Strategic Vision has released its results for the 2007 Total Quality Awards, and the final tally is a bit surprising. For the first time ever, Hyundai has risen to share the position of having the most models leading a segment, along with Nissan. Both brands had three models with the top Total Quality Index (TQI) score in their segments, including the Hyundai Azera, Entourage, Santa Fe and Nissan Maxima, Quest, and Titan. The other surprise is that Toyota, long a leader in perceived quality, led no segments, though its vehicles still improved their TQI scores. We like the Strategic Vision Total Quality Awards because they attempt to measure more than just the number of problems per vehicle. Vehicles that are more likely to make emotional connections with their owners tend to earn better TQI scores, for instance. That's why, according to the report, the VW Rabbit beat out other strong contenders in the small car class like the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris.
You can check out all the segment leaders after the jump, and view all the rankings by clicking here.
[Source: Strategic Vision]
Small Car
Honda Civic (882)
Small Multi-Function
Volkswagen Rabbit (880)
Medium Car
Saturn Aura (892)
Nissan Maxima (891)
Large Car
Hyundai Azera (901)
Small Specialty Under $25,000
Mini Cooper (911)
Near Luxury Car
BMW 3-Series Sedan (919)
Luxury Car
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan (938)
Convertibles Under $30,000
Mini Cooper Convertible (905)
Convertibles Over $30,000
Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (930)
Minivan
Kia Sedona (866)
Hyundai Entourage (866)
Nissan Quest (865)
Small SUV
Hyundai Santa Fe (885)
Medium SUV
Kia Sorento (889)
Medium Crossover
Dodge Magnum (882)
Large SUV
Ford Expedition EL (918)
Near Luxury SUV
Lexus RX 350 (905)
Luxury SUV
Mercedes-Benz ML (915)
Standard Pick-Up
Honda Ridgeline (879)
Full-Size Pickup
Nissan Titan (876)
Ford F-150 (875)
Heavy Duty Pickup
Ford F-250/350 (876)
Paris Preview: Officially Official, Honda's new hybrid is the Insight!
Mazda Kiyora city car concept, MX-5 facelift head to Paris
Leaked: Official updated Mazda MX-5 image
Reader Spy: Chevy Volt caught on set of Transformers 2
Spy Shot: Production interior of Chevy Volt (maybe)
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged
By the Numbers - August 2008: New Digs Edition
In the Autoblog Garage: KITT Shelby GT500 KR
First Drive: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Nissan Murano
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
KKop @ Jun 6th 2007 2:12PM
Go Titan :-)
On my second Titan; couldn't agree more with the score.
Oh, and uhhh... clicking where?
drewp @ Jun 6th 2007 2:13PM
let me guess, like jd power, if you contract with strategic vision, they'll "teach" you how to do better on their exam.
other than things gone right or wrong, i think the rest of the metrics are crap.
Richard Warren @ Jun 6th 2007 2:16PM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19073071/
Hmmmmmm
M @ Jun 6th 2007 2:25PM
Note: Initial quality.
djSyndrome @ Jun 6th 2007 2:17PM
"The other surprise is that Toyota, long a leader in perceived quality, led no segments"
So what's the Lexus RX350 then?
Acronis @ Jun 6th 2007 9:26PM
The Strategic Vision report is proof that Hyundai's quality is very competitive with the known leading brands like Toyota and Honda. However, it takes two or more years for quality to catch up to consumer perception.
As long as Hyundai is able to maintain this level of quality endurance they should find even greater traction in the automotive marketplace.
Castle @ Jun 6th 2007 2:20PM
"Total Quality"?
The Mercedes-Benz ML is by far one of the most unreliable vehicles in the segment. This study has to be a joke.
bmoredlj @ Jun 6th 2007 2:24PM
If the study is saying anything meaningful, it's that there aren't many people sharing much of an "emotional connexion" to the appliance-like, funny-bump-grilled Toyotas that are around today. They don't even have a sports car in their enormous model range...that's gotta change.
Scott @ Jun 6th 2007 2:25PM
I don't like this study at all. This isn't a true measure of anything other than how happy an owner is with their vehicle, and that isn't a real definable characteristic. It shouldn't be called the Total Quality Award because it isn't necessarily judging quality, just the owner's opinion of the quality of the vehicle they bought. It should be renamed the Total Satisfaction Award. It states in the press release that Toyota/Lexus were among the highest rated when it came to problems per vehicle, in case anyone was wondering.
Elliott @ Jun 6th 2007 2:30PM
I'm kinda surprised to see that the Prius finished last in it's category. I would think that its owners would have very strong emotional attachments.
It's also odd that most of these vehicles haven't been recently redesigned.
My ride didn't have enough people respond to the survey to be included in the results. Boooooooo.
djSyndrome @ Jun 6th 2007 2:31PM
But Scott, including that bit of information wouldn't fit in with AutoBlog's ethic of bashing Toyota at every turn.
Look at the sensationalist headline: 'Toyota a No Show' - when a Toyota vehicle *did* win a category.
rob @ Jun 6th 2007 3:39PM
haha, djSyndrome, you are so right. autoblog has become so sensationalist as of late, the only reason i come on here anymore is to refute the idiot "editors" that feel the need to include a jab at toyota. funny thing is, i don't even own a toyota...so im not a "fanboy".
and apparently, when it suits the occasion, lexus isn't part of toyota. but only sometimes.
sheth @ Jun 6th 2007 2:34PM
do we need excuses everytime Toyota doesnt finish first in a particular survey? I don't think we do.
Hokit @ Jun 11th 2007 11:44PM
What about the barrage of anti-Toyota sentiment that heats up whenever there's good OR bad news regarding the brand?
John R @ Jun 6th 2007 2:35PM
Not too surprised. I rented a '07 Maxima twice and a 06 Sonata (GLS V6) from Enterprise for work. A pretty pleasing experience all three times. The refreshed fascia on the Max is SO much better than previous. The previous car looked like it had a gap in its smile.
I had always thought the Maxima got too big and later became largley irrelevant as the Altima now makes 270bhp to the Max's 255.
However, compared to Altima it looks better...at least to me. The Max looks heavy, but wears it well...at least better than the new Altima's percieved heft which looks like someone put 350 lbs worth of luggage in the trunk.
A good car, but the Maxima's in a weird place now I think. Altima's almost as large and makes more power and cost relatively less. What's the point of buying the Maxima if the Altima's a better deal.
With the Pontiac G8, Ford Interceptor (IF they make it) and the Charger out or coming out the obvious place to go would be a bump up to 306 bhp like the Z and Skyline sedan/coupe (G35) and make it RWD or AWD or offer both, but Nissan won't do it as Infiniti dealers would more than likely cry and pee their diapers.
generalmortorsman4life @ Jun 6th 2007 3:00PM
I would have to agree with this study. My wife and I argued tooth and nail over the purchase of our 2007 Kia sorento for I have been a strict GM person. I looked and waited for a mid-sized RWD suv from GM other than the bloated unreliable Trailblazer (Had one and sold it to carmax!) and there was nothing in the lineup currently nor in the near future available. The Acadia is really a FWD with the AWD option so that doesn't work for me. Our 2007 Kia Sorento now has over 12,000 miles on it and hasn't produced a peep of trouble. Kia quietly changed the engine between the 2006 and 2007 model to the current more reliable timing chain driven engine from the timing belt driven engine configuration. It also came loaded with eveything from tire pressue monitoring, electronic stability....etc for less than $22,000 tax included out the door. As I understand that Hyundai is coming out with a large luxury V8 sedan called the Genesis and this vehicle from what i've read is positioning itself not to compete with Honda's and big 3 FWD but it is poised to compete with Lexus and BMW. I'm still purchasing the Camaro when it's available but it's seems the playing field is getting heated anytime you have a once snubbed manufacture come up from behind and surpass the big 3 because they weren't paying attention.
KT @ Jun 6th 2007 3:08PM
Sorry Scott, but you're wrong. This study is based on TGW's per 100 vehicles. If Toyota had the fewest TGW's they would rank the highest.
Thanks for playing!
Steve B. @ Jun 6th 2007 6:25PM
Wow.. 2 points for making a moronic statement without even checking the referenced press release. And 2 more points for following it up with a cocky "Thanks for playing."
It reminds me of Chris Farley, rolling his eyes dismissively and saying "No, it's HERBIE Hancock."
From the Press Release:
"The Total Quality Index™ is the premier measure of new vehicle owner satisfaction. It asks buyers to rate all aspects of the ownership experience, from buying and owning to driving. Although Toyota improved overall with their TQI scores, the most significant change in 2007 is the lack of any Toyota brand segment leaders. Examining the number of problems or T h i n g s - G o n e - W r o n g p e r v e h i c l e ( t h e t r a d i t i o n a l d e f i n i t i o n o f q u a l i t y ), T o y o t a a n d L e x u s a r e s t i l l a m o n g t h e b e s t . "
(Emphasis mine). The test is subjective. We already have a test of the subjective desirability of a car, balanced with its value for the price. It's called "sales figures." The VW Golf may be the "best" compact multiuse vehicle according to SV, but let someone vote with $20,000 or more of their own hard earned money, and you'll see the truth.
Devin @ Jun 6th 2007 3:09PM
GO GM! Nailing the medium car and sports car with the Aura and Corvette.
hyundaiguy @ Jun 6th 2007 3:19PM
to all you hyundai haters out there. HAHAHAHAHAHA! I TOLD YOU SO!