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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.

Subaru Legacy Dominates Dodge Avenger in IVA Win: The all-new 2012 Subaru Legacy comes closest to the ideal of any Mid-Size Car.  The Legacy dominates the second place Dodge Avenger by 51 rating points to win its class.   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 Legacy owners rate exterior size and passenger roominess ideal.  Eighty-percent or more of Legacy owners find these additional characteristics ideal:  interior lighting, driver’s seat visibility, cargo space, wheels and tires, driver’s seat comfort, ride and handling, ease of getting in and out, interior storage compartments and safety features.

The Subaru Legacy also was Best In Class in AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research.

A Few Shortfalls – Selecting the 6-Cylinder Option Would Offset Desire for More Power and Acceleration, but at a Cost. About 29% of Legacy owners want more power and acceleration.  Only 6% would trade off power and acceleration for better fuel economy.  Owners could have opted for the Boxer 6-cylinder engine that yields 83 more horsepower than the 173HP Boxer 4 that is standard equipment.  This would have sacrificed 6 miles per gallon in city driving and lowest cost 6-cylinder would be about $5,100 more than the base 4-cylinder.   About 32% of Legacy owners want more infotainment technology in their car.  About 22% of Legacy owners want more daring styling than now.  While the conservatively styled Legacy is handsome, it does not turn heads.  Pushing the styling envelope in the next generation Legacy would yield benefits in future IVA results.

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.