doesn't make any sense to me as a way to determine overall satisfaction. I had a Chevy S10 back in the early '80s. I liked it, fit my needs at that time just fine. We had a baby a couple of years later, and I needed to trade it for something with a back seat (few pickups with four doors in those days). Point is - I was quite satisfied with my pickup, but my needs changes, so I needed something different. I would have answered no to the question, even though I had zero issues with the truck.

They don't ask if you'd buy another one today. They ask, if given the chance, you'd make the same decision again "back then". They also only go back two years.

 

[ShortRAM]

Of course Tesla owners said yes they'd buy it again. Admittng they made a hugely expensive mistake would destroy their fragile justification of saving the planet.

Do a search on "sunk cost fallacy" and it will help you understand why Tesla owners responded the way they did. They can't publicly admit that their politically biased purchase decision might not have been the best decision from a practical standpoint.

 

[Jessica Smith]

For instance, despite the fact that automakers like Lincoln and Ford use similar infotainment systems, their In-Car Electronics scores don't quite match up.

Could be a demographics issue. If the average Ford driver is younger than those that can afford a Lincoln, the Ford owners may be more comfortable with a more complicated infotainment or visa versa one with lots of physical buttons and a small screen that is very intuitive for the less techy but seemingly old fashioned could get different scores for different demographics.

The type of owner that is very excited about futurism and subscribing to climate alarmism to actually buy a Tesla could be really happy with and want to evangelize it, even if its not all that reliable. If the polls weren't just from owners and just picked at random, the scores could be very different because you'd be reaching different demos.

 

[Jessica Smith]

If I had to guess I would say Tesla influenced that #1 rating with a large donation to CR not to mention the media and those in power want to push us all away from ICE vehicles so pretty much everything Tesla touches will turn to gold. I'm certainly impressed watching their vehicles on the dragstrip but I sure as HELL don't want one.

I don't think so, as they don't accept advertisements or free cars or anything from manufacturers and they don't let themselves be flown out free of charge, wined and dined, as is par for the course with most reviewers.

Tesla often gets very poor reliability ratings from CR with the Model Y in particular if I recall right being one of its worst reliability vehicles it had tested to date, and CR put the Chevy Volt that is primarily intended to be used as an electric vehicle (even though it has a on-board generator) in its worst used cars category and "not recommended" category for all years.

This is just survey data, so they send them out to their subscribers and then report the results. The Dodge Challenger, despite being a vehicle that doesn't match with the culture of CR's staff gets highest possible consumer satisfaction and reliability rating for example, and its kind of the antithesis of a Tesla.

Unlike say Car and Driver though, they tend to give very little weight to driving enjoyment, and are pretty adamant in promoting that all cars should have standard safety features like lane keep assist, automatic braking, cross traffic alert, etc., and weight fuel economy and reliability heavily. In other words, more like an appliance on what can get you from A to B most safely, efficiently, and reliably, and so they love the Toyota Prius even though most enthusiasts would drive off a cliff if forced to drive one.

 

[ramffml]

Why is it so hard to accept that Tesla owners love their cars? I've watched a lot of youtube videos on guys that own them and love them. It's an awesome car if you don't have to deal with range issues. The high points are: mind blowing acceleration, a drop dead simple interior, cheap to run, and very high tech. They also look stunning (compared to say, a prius). It appeals especially to younger buyers, doesn't mean that Tesla paid off CR.

 

[Michael]

I can’t believe the ram did that well. I would have ranked it a lot lower.

 

[CamperMike]

I can’t believe the ram did that well. I would have ranked it a lot lower.

Ha! As a CR subscriber I actually answered the survey and I love my RAM! And we like our Chrysler van too.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I used to subscribe to CR, but dropped it due to their quirkiness and extremism. Every philosophy has it's pros and cons...........independence makes you insular to ranking criteria by weighted criticality by consumers. That's what @Jessica Smith describes above.

What good is a cool, new techie machine if it breaks down all the time? Why do you think the Mini Cooper and Fiat 0500 fizzled out? That, and they went on a purist mission to rate everything they use, like $5 hair brushes and other trivial items.

Anyway, engineers use C&E Matrices to perform effective valuations of concepts and products - not editor preferences. C&E Matrices included weighted criteria by CUSTOMERS and users. How do I know? That's what I did for a living, leading new product development and introductions.

 

[chri5k]

It is because the satisfaction rating is derived from a subjective question. I.E. feelings or emotions. The reliability rating is based on objective measures like how many times in the first 30 days did it have to be repaired, how many repairs in a year, etc. I.E. facts. Hence why auto advertising appeals to emotion.

 

[PolarisCobra]

They don't ask if you'd buy another one today. They ask, if given the chance, you'd make the same decision again "back then". They also only go back two years.

The question in the first post is - Would you buy this exact car again? - My needs evolve, I often need something different after a while.

FWIW, we bought a 2019 Lincoln MKT. Was not new, had 13,000 miles on it. We really like it, have had zero issues. I believe Lincoln is making some nice stuff these days, have to give them credit.

 

[Docwagon1776]

The question in the first post is - Would you buy this exact car again? - My needs evolve, I often need something different after a while.

Yeah, but the first post is wrong because it is a cut and paste of autoblog, and autoblog is wrong. Actually look at Consumer Reports.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/most-and-least-liked-car-brands/

The Would Buy Again score is based on the percentage of owners who responded “definitely yes” to the question of whether they would buy the same vehicle if they had it to do all over again

 

[huntergreen]

A bit surprised Subaru isn't number 1. People that own them love them and never look at other brands when they buy new.