Sporty Car: The all-new Chevrolet Camaro took top honors in the 2010 Ideal Vehicle Awards beating out all other rivals in the Sporty Car segment. This win comes on the heels of a 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Award win. Owners gave high marks for exterior size and styling along with the vehicles ride and handling.
Characteristics particularly appreciated by Chevrolet Suburban buyers include exterior size (no surprise there) and exterior styling, and both ride and handling. That qualified the 2010 Suburban as the Large SUV segment winner.
Owners rated the Chevrolet Equinox particularly highly with respect to the same exterior size, the same passenger room, the same exterior styling and the same wheels/tires. They like the vehicle much as it is! Well done, Chevrolet! The Equinox is also the winner of AutoPacific's 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV.
We recently had the opportunity to drive the new 2011 Silverado HD and Sierra HD pickups. They may not look very different, but with an all-new frame and chassis and an improved powertrain these vehicles should be considered all-new.
New and improved is the theme, at least in every aspect except exterior and interior appearance.
Continue reading "Driving Impressions: 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD " »
The Camaro is back, and its long awaited return comes with great satisfaction from its owners. As might be expected, the Camaro scored particularly well with respect to exterior and interior appearance, power/acceleration, braking, handling and just being fun to drive. Image and overall quality were also rated best in class.
Despite the more frugal sensibilities these days, Camaro makes a strong case for itself perhaps because it provides a just-right combination of emotion and rationality. Who can argue with its rakish looks, 304HP, and 29 mpg?
For a complete list of winners and description of the Awards, click here.
National Survey Reveals Cadillac as Top Premium Brand, Buick as Top Popular Brand, Ford Motor Company Has Most Awards with Seven, Suzuki Kizashi as Top Car and Lincoln MKT as Top Truck
TUSTIN, Calif. (May 20, 2010) -- AutoPacific today announced its 14th Annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) to help consumers make informed vehicle purchase decisions.
"While the auto industry is showing signs of improvement, more than ever before, manufacturers need to be able to differentiate themselves. Proof of satisfied customers is as good as gold," says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. "We've found that more than 25% of new car buyers are positively influenced by owner-based awards like the VSA when deciding on a new car or truck."
AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award is an industry benchmark for measuring how satisfied an owner is with his/her new car or light truck. This study by the Southern California-based automotive research firm summarizes the results of over 42,000 new vehicle owners.
"Vehicles that score highest in the Vehicle Satisfaction Awards are delivering value and satisfaction across a wide range of attributes," says Peterson. "The winners perform well in 48 separate categories that objectively measure the ownership experience."
Continue reading "Autopacific Announces 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards" »
The data for April 2010 new vehicle sales are now in, and there is some dramatic news in the full-size pickup arena.
When compared with April 2009, Ford's F-Series share of the full-size pick segment is up...way up! Up from 34.3% of segment last year to 39.1% of segment this year -- an increase of 4.8%.
The Dodge Ram share of segment is down by an equally impressive amount, from 18.8% of segment to 12.6%, a 6.6% loss.
The GM entries (Chevrolet Silverado, and Avalanche, GMC Sierra and Cadillac Escalade) and the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan have all about maintained share of segment. The results are very similar if you compare April 2010 to April 2009 or if you look at the first four months of 2010 with the first four months of 2009.
What did Ford do right? No doubt the current F-150 and F-250/350 Super Duty models are as good as any vehicles in their segment. That helps! But what happened to the Dodge Ram? Both the Ram 1500 and Ram 2500/3500 heavy Duty models are great products - especially with the Ram's Cummins I6 diesel. As far as I can tell, pricing and incentives are also competitive. So what's the problem? My speculation (and it is no more than that) is that pickup-truck buyers concern about Chrysler's future may be at the heart of the problem.
Being a company focused firmly forward, we don't talk used cars much. But a program like this deserves some virtual ink.
Recalls have been in the news this year like rarely before. The depth and scope of Toyota's problems has increased sensitivity to any manufacturer's recalls--and make no mistake, there are many issued. Most not so severe as Toyota's problems with accelerator shims, but out there all the same.
Half of the equation for ensuring cars on the road have had any recall work performed is in the owner's hands. Often, owners ignore recall notices, particularly for minor issues, or figure it'll get handled with the next oil change, to have it fall off today's crowded to-do lists.
GM and Carfax announced a measure of help for anyone looking to purchase a used vehicle, making it easier to find out if the car was affected by a recall and if the work was done. GM is providing VINs to Carfax of millions of Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevrolets, GMCs, Saabs, Saturns, Pontiacs, and Hummers with open recalls.
Continue reading "Recalls and Used-Car Shopping: GM and Carfax Team Up" »
PickupTucks.com and AutoPacific have taken a look at all the new trucks sold in the past 10 years and made their picks for the most significant trucks of the decade. The trucks that made the list introduced cutting edge technologies and pushed the segment into new territory.
"Despite the economic challenges of the past two years, it's hard not to look back at the last ten years without calling it the decade of the pickup truck," said PickupTrucks.com editor Mike Levine. "Sales of full-size pickups hit 2.56 million units in 2004 and Ford's F-Series trucks remain the nation's best-selling vehicles, 33 years in a row."
Though there are many trucks that had a significant impact in the last decade, it's clear that the 2009 Ford F-150 earned the title of "Most Significant".
"On balance, we thought the 2009 Ford F-150 was the most significant pickup of the last decade," said Jim Hossack, vice president of consulting for AutoPacific. "It sells in high volume, owners like it and its body, chassis and powertrain are all first rate. Features abound, and there are more models, series and options than can be counted. It's a good looking truck and suitable for the widest possible range of tasks and uses."
After the jump are those trucks deemed most significant, in no particular order.
More, Better
We recently drove the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, with brief jaunts in both a front-drive I4 model and an AWD V6 model. This generation has grown leaps and bounds over the SUV it replaces, in refinement, features, but not size. The Equinox now slots in at the top of its class.
Equinox is more comfortable inside, better-looking outside, and better screwed together. The exterior develops a smart and expressive family look. Among the achievements is a quieter and more pleasing interior environment. We began to see the fruits of GM's interior work with products from the latest Tahoe to the Malibu to the orphaned Saturn Aura. But GM continues to prove an internal shift in understanding. Seems repetitive to mention the point again, but perception still lags reality. So, again: GM is building vehicles with excellent interior and exterior styling and quality. Equinox continues the evolution and reinforces corporate commitment.
Our short drive revealed improved driving dynamics, with a far more stable on-road feel. The V6 and I4-equipped models use the same basic suspension, but with specific tuning. The I4 is tuned with a ride along the more traditional truck direction, stiffer and more rugged, while the V6 models tip toward the softer, luxury-oriented end of the spectrum. Each personality is appropriate for price point and target buyers.
Continue reading "2010 Chevrolet Equinox: First Drive" »
"Chevrolet Corvette takes home both Motorist Choice Award and AutoPacific's Owner Recommendation Award for 2009. Owners in the Sports Car Segment kept the Corvette on top, following a 2008 win. These wins prove, yet again, Corvette is a performance icon. High scores in the performance categories drove Corvette in front to take the overall segment win." -- AutoPacific
"The Corvette has best-in-segment ownership costs and segment-leading retained value.." -- IntelliChoice
Owner Satisfaction Highlights
• Power and Acceleration
• Braking
• Handling
• Fun to Drive
• Image and Exterior Styling
Cost-of-Ownership Strengths
• Best-in-Segment Ownership Costs
• Best Retained Value
"The Chevrolet Avalanche is the Motorist Choice Award winner in the Full-Size Pickup segment. Standard features that earned the win include a powerful V8 engine, a four-door cab, and useful bed size. The Avalanche is reliable/dependable and provides a strong feeling of safety when driving." -- AutoPacific
"The Avalanche was best in fuel costs and second best in retained value." -- IntelliChoice
Owner Satisfaction Highlights
* Ease of Ingress/Egress
* Overall Seating Capacity
* Reliable/Dependable
* Durable/Long Lasting
* Ride
* Safety Features and Feeling Safe While Driving
Cost-of-Ownership Strengths
* Strong Retained Value
* Lowest Fuel Costs
"Chevrolet's Tahoe takes the Motorist Choice Award in the Large SUV segment, after winning AutoPacific's 2009 Vehicle Satisfaction Award. Owners appreciate its reputation for reliability/durability and its wide array of safety features provide a strong feeling of driving safety, all complemented by highly rated driver's seat comfort and driver?s forward visibility." -- AutoPacific
"The Tahoe has the lowest fuel, insurance, and maintenance in the segment as well as ranking first in the AutoPacific survey." -- IntelliChoice
Owner Satisfaction Highlights
* Reliable/Dependable
* Overall Quality
* Safety Features/Feeling Safe While Driving
* Driver's Visibility
* Seat Comfort and Seating Capacity
Cost-of-Ownership Strengths
* Lowest Fuel Costs
* Lowest Insurance Costs
* Lowest Maintenance Costs
"The 2009 Motorist Choice winner in the Large Crossover SUV segment, Chevrolet Traverse, also took segment honors in AutoPacific's Ideal Vehicle awards. The attractively styled Traverse has much to recommend it, including high ratings for overall seating capacity, ease of loading and unloading cargo, and safety features." -- AutoPacific
"A strong retained value and lowest maintenance costs in the segment were the primary reasons for the Traverse win." -- IntelliChoice
Owner Satisfaction Highlights
* Seating Capacity
* Ease of Loading/Unloading Cargo
* Safety Features
* Overall Quality
* Driver's Seat Comfort
* Reliable/Dependable
Cost-of-Ownership Strengths
* Strong Retained Value
* Lowest Maintenance Costs
Awards Show Consumers Enjoy Luxury and Size
(August 11, 2009) -- Right brain, left brain; the practical versus the emotional -- an age-old dilemma often at the center of decision making when buying a new car or truck. The 2009 Motorist Choice Awards recognize new cars and trucks that give their owners both economic and emotional satisfaction, helping new-car buyers find vehicles that best satisfy all of their personal-transportation needs. The fourth annual Motorist Choice Awards survey, announced today, scores 196 cars, trucks, crossovers and SUVs. With the top overall scores in both owner satisfaction and value, the Lexus LS placed highest of any 2009 model year vehicle.
Large and luxury vehicles dominated this year's results. The top 34 ranked cars, and 106 of the top 107, are large cars, luxury cars, sport utility vehicles, crossover SUVs or minivans. Only one small car, the BMW 1-Series, scored in the top 100, landing in the 35th slot. Toyota Prius is the next-highest-scoring small car, coming in 107th.
Awards are given for top-scoring vehicles scoring in each of twenty-three segments, as well as for the top-scoring brand. Nine manufacturers earned segment wins, led by Toyota with nine awards (including three for Lexus), followed by General Motors with six (Chevrolet 4, Cadillac 2), Honda with three, and Chrysler with two (Dodge 1, Jeep 1). Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen took top honors in one segment each.
(And check out our video on YouTube.)
Continue reading "Motorist Choice Awards Reveal Vehicles That Please Both Hearts And Minds" »
"The all-new Chevrolet Traverse delivers what its owners want, evidenced by the Large Crossover SUV winning AutoPacific's 2009 Ideal Vehicle Award for its class," said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, Inc. "Owners rate the Traverse best in class in five of fifteen rating categories and very competitively in the others. Clearly Chevrolet understands what the Crossover SUV buyer wants and has designed the Traverse to hit that target." Leading Traverse attributes include:
* Power and acceleration
* Interior storage
* Safety features and
* Appropriate level of technology
Public Responds Positively to Ford's Actions, but Some Still Have Reservations
TUSTIN, Calif. (June 17, 2009) -- American consumers' opinions about Ford Motor Company have been positively influenced by the company's decision not to accept government bailout funds, and by the bankruptcy filings of rivals General Motors and Chrysler. Automotive research and analysis firm AutoPacfic conducted an online survey of more than 900 U.S. consumers regarding their purchase intent and opinions of individual car companies. Highlights include:
* Asian and European manufacturers scored highest when the survey asked "How concerned are you about buying/leasing a vehicle from" a particular maker, with an average of 61% "Not concerned at all." Ford scored 48%, far ahead of GM's 15% and Chrysler's 14%.
Continue reading "Survey Indicates Ford Benefits From Troubles Of Others And Not Taking Bailout" »
The Chevrolet Tahoe is the Vehicle Satisfaction Award winner in the Large Sport Utility Vehicle segment. In addition to the Tahoe's traditional virtues, Tahoe owners rate their new vehicle highly in some unexpected areas, perhaps reflecting the availability of the high technology Two-Mode Hybrid model. The Tahoe rates tops in its segment with respect to:
• Value for the money
• Exterior and interior styling
• Ride and handling
• Durability
• Safety features and a feeling of safety while driving
• Instrument layout and audio system performance
• Innovative technology
• Environmental friendliness, and fuel economy
Continue reading "Does Bailout Money End Up Killing GM?" »
At the 2009 NAIAS, GM announced that in 2011, a production version of the global Beat minicar and the Orlando seven-seater will both join the U.S. lineup. The Beat, due for a Geneva show production introduction, will be called Spark for production. In the photos that follow, the white vehicle is the Orlando and the green the Beat (eventually to be renamed Spark.)
Profitable or not, GM is bringing an international minicar to the States. While the Spark will reward drivers with terrific fuel economy, will the efficiency gains be enough to adapt to the small size?
The Orlando brings an internationally sized seven-seater to the States. Orlando, introduced as a concept at the 2008 Paris auto show, will focus on moving people more than stuff. Its box shape will provide maximum cargo room for the footprint, but this will not be a vehicle measured by whether or not it can hold a sheet of drywall.
Follow the jump for more photos and Chevrolet's official release.
Continue reading "2009 NAIAS: The Beat Sparks On, and Orlando Comes to Town" »
Chevrolet looks to have improved the Equinox in all the needed areas. New powertrains are more modern, powerful, and efficient and styling is dialed up a notch and a nicely executed take on the family look introduced with Malibu. All in a package about the same size as the outgoing crossover, with space for five passengers and stuff.
More photos and Chevy's release after the jump
Continue reading "2009 NAIAS: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox" »
Are we nearing the end of Chrysler? Or the beginning of a new blended family? Or just another day at the rumor mill?
Late on Friday, the first stories began appearing about GM and Chrysler in possible merger talks. And at least in Detroit, dominated the weekend news cycle. GM's stock went up this morning, but given that the Dow was up 5.6% and GM went up only about 3%, the stock bump might have happened without merger talk. GM closed on Friday at $4.89, a number some say is actually less than the company would be worth in capital assets alone.
All of this merger talk, whether these deals are realistic or not, does nothing good for public perception. The economy is weak, last week's events on the stock market don't reassure anyone, and talking about GM and Chrysler perhaps needing to merge to survive only further erodes confidence in American business. While GM and Chrysler LLC, as well as any other maker in trouble right now, needs to consider even unthinkable options and test our common assumptions as they get out of this trouble, this merger does not inspire hope.
Continue reading "Exhaust Notes #32: More Detroit Merger Talk" »
Oh, and Saab 9-7X, too
Last week was full of horrible sales results. The worst single month of sales since February 1993, in fact. In the midst of abysmal sales and the brouhaha to get the financial sector bailout passed, for better or worse, General Motors said production of the GMC Envoy and Chevrolet TrailBlazer will end in December 2008. This is two years earlier than once planned, though not much earlier than many guessed. Are you sad? Saying goodbye to a truly American vehicle?
We're not, really. The TrailBlazer and Envoy have come to their logical end, not for being badly drawn or executed products, but because the General's offerings today are better suited for real life. Envoy sales for 2008 are down 44.1% and TrailBlazer down 36.9%. In a tough economic situation where leasing and credit are more difficult to get and buyers seem perfectly happy to delay big-ticket purchases, why continue them for another year?
Continue reading "Exhaust Note #31: Goodbye, TrailBlazer and Envoy!" »
Last week, GM loudly trumpeted the pending arrival of the Chevrolet Cruze compact car, to be officially unveiled at next month’s Mondial de l’Automobile (that’s Paris Motor Show to us ‘Murricans). First, they unveiled photos of the car and then revealed the real thing at the Lordstown, OH plant where the car will be built for American consumers.
As earlier spy photos had suggested, the Cruze, which in the US will effectively be the next generation Cobalt, is a very handsome compact sedan. It’s as appealing as the Cobalt is appliance-like. There’s some real design going on here with a sleek profile and great surface tension and great interaction between the exterior’s various design elements. GM also promises a very intriguing efficient powertrain choice in the form of a tiny 1.4L direct injection turbo engine. This engine is rumored to produce at least 140HP (on par with much larger engines) while achieving 45 miles per gallon. It will also be among the first compacts available with a 6-speed automatic.
Continue reading "Exhaust Note #26: Don’t Just Cruze Along, GM; You’re Not Out of the Woods Yet" »
AutoPacific: Premium sports car owners rated the Audi TT as the category’s winner of the 2008 Motorist Choice Award®. The win was derived from top scores for safety features, feeling safe while driving, ride and ease of getting in and out. The interior of the Audi TT really pushed it to the head of the class, with high scores for instrument layout, controls having a quality feel, quietness inside, interior styling, feel of interior fabrics and materials and driver’s seat comfort. The TT’s traction in all weather conditions was also the best in the category.
IntelliChoice: The Audi TT tied with the Chevrolet Corvette within a very small class. The Audi TT has a strong retained value and was a 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Award winner.
AutoPacific: The Chevrolet brings home the 2008 Motorist Choice Award® for premium sports car with distinction. Owners rate the Corvette’s power and acceleration as best in class. The Corvette also scored very well in exterior styling, wheel size and style -- not to mention high scores in being fun to drive.
IntelliChoice: The Corvette tied with the Audi TT. The Corvette was a 2008 BOVY winner and has best-in-class retained value, insurance, and maintenance.
