CR: Consumers Out of Touch

Jan. 9 - The recently released Consumer Reports' 2008 Car Brand Perception Survey found that consumers perceived Toyota and Honda brands to be best by a wide margin, followed by Ford, Chevrolet, and GMC.

Toyota and Honda topped the rankings with scores of 189 and 146 points, respectively. Ford finished third with 112 points, followed by Chevrolet with 110 and GMC with 102. Chevrolet and Ford are the only U.S. brands that rank in the top five in more than one category; each makes the cut in three areas. Among brands that fared worst, Acura finished with eight points, followed by Audi (14 pts.). Mitsubishi (21 pts.), Mercury (22 pts.), and Buick (25 pts.).

Consumer Reports, however, points out "Dig deeper, though, and in many cases, consumers' views do not accurately reflect an automaker's recent track record. For example, Mercedes-Benz finished in the top five for quality. But the brand placed 33rd out of 36th in Consumer Reports' latest rankings for predicted reliability. Toyota earned a top spot in this category. And while its vehicles have typically rated well in areas associated with quality, the brand slipped from first place to fifth in the same predicted reliability ratings."

While some perceptions don't match reality, others do. BMW and Porsche led the Performance category with 28 and 25 percentage points, respectively. The vehicles from both brands have consistently earned high ratings in performance in testing at Consumer Reports' 327-acre Auto Test Center.