Category Archive:
Posted by Ty Michael on April 25, 2013 at 10:11 am
Whizzing around tight corners, while rapidly shifting the gears of a manual transmission is exhilarating! However, reality dictates that I spend most of my driving time mindlessly crawling through rush-hour traffic, so the thought of constantly burying my leg into a clutch while shifting from 2nd to 3rd back to 2nd every five seconds has made me think twice about buying a car with a manual transmission. Driving an automatic now-a-days just seems more convenient for day-to-day driving. And apparently I am not alone here.
VehicleVoice recently surveyed its panel to find out how much of the vehicle-driving population still drives a manual transmission. Looking specifically at enthusiasts (after all, aren’t they primarily the ones driving a stick shift?), the data reveals that, despite a significant portion of our sample claiming stick-shift know-how (89%), only a fraction of them (24%) are actually driving one today.
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Posted by George Peterson on February 24, 2013 at 11:40 am
Award Winner Gets Major Changes After Only Three Years The 2012 Grand Cherokee has been arguably the best affordable “real” SUV on the market since the latest generation was launched for the 2011 model year. The Grand Cherokee was so good that its owners rated it higher enough against its competition to win AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award in 2011 and 2012 AND AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award in 2011 and 2012! This sweep in these tough-to-win owner awards is testament to the excellence of the Grand Cherokee.
Developed in Time of Hardship The 2011 Grand Cherokee was developed during the dark days of the reign of Cerberus Capital Management. Their ownership of Chrysler steered the firm to the bankruptcy courts and a bailout by the U.S. and Canadian government, UAW and CAW. Ultimately, Fiat took control of Chrysler and Jeep and the firm is now prospering. It is surprising that under the eyes of Cerberus, the 2011 Grand Cherokee turned out to be such a good vehicle.
Best Gets Better Like other Chrysler products (Chrysler 300, Chrysler 200, Dodge Charger, Ram 1500), Jeep’s product team has reinvigorated the vehicle but mostly under the skin. The front fascia is new. Taillamps are new. A couple of wheel designs are new. And the interiors are new and much more upscale. Grand Cherokee gets Chrysler’s latest iteration of its excellent and easy to use UConnect system. Gone is the 5-speed automatic transmission replaced by a silky smooth 8-speed unit. A 240HP 3.0L V6 diesel is available for the first time. So, the Grand Cherokee is a substantially upgraded version of the 2011 vehicle. And it works!
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Posted by George Peterson on October 31, 2012 at 1:44 pm
An automotive industry truism is that it is easier to satisfy your grandmother than a young man. Is this true? At least the gender portion of the statement is accurate.
Driver satisfaction is a critical measure of vehicle acceptance. Having a satisfied buyer results in better loyalty, better word-of-mouth, stronger image. Satisfaction is a central building block of a brand. AutoPacific has been measuring driver satisfaction since 1993 and it is always instructive to look at the differences between women and men drivers.
In AutoPacific’s annual 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction research, women drivers score 39 rating points higher than men – 674 over 635 in their overall Vehicle Satisfaction score.
Cadillac Tops Satisfaction Among Women While the top four brands in the satisfaction hierarchy are the same – Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Lincoln – the scores given them by women are much higher. Cadillac up 50 rating points. Mercedes up 16 rating points. Lexus up 41 rating points. Lincoln up 42 rating points. Interestingly, the rating for Fiat – perhaps the ultimate chick’s car – is at the bottom of the list among women but still higher by 29 rating points than among men.
Infiniti FX - Top in Satisfaction Among Women
Models With Touches of Luxury Score Better With Women In terms of individual vehicles the top twelve satisfying vehicles among women are: Infiniti FX at 774 (+94 rating points higher than men), Chrysler 300 at 767 (+89 rating points), Lexus ES at 742 (+40), Cadillac SRX (+48), Mercedes C-Class at 735 (+50), Buick Enclave (+57), Honda Crosstour at 729 (+73), Lincoln MKS at 728 (+50), Range Rover Evoque at 728 (+43), Lincoln MKX at 726 (+58), Honda Odyssey at 725 (+40), Lexus RX at 725 (+43). The lowest vehicle line among women is the Nissan LEAF at 550 rating points. The highest scoring vehicle among men is the Mercedes-Benz ML practically tied with the Cadillac Escalade. The lowest vehicle line among men is the Mazda2 at 502.
Women are More Satisfied With a Comfortable Stuff Hauler Women are much more satisfied with Fuel Economy (+8.3%pts), Warranty (+6.9%pts), Collision Avoidance Technology (+6.9%pts), 3rd Row Seat Comfort (+6.8%pts), 2nd Row Seat Comfort (+6.3%pts), Flexible/Changeable Seating (+6.5%pts), Rear Seat Entertainment System (+6.4%pts), Roof Rack (+6.0%pts), Price/Monthly Payments (+6.0%pts), Convertible Top (+6.0%pts). Many of these attributes are characteristics of vehicle types very popular with women drivers like Sport Utility Vehicles and Minivans. They want a comfortable vehicle with a good warranty that gets good fuel economy. They want the interior to be flexible and provide entertainment for their children. They are more satisfied with an affordable stuff hauler useful with children.
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Posted by George Peterson on August 3, 2012 at 11:09 am
AutoPacific’s 2012 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA) are based on over 75,000 surveys completed by owners of new cars and light trucks in the United States in the first half of 2012.
The IVA award recognizes those products designed most closely to meet the requirements of their buyers.
The IVAs are based solely on owner input. These results are the voice of the math. AutoPacific does not have a vote. We only do the arithmetic.
AutoPacific’s IVAs measure the fusion between owner expectations and the reality provided by the manufacturer by quantitatively measuring how closely a vehicle matches those expectations.
An ideal vehicle is one that meets the owner’s expectations for the product. They do not want it changed. They don’t want it bigger. They don’t want it faster. They don’t want its styling changed. When asked what they would change about their new vehicle, buyers who want the least change are driving their ideal vehicle.
AutoPacific’s research reviews of each IVA winner can be found on VehicleVoice.
Autobytels reviews of each IVA winner can be found at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/ideal-vehicle-awards-from-autobytel-autopacific-highlight-owner-s-happiness-112198/
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Posted by George Peterson on July 31, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Audi has launched five models from its 2013 B8 platform – the A4, S4, A5, S5 and Allroad. The B8 is a mild mid-cycle freshening of Audi’s line of compact sport sedans. But first to the awards…
Audi A4 Wins AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award: Over one-third of new car and light truck buyers are influenced by awards their vehicle has won. Owner-based awards are more valuable than most. For the 2012 model year – the B7 platform – Audi swept AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Awards for the Aspirational Luxury Car Category. Not only was the A4 the most ideal Aspirational Luxury Car as rated by its owners, the A5 was in second place and the next-step-up A6 was in third place in the category. These are significant achievements.
In AutoPacific’s IVA research, 25% of A4 owners want more power and acceleration. About 23% want more passenger room, 21% want easier ingress/ingress and 19% want more daring styling.
A4/S4/A5/S5 Evolve Very Nicely, Thank You: So, the question is whether or not the new 2013 cars have hit their target market as well as their recent predecessors, and do they offset the shortfalls mentioned above? After a drive of the cars in Colorado during fire season, we can safely say the 2013 versions are equal to or better than the class-winners they replace.
The basic dimensions of the 2013 cars are identical to the 2012 cars. The styling of the sedans and coupe is very evolutionary with minor styling changes. Think of the exterior styling change as a moderate “front six inches” with new grille shape, headlamps and front fascia. The grille has evolved with a more trapezoidal look. Audi took advantage of this freshening to re-design its LED-accented headlamps and taillamps. These cues have become a distinguishing Audi design feature. So, Audi did not push the styling envelope with this facelift but remained safe. (About 80% of A4 owners find the styling of the 2012 model ideal).
The interior of the cars remains an outstanding reason to buy. Great fit and finish combined with excellent materials selection. There is a new three-spoke steering wheel, revised instrument cluster and Audi connect with Audi’s controller-based MMI Navigation system is ordered.
Just a Brief Note on Touchscreens and Controllers: The auto industry is all over the place relative to touchscreen navigation systems or controller-based nav-systems. Audi (MMI), BMW (iDrive), and Mercedes (COMAND) have continued with controller-based systems as have others. Many mainstream brands continue with touchscreens or have moved to them after wrestling with controller logic. Oddly, Volkswagen and Porsche – VWAG family members – both use touchscreen systems now. Volkswagen used a touchscreen and Porsche has moved from a controller-based system to a touchscreen. Audi engineers say “you will never see a touchscreen in an Audi”. They don’t like the fingerprints. So, inside VWAG, the engineers have agreed to disagree.
New Allroad is the Big News: The big news for the B8 launch is the re-launch of the Audi Allroad. The previous Allroad (1999-2005) was based on the larger Audi A6 and looked more aggressively off-road capable than the 2013 version based on the smaller B8-platform A4. The Allroad replaces the slow selling Avant wagon in the American lineup with the body of the Avant tweaked to appear off-road capable. Its ride-height is increased by 1.5-inches. The expected wheel arch trim is there as are the front- and rear-skid plates. A roof rack completes the appearance package.
Powertrains Essentially Carryover and Still Outstanding: The B8s are powered by a 211HP 2.0L turbocharged direct-injection 4-cylinder engine. With Audi’s Quattro all wheel drive system, the 4-cylinder turbo is mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or 8-speed automatic transmission. If you select a front wheel drive S4, you get a CVT. This 4-cylinder turbo engine has always been a delight to drive and is one of the world’s best-regarded engines.
If you want more oomph in the A4 and A5, move up to the V6-powered S4 and S5. With the S4 and S5 you get a 3.0L supercharged direct-injection V6 engine with 333-horsepower. Quattro is standard in the S4 and S5. While the A4 is no slouch on the road or in the mountains, The S-Cars provide effortless performance in any situation. This engine choice lets you think about a place in traffic you want to be and then without knowing it, you are miraculously there.
So, all in all, the Audi B8 experience is about what you would expect. Great cars with evolutionary styling, super finesse and outstanding powertrains.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 31, 2012 at 12:58 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) for Popular Brands recognizes the brand whose vehicles best hits the targets its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
For 2012, MINI achieves the top ratings from its owners outpointing second place Popular Brand GMC by 31 rating points. Owners of the MINI Cooper give the cheeky Premium Compact Car a dominating win in its category over the Subaru Impreza WRX. The all new MINI Countryman outpoints second place Kia Sportage by 78 rating points. MINI’s bold head-turning styling, combined with premium design cues and efficient, though small, packages yield an impressive score in AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award research.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 31, 2012 at 12:46 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) for Premium Brands recognizes the brand whose vehicles best hits the targets its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
For 2012, Audi achieves the top ratings from its owners outpointing second place premium brand Porsche by 15 rating points. Audi’s A4, A5 and A6 swept the top three places in the Aspirational Luxury Car category. The Q7 and Q5 were second place in their crossover SUV categories. Audi’s design DNA, attention to detail and finesse all contributed to this impressive win.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 30, 2012 at 1:10 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
S-Class Dominates Porsche Panamera for IVA Win: The 2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class comes closest to the ideal of any vehicle – car or truck. In the Premium Luxury Car class, the S-Class out-points the second place Porsche Panamera by 72 rating points. Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding. Getting a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive. Ninety-percent or more of S-Class owners rate these characteristics ideal: exterior size, interior lighting, passenger roominess, driver’s seat comfort, ride and handling, tires and ease of getting in and out. Eighty-percent or more of S-Class owners find these additional characteristics ideal: driver’s seat visibility, cargo space, exterior styling, wheels, power and acceleration, interior storage features, safety features.
The Mercedes S-Class also won AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Best In Class Premium Luxury Car.
Infotainment System – The Only Close Miss for the 2012 S-Class: The only feature S-Class owners weren’t enthralled with was the infotainment and entertainment system. With 79% of the respondents saying the system was ideal in the S-Class, this was a close miss. About 17% of S-Class owners would like more/better infotainment technology than they have now.
You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/consumer-s-ideal-cars-revealed-in-2012-iva-awards-112116/
For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”. A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 30, 2012 at 1:08 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
Audi Sweeps Category for IVA Win: The 2012 Audi A4 comes closest to the ideal of any Aspirational Luxury Car. In fact, each Audi entry in this class was at the top – A4, A5 and A6. The A4 is 51 rating points higher than the A5 coupe and 64 points higher than the A6. Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding. Getting a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive. Ninety-percent or more of A4 owners rate these characteristics ideal: exterior size, interior lighting, wheels and tires, driver’s seat comfort, ride and handling. Eighty-percent or more of A4 owners find these additional characteristics ideal: driver’s seat visibility, cargo space, exterior styling and safety features.
A Few Shortfalls – Power, Package, Infotainment: A quarter of A4 owners want more power and acceleration – only a few would trade off power and acceleration for more gas mileage. The A4 is a personal-sized sport sedan. This means tight seating for some and about 23% of A4 owners would like more passenger room than they have in the 2012 model. About 21% would like the A4 to be easier to get into and out of. While exterior styling is ideal for 81% of owners, the other 19% want more daring styling. About 22% of Audi A4 owners want more or better infotainment technology
You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/consumer-s-ideal-cars-revealed-in-2012-iva-awards-112116/
For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”. A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 30, 2012 at 1:04 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
Charger Edges Out Platform-Mate Chrysler 300 for IVA Win: The 2012 Dodge Charger comes closest to the ideal of any Large Car. The Charger is 31 rating points higher than the second place Large Car – the Chrysler 300 – its platform-mate. Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding. Getting a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive. Ninety-percent or more of Charger owners rate these characteristics ideal: exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, ride and handling and ease of getting in and out. These also are primary reasons a person buys a Large Car. Eighty-percent or more of Charger owners find these additional characteristics ideal: interior lighting, driver’s seat comfort, tires, interior storage compartments and safety features.
A Few Shortfalls – Many Could Have Been Corrected by Selecting Available Options: Charger is an expressively styled car, but about 21% of the owners want even more daring styling than it now has. Hand-in-hand with this expressive styling comes somewhat restricted visibility. About 21% of the owners would like better driver’s seat visibility. Over 30% of the owners want more distinctive wheels than they now have. Over 30% of the owners want more/better infotainment/entertainment technology. Of course, with the broad span of the Charger’s lineup, owners could have optioned up to more distinctive wheels and the uConnect information system. About 27% of Charger owners want more power and acceleration – clearly, they did not opt for the HEMI V8.
You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/consumer-s-ideal-cars-revealed-in-2012-iva-awards-112116/
For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”. A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.
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