Author Archive: dbarrett

The new Genesis G90 sets a new record for satisfaction results in AutoPacific's New Vehicle Satisfaction research. The results are distributed across the industry with American brands providing the most satisfying trucks and SUVs. Asian brands dominate car satisfaction results.

AutoPacific Announces 2017 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

Lincoln Most Satisfying Premium Brand; GMC Most Satisfying Popular Brand

TUSTIN, Calif. (June 7, 2017) – AutoPacific today announced its 21st annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSAs), identifying the most satisfying vehicles in the market. An industry benchmark for measuring how satisfied an owner is with his/her new vehicle, VSAs are based on survey responses from over 54,000 owners of new 2016 and 2017 cars and light trucks.

“This is the 21st anniversary of AutoPacific identifying the most satisfying vehicles and providing consumers a way to streamline their search for their perfect vehicle,” says AutoPacific president George Peterson. AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards objectively measure owner satisfaction with 49 separate attributes ranging from interior comfort and styling to fuel economy and performance. “VSAs look at the big picture, which includes owners’ experiences [...]

2017 Honda Civic Si brings enthusiast-oriented driving to the Honda Civic small car lineup. Exterior, interior, powertrain and chassis upgrades differentiate the Honda Civic Si from the rest of the Civic lineup.

The all new 2018 Honda Odyssey edges Chrysler Pacifica out as best minivan. Cannot avoid minivan image, but that is OK with such a competent and well done family vehicle.

Mid-Cycle Freshening of the 2018 Acura TLX substantially improves the appearance of the car and improves its competitiveness. Under the skin, TLX is basically the same, but the latest driver assistance safety features have been added.

The VW Atlas crossover enter the American SUV market at a time the market is booming. It is a competent XSUV going up against some serious heavyweights like the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot.

Mazda is developing its vehicles to compete against luxury brands. This Mazda Premium strategy will ultimately improve Mazda's image with dealers and consumers. Well done, Mazda Premium products should achieve higher profits per vehicle.

In Jeep's quest for 2 million Jeeps globally, the brand is adding the all-new 2017 Jeep Compass. Produced in four assembly plants globally, Jeep clearly has high expectations for the Compass. At the same time, there is a dance occurring among FCA's American assembly plants to maximize Jeep capacity and allow additional new Jeep products like the Wagoneer line and Wrangler pickup to be added.

The Chevrolet Bolt EV is a compelling all-electric crossover vehicle with a 238-mile range. That range pretty much eliminates range anxiety for a majority of its drivers. The powerful 200-horsepower, 266 lb-ft of torque powerpack delivers acceleration worthy of a turbocharged small car. The Bolt EV is the real deal.

Ford is updating its iconic sporty coupe giving us a more aggressive Mustang for 2018. In industry parlance this could be termed a "front and rear six" meaning the front and rear six inches of the car has been changed. The 2018 change is a bit more than that. The front end is the main contributor to the more aggressive Mustang look. The standard LED headlamps flank a redesigned grille which has a new sporty texture. The front fenders, front fascia, and hood are all new. In the rear end, the taillamp graphics are tweaked a bit, not so you'd notice.