In today's LA Times' Section G, "Highway 1," Page 1, "New Designs Get Top Marks in Buyer Satisfaction Survey."

'Underscoring the importance of stand-out design in the automotive market, buyers of three of the most striking vehicles introduced in the last year have given their cars and trucks top scores in J.D. Power & Associates' annual APEAL study.

The study measures new-car buyers' satisfaction with their vehicles after 90 daysof ownership. BMW's Mini Cooper, Ford's Thunderbird roadster and Cadillac's Escalade EXT sport truck led a field of more than 200 models reviewed by 117,800 respondents.

Overall, the study--Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout--found that 26 of the 31 all-new or extensively redesigned vehicles launched in the last year led their respective segments.

"Radical designs and concepts are paying off, " said Brian Walters, director of product research at Westlake Village-based J.D. Power.

Automakers willing to take risks with design and performance characteristics, he said, are being rewarded in the market.

"These cars sell faster, fetch premium prices and need fewer incentives," Walters said, adding that though car buyers typically respond well to unique designs, "automakers have been loath in the past to break away from the pack."

The last two years have seen a renaissance of individualism in auto design, he said.

Ford and Lincoln brands ranked highest in five APEAL segments. American Honda, General Motors and Toyota Motor Sales brands each received three top segment rankings.

And for the first time in the 7-year-old study, a South Korean car led a category; the redesigned Hyundai Sonata received top ranking in the entry-level mid-size segment.'

And the pic illustrating this article is an EB/W MCS! Kudos to MINI!

Cheers!
Clover

 

That's funny how they mention the new thunderchicken... i have yet to hear ANY buzz about this car (not being a guy who regulary reads car mags...)

Rocketboy_X

 

I don't think the "Thunderchicken" is a bad or lousy car at all. In fact for what I have read in Buff magazines the car is pretty fast and a very decent handler too. Not my cup of tea for sure as I am not very fond of roadsters, but it is a very nice effort from Ford nevertheless.

MINIClo: Great article, thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks for the article.

Re the Thunderbird - I have driven by a few dealers that had tons in their lots. I think the car is high price - maybe that is why?

 

My Dad purchased one of the first redesigned T-Birds off the line for my Mom's 50th Brithday (think you waited long for the MINI, he put a deposit down 3 YEARS before receiving the car). It's Inspiration Yellow with matching hardtop (hardtop can be removed and placed on rollers and has an auto black sotftop underneath). I wasn't a big fan of the car until I saw it in person. It definitely has some character inside and out and is actually pretty fun to drive. WIth the top up it has the visability of an Audi TT which I think is the only drawback.

 

I've only seen a few T-birds on the road here in L.A., which really surprises me! The yellow is BRIGHT!

 

When I started looking around at new "fun" cars to replace my 91 Talon turbo (I broke the engine), the new Thunderchicken was one that I looked at, until I saw the $35-40k pricetag. By that point, I knew that the MCS was going to run about 1/2 that, and, unless BMW screwed it up, was also going to be able to out-handle it by a wide margin. So I decided to wait for the MINI. The only other cars I seriously considered for any length of time were the new Subaru Baja (the concept was supercharged and came in bright Orange) or the Subaru WRX.

Now my MINI is headed from California to Mexico. Bloody dock-workers! I WANT MY CAR!!

 

Guess JD Power didn't get my survey results I sent in....love the style of the car but gave it low marks as one of the worst quality build cars I have ever had....had to be honest, but it is certainly not a Lexus quality, but then again it's not BMW quality either from my experience...

 

I hesitate to say this. But thankyou chrysler. Viper Prowler even the PT cruiser. It took guts to be creative and put these cars on the market. Chrysler threw down the gauntlet and dared others to show there talent.

 

>>I hesitate to say this. But thankyou chrysler. Viper Prowler even the PT cruiser. It took guts to be creative and put these cars on the market. Chrysler threw down the gauntlet and dared others to show there talent.
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Rather, I would say thanks to Mr. Bob Lutz (Now President of General Motors North American Operations) for bringing a vent of fresh air to the automotive industry.

GM are now the guys to watch out for. Bob lutz is at the Helm (This guy lives and breathes CARS) of GM and we will soon see some mouthwatering machines coming out again from Detroit..

 

"We're number one! We're number one!"

As if there were any doubts?