With the J.D. Powers survey in mind, BMW, which to reiterate came first in the SV survey, also rates very high at 8th place out of 36 automakers. Still it should be noted that Lexus, Cadillac, Infiniti, Acura, Buick, Mercury and Porsche finished ahead of the Bavarian brand, in that order.
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| Although rated 24th as a specific brand in J.D. Powers' IQS survey, Volkswagen takes first place in SV's multi-brand automaker category. (Photo: Volkswagen) |
Volkswagen, placing first among multi-brand automakers in SV's survey, rated all the way down in 24th place in the J.D. Powers IQS when surveyed as a specific brand, tied with Korean manufacturer Hyundai. To be fair its Audi division placed 14th ahead of Mercedes-Benz.
Just like the J.D. Powers IQS, Cadillac took the second spot of SV's TQI survey, showing impressive consistency. That puts it ahead of Lexus the IQS winner. Cadillac was also the most improved brand comparing this year to 2002 survey results.
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| Toyota's all-new 4Runner tied with the Kia Sorento for best medium size SUV. (Photo: Toyota) |
Honda took top prize for Japanese multi-segment automakers, sweeping three categories. Infiniti scored its first points with its G35 winning the near-luxury car category while Subaru's Baja took best compact pickup and Toyota tied the Kia Sorento with its all-new 4Runner. Hyundai's Santa Fe won the best small SUV class, an impressive feat.
Among small cars Saturn's ION placed first in the best small car category while the MINI Cooper won best small specialty coupe.
Of note, almost defunct brand Oldsmobile scored top marks with its Aurora, tying its sibling Pontiac Bonneville in the best midsized car category.