J.D. Power Initial Quality Study Results: SUVs

For 26 years, J.D. Power has been conducting surveys of new car owners to gather data about problems with their vehicles. The Initial Quality Study collects this data and rates each model based on the numbers of reported problems in the first 90 days of ownership. The results are adjusted based on sales numbers to determine a number of “problems per 100 vehicles (PP100).”

While J.D. Power does not release the specific PP100 numbers for each model, it does release the numbers for each brand, as well as for the industry as a whole. For 2012, that industry average was 102. The top five brands in the survey were Lexus (73), Jaguar and Porsche (75), Cadillac (80) and Honda (83).

Click through the gallery to see the highest scoring SUV’s in the 2012 J.D. Power IQS.

MSRP: $38,755 - $56,075
Invoice: $36,042 - $52,150
Fuel Economy: 15 mpg City, 21 mpg Highway

The Tahoe finished behind its GMC Yukon twin, just as Chevrolet was a single point behind GMC in the overall rankings, earning a PP100 score of 100.

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MSRP: $40,085 - $58,005
Invoice: $37,279 - $53,945
Fuel Economy: 15 mpg City, 21 mpg Highway

With a brand score of 99 PP100, GMC was slightly above the industry average of 102.

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MSRP: $36,530 - $49,680
Invoice: $34,242 - $46,208
Fuel Economy: 14 mpg City, 20 mpg Highway

The Expedition was one of many IQS stars from the Ford brand, which had three segment winners, despite finishing near the back of the pack overall, with a PP100 score of 118.

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MSRP: $60,045 - $75,245
Invoice: $54,641 - $68,473
Fuel Economy: 13 mpg City, 18 mpg Highway

While the Range Rover Sport placed well, the Land Rover brand posted the lowest score of any true luxury brand, with a PP100 score of 119.

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MSRP: $59,200 - $62,300
Invoice: $54,787 - $57,650
Fuel Economy: 14 mpg City, 20 mpg Highway

The Infiniti brand won two segment awards and tied with Acura for sixth place overall with a PP100 score of 84.

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MSRP: $63,170 - $82,495
Invoice: $59,064 - $77,133
Fuel Economy: 14 mpg City, 18 mpg Highway

The Escalade’s triumph among luxury SUV’s means all three General Motors models based on the GMT900 platform scored well in the 2012 IQS.

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