JD Powers rating

[Farmer17]

My wife is wanting a new midsize crossover SUV and I'm concerned with quality and dependability and I use to research Consumer Reports but don't hear much about them any more, I mostly hear about JD Powers ratings. When I read JD Powers it ranked GM cars quality above Honda, Infinity, Acura, and Mercedes. Her current car is a 2008 Buick LaCrosse with 140K miles and its been OK but we've had a bunch of small repairs that have added up to a lot of money. It has had many more problems than my Nissan Titan and Toyota RAV so I was wondering if JD Powers ratings are that accurate. What other company gives honest and accurate reviews of automobile quality? My wife is leaning towards a Nissan Murano, Hyundai Santa Fe, or Infinity QX 50 and one thing is certain, she won't even look at a car if it has a 4 cylinder engine.

 

[soFlaNative]

I'm a natural cynic so when I see all the auto maker ads touting their JD Powers rating I get suspicious.
Love the one where the guy says hand this trophy to your most dependable friend.
Good Luck in your search.

 

[glenncal1]

I have an Acura MDX and couldn't be happier. 111k miles and no repairs other than mntc items.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I trust Consumer Reports because they are truly unbiased. And I seriously doubt that the longevity of any GM product will be equal to or superior to Honda, Toyota, Subaru, or Kia.

The trend these days are four cylinder engines with CVT transmissions. Manufacturers claim that they save fuel and cost less to build. I'm not convinced that they are on the right track. My next vehicle will have a V6 or V8.

 

[daddio202]

I have found over my lifetime that the Japanese automakers make a much more reliable vehicle. A Nissan, Honda or Toyota vehicle made in a style that she likes would be the best bet. I think some people think that having an auto repair every 3 months is just part of life. They either own German or American made cars. Should only be at a shop every 6 months for maintenance only. Nissan or Hyundai both build great dependable cars that should provide years of trouble free use.

 

[amazingflapjack]

Check out the Mazda CX-5. comes in 3 levels. We are overjoyed with ours.

 

[Farmer17]

Check out the Mazda CX-5. comes in 3 levels. We are overjoyed with ours.

That was the very first car my wife test drove and she LOVED it. Loved everything about it and I was very impressed with the interior, it looked more upscale than most Lexus and Mercedes. They're not expensive either and I was pretty happy about that and was about ready make a deal on it, but then as we were driving on the expressway my wife floored the gas. It seemed like it had pretty decent acceleration but my wife got this frown on her face and said "why didn't somebody tell me it has a 4 cylinder engine" she immediately pulled off the expressway and headed back to the dealership.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

We love our 2017 Santa Fe Sport, built in Georgia. Not one issue in 18 months and 12k miles.

Before we bought it we looked at the Honda CRV, a Mazda, a Rav 4, and a Kia Sorento. We went to Enterprise car rental and rented the Kia Sorrento, a Honda CRV and a Santa Fe Sport. We took them all up and down a 6% grade, and the Santa Fe with the turbo won hands down.

One thing I would not do again is buy a car with the in dash Navigation system. The Hyundai Nav is tied to Sirius XM radio. To get all the Nav benefits you have to subscribe to Sirius, and it is pretty pricey. The map updates are also expensive compared to the Garmin GPS in my truck with free lifetime map updates. Plus, a lot of the Nav functions are disabled while in Drive, and that really sucks. Next time I'll buy without the Nav and just get another Garmin GPS.

One other thing to consider; we looked at and got interested in a VW Tiguan (hate the name!) until we found out it required Premium fuel, that was a deal breaker! Check to see what the fuel requirements are before you buy!

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Many people I talked to about the Infinity Q whatever, said the engine gets its performance from higher RPM's, so you are driving around with a revved up engine!

We had a Kia Shortage and it was fine except for backseat leg room and total cargo space. The small engine powered the small car just fine, even in the mountains loaded for vacation.

I have a niece with a Kia Sorrento, she was very happy with powered and capacity for a one baby family. It got T-Boned and totaled, her family were all well protected and walked away. To replace it she went with a Honda Pilot, and thinks it is oversized for a two baby family, so figure 3 kidlings easily!

We ended up with a Honda CRV 2 wheel drive. The wife and I went car camping in the Pa. mountains with the car packed to the gills and added a hitch for cargo shelf or bike rack. With the Bike rack and 4 steel Full size bikes. The mileage dropped to around 16/17 from empty flat land mileage of 21/22. But power and acceleration were fine on paved roads. The AWD option helps with needed traction but costs 2 to 3 MPG every day of the year!

Since 1974 I've had 6 4x4 vehicles, I prefer 1/2 ton Suburban, but most women don't like the size, and go for the Tahoe, or the smaller cross-overs.

Ivan

 

[chaparrito]

I see all those J.D. Power awards, and most of the ones that are heavily advertised-the GM ones- are for Initial Quality. Big deal. Let me see the awards for SUV's and trucks when they have 200K miles on their clocks. Extreme long-term reliability.
I know from experience. I gave my 93 4wd Toyota pickup to my son three years ago with 240K miles and he's put another 70K plus on it. My Honda Element AWD is a daily driver at 210K miles and has had one window motor replaced, period, since I bought it new in 04. Wife's 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek already has 45K on it since new and has been flawless.
A couple of months ago I bought a 2011 Honda Ridgeline 4WD pickup with 58K miles. The full boat model with all the options I wouldn't have chosen; leather, navi, sunroof etc. It took me a year to find it and it wasn't cheap. I figure it to be the last pickup I'll ever buy.

 

[Doug M.]

Consumer Reports is still out there and reporting away. I see it every month or so when I hit the barbershop.

We have two Subarus. My wife's is a 2007 Outback, which is now at the point of some pretty expensive repairs/PM that equate to its value. (138+K, with many urban type miles, the kind that are harder on the car; it also had some decent trips from here to IL and one to CA.) It is likely to be replaced before the end of the month with a new Forester because she travels across the state weekly and with her back and her dog's hips, the risk is not worth it. It will be interesting to see how it fits me, as I am a lot bigger than her. She is disappointed that she can no longer have a manual transmission ...

I have a 2011 Legacy with the 6 speed. I regularly beat the mileage claim, even for the CVT, on the highway. I took it to CA a few weeks ago to visit a friend and got about 35 overall. It has 148+K miles, and I just had to replace the clutch while I was in CA. (1year parts/labor warranty at any Subaru dealer.) Since most of my driving now is here in town, I do indeed plan to run it until it dies. Most of its early miles were highway, so it is less worn than my wife's car. It is also a lot roomier.

The AWD has been really handy here since the "plowing" done in WA is so utterly horrible that even the mostly trivial snowfalls (6" of snow is not a storm, you sissies, it's flurries) here turn into a mess. I have been able to keep going safely while watching others crash or give up.

 

[amazingflapjack]

Zoom zoom zoom

That was the very first car my wife test drove and she LOVED it. Loved everything about it and I was very impressed with the interior, it looked more upscale than most Lexus and Mercedes. They're not expensive either and I was pretty happy about that and was about ready make a deal on it, but then as we were driving on the expressway my wife floored the gas. It seemed like it had pretty decent acceleration but my wife got this frown on her face and said "why didn't somebody tell me it has a 4 cylinder engine" she immediately pulled off the expressway and headed back to the dealership.

Wow-ours really scoots! And the handling is great as well. We are both of the heavy foot group, and we were wowed by the way ours performed-variable valve timing and all.

 

[BruceM]

I see all those J.D. Power awards, and most of the ones that are heavily advertised-the GM ones- are for Initial Quality. Big deal. Let me see the awards for SUV's and trucks when they have 200K miles on their clocks. Extreme long-term reliability.

^^^^^THIS^^^^^

Initial quality ratings from JD Power mean next to nothing to me. It's long term reliability that rings the gong and that's where Consumer Reports shines. They have a website and the yearly buyer's guide can be purchased. It cover's a myriad of products including almost all styles and shapes of auto's.

Bruce

 

[Valkahuna]

Check out the Mazda CX-5. comes in 3 levels. We are overjoyed with ours.

+1. The CX-5 is made in Japan and uses a 6 speed Auto instead of the CVT. Great SUV!

 

[armadillo]

Over many years, I have found the Consumer Reports ratings to be right-on for new and used cars. The annual auto edition comes out in April, so you could just buy it at the newsstand.

They recently printed a list of the top 20 cars to make it to 200K. Toyota and Honda accounted for all the top 10 and 15 of 20. The only US brands on the list were Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado and Suburban.

 

[CA Escapee]

Check out www.edmunds.com, they do evaluations from owners. You can even give them input on older cars.

With regards to J.D. Powers, I believe they use input from test evaluators. I worked for Roush about four years ago and we test drove new and pre-production vehicles for 8-10 hours a day. I think some of what we reported was sent off to J.D. Powers. I know we kept strict records for fuel mileage. This was to verify fuel mileage estimates that the manufacturers made.

 

[Onomea]

Maybe a Lexus RX with the bigger engine? 4 or 4.5 litre V6, I think. I had a 3.0 for five years or so, and did not find it underpowered. Mostly drove it in the city though. A very comfortable, very quiet mid sized SUV.

I think the Nissan Murano is a pretty sporty drive. If she is already thinking of that model, maybe get her a test drive?