Category: Awards

The 2014 Ford F-Series Super Duty is the highest scoring Heavy-duty Pickup Truck in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award. The 2014 Ford F-Series Super Duty demonstrated their excellence in Heavy-duty Pickup trucks by winning or tying in thirty-nine of fifty satisfaction attributes. The F-Series Super Duty was within one tenth of a satisfaction point in five other attributes, putting it at the top for Heavy-duty pickups.

The 2014 Chevrolet Sonic is the highest scoring Economy Car in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research. The 2014 Chevrolet Sonic ties in one out of fifty categories and was within one tenth of a rating point with eight other attributes. The Sonic is a leader in eighteen percent of the satisfaction categories. While Sonic does not win by an overwhelming margin, it is close in so many categories that it edged into the lead to win its class.

The 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 is the highest scoring Light Duty Pickup in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction research. While much of the automotive press pans the styling of the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 because of its very evolutionary styling, this appears to not bother its owners. Even with its conservatively evolved styling, clearly GMC changed enough under the skin to give it a sollid victory in the Light Duty Pickup category.

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA is the highest scoring Premium Compact Car in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research. Mercedes-Benz wins in its first foray into the front wheel drive premium small car market. While the CLA begins around $30,000, it can quickly get into the mid-thirties and, with the AMG model, move into the $50,000 range. This year, the Audi A3 was not yet on the market to challenge the CLA. It will be interesting to see if Mercedes can keep its top spot when Audi owners weigh in about their new A3 for 2015.

The all new 2014 Kia Soul is the highest scoring Compact Car in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research. The 2014 Kia Soul wins or ties in seven of fifty satisfaction categories. The Soul also was within one tenth of a rating point in thirteen other categories. The 2014 Kia Soul is at the top of a total of twenty categories.

The 2014 BMW 3-Series GT is the highest scoring Aspirational Luxury Car in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research. The 2014 BMW 3-Series GT demonstrated its excellence in luxury by winning or tying in twenty-one of fifty attributes. The 3-Series GT also came within one tenth of a rating point with eleven other attributes. For over sixty percent of the satisfaction measurements, the 3-Series GT is at the top.

The 2014 Lincoln MKZ is the top scoring Luxury Mid-Size Car in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research. Coming in a close second was the Lexus ES followed by the Nissan Maxima, Volkswagen CC, and the Acura TSX.

The 2014 Lincoln MKZ led its category with twenty-two wins and thirteen ties out of fifty satisfaction attributes. This puts the 2014 Lincoln MKZ hitting the top of the mark in seventy percent of the categories.

The top ten highest rankings by MKZ owners are: the exterior styling and color, the braking, the perception of reliability and dependability, feeling safe when driving, interior styling, the reputation of the Lincoln brand, overall quality and handling, and enjoyment of driving.  The MKZ had a difficult launch in early 2013, but clearly the teething problems of the [...]

The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is the leader in scoring for the Large Car category in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research. In achieving this level of satisfaction, the 2014 Chevrolet Impala wins in twelve categories and ties in fourteen. This puts the Impala as a leader in twenty-six out of fifty satisfaction categories. At over fifty percent for satisfaction measurements the Impala is at the top.

The present big car in the Lincoln lineup is the MKS. The MKS is the top scoring Executive Luxury Car in AutoPacific's 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research. These are outstanding results in a product segment that includes some very impressive competitors.

The AutoPacific 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards objectively measure owner satisfaction with 50 separate attributes ranging from interior comfort and convenience to fuel economy and performance. “Vehicles that score highest in the Vehicle Satisfaction Awards are delivering value and satisfaction across a wide range of attributes,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “The winners perform well in 50 separate categories that objectively measure the ownership experience.” An industry benchmark for measuring how satisfied an owner is with his/her new vehicle, AutoPacific’s VSA are based on the results of responses from over 92,000 new vehicle owners.