Blog

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.

Pilot Slips By Ford Edge for IVA Win: The 2012 Honda Pilot comes closest to the ideal of any Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV.  The Pilot slips by the second place Ford Edge by 3 rating points to win in a class that has become increasingly competitive.   Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding.  Achieving a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive.  Ninety-percent or more of Pilot owners rate its driver’s seat comfort, ride and handling and tires ideal.  Eighty-percent or more of Pilot owners find these additional characteristics ideal:  exterior size, interior lighting, driver’s seat visibility, passenger roominess, wheels, interior storage compartments and safety features.

The Honda Pilot was also best in class in AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research.

A Few Shortfalls – Some Could Have Been Offset by Selecting Available Options: About 31% of Pilot owners want more infotainment technology than now.  About 27% want better ease of getting in and out.  About 25% of Honda Pilot owners want more cargo space.  About 18% of Pilot owners want more power and acceleration but an equal percentage would trade off power and acceleration for better fuel economy.

You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at  http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/ideal-suvs-pickups-rated-by-owners-in-2012-iva-awards-112117/

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.