The Difference between JD Powers and Consumer Reports:

Consumer Reports does not print outside advertising, accept free product samples, or permit the commercial use of its reviews for selling products. Its publisher states that this policy allows the magazine to "maintain our independence and impartiality... [so that] CU has no agenda other than the interests of consumers."
Consumer Reports states that all tested products are purchased at retail by its staff, that no free samples are accepted from manufacturers, and that this avoids the possibility of bias from bribery or from being given "better than average" samples.

J.D. Power ratings are based on the survey responses of randomly selected and/or specifically targeted consumers. J.D. Power relies on consumer reporting for study results as well as in-house vehicle testing for opinion based reviews in Blogs.

FINE, BUT

Although publicly known for the endorsement value of its product awards, J.D. Power obtains the majority of its revenue from corporations that seek the data collected from J.D. Power surveys for internal use. Companies which have used J.D. Power surveys range from Automotive, cellphone, and computer manufacturers to Home Builders, and Utility companies. To be able to use the J.D. Power logo and to quote the survey results in advertising, companies must pay a licensing fee to J.D. Power.


In other words: You pay, JP Powers plays nice. Sounds fishy to me.... All this info was from wiki which some of you might have issues with. haha

 

Sounds typical. But, while there are cars that are better than some, I've heard nothing but good things about MINIs down here in Texas.

 

Of course who cares what JD power says, it an advertising trick for the sheep.

CR is not perfect either (and I do have a subscription), yes they are much less corrupt, but they cater to the soccer mom crowd, they have no idea what a quality auto is, just which is best to get from A to B using the least amount of gas with the most amount of room for a stroller. I would never trust them on cars or auto part recommendations, because what they consider important is not what I think is, they are not enthusiast or true drivers. Now, washing machines, spray starch, or diapers, now thats a different story.

 

It appears that a lot of people don't pay attention to JD Power, or the JD Power results are very skewed. I say this because there is another set of statistics that seems to say something significant about MINI's. I.E. they're near the top in sales and at the top in resale value.

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i dun car what JD says.. look at the firgure of MINI sales.. thye are all SOLD out for 2008..thta tell us something..

 

Plus look around on here... there really aren't THAT may threads about stock issues. JD Power had Mazda ranked low but consumer reports ranked them high and my Mazda3 has been flawless while my Honda Civic had $1000s of engine problems at around 80k and a good number of trips during the warranty.

 

JD Powers is not a "sham". If their surveys were not scientifically sound, then the results would be inconsistant year-to-year. But instead, the results are usually pretty consistant. For example, Toyota and Honda vehicles almost always come out on top.

But on the other hand, don't compare JD Powers to Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports does surveys that compare the reliability of cars after years of ownership, while the JD Powers survey is comparing "build quality" and the number of early issues one has after delivery of a new vehicle.

There is a big difference between the two. BMW products are known to have little glitches here and there, but in the long run they tend to be built like tanks and be very reliable. So while a Mini may have a small problem here or there (my car was delivered with a scuff on the door panel), the engine/transmission/drivetrain is very solid and will last a very long time.

Also, the JD Powers survey does not differentiate between a big problem or a small problem. The Consumer Reports surveys rate the various parts of the car and are very specific.

 

Meh. JDP and CR are just two different measuring tools, Not the whole tool box.
Once I dropped my money down on a MINI, I quit caring what other people thought about what car to buy.