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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.