• by Karl Greenberg , July 12, 2011

Domestics have taken something of a drubbing in recent quality and dependability ratings, but the ratings don't tell the whole story, as the problems have to do almost entirely with new tech platforms. But Strategic Vision, in its latest study of vehicle quality, says such rankings have to be weighted by how important specific problems are to consumers relative to the whole vehicle, including more weighty problems, and greater virtues.

Strategic Vision's point of view is that consumers will forgive and work through the complexities of new systems like Ford's Sync as long as they are resolved with the next version.

The firm's 2011 Total Quality Index says "quality" has to reflect the sum of the emotionally relevant experience for the new car buyer. In the study, Land Rover and Jaguar were the leading brands, with Jaguar XJ having the highest Total Quality score in the industry and with Land Rover LR4 in the near-luxury SUVs. BMW had two leaders with the 1-Series and X6, but the Mercedes C-Class took leadership in the near-luxury car segment.

The firm says Ford was a quality leader in its study, partly because the complaints Ford received were about one thing, the in-car connectivity system Sync. "Does that warrant their 'tumble' in some quality metrics?" Darrel Edwards, chairman and founder of the Tustin, Calif., firm, asked rhetorically. He says while the firm takes frequency of complaints into account in amassing data for results, "there is absolutely justification -- even requirement -- for also considering the total positive experience created for the owner/driver."

Volkswagen Jetta and Hyundai Sonata tied for leadership position of total quality in the mid-size car segment. But the firm says both vehicles had a higher incidence of owners reporting problems (30%) than the segment average (22%). Strategic Vision says that apparent contradiction demonstrates that the impact of the cars' problems on the customer's perception of quality is negligible because only 1 in 20 customers experience a problem they characterized as serious; those problems can be fixed at the dealership, and vehicle attributes combined with the emotional benefits supersede the problems.

"When customers explicitly state 'I love [this] about my vehicle,' it results in increased sales," says Alexander Edwards, President of Strategic Vision. "We explicitly measure the emotional impact of each vehicle attribute and ask the customer what they love about their vehicle." Jetta and Sonata owners, for example, report more love than most all of their competitors. This is why it is no surprise to us that the Jetta and Sonata have had their best sales ever with their 2011 models."

The leading small car in Strategic Vision's study was the Honda Civic Sedan Hybrid; Hyundai Sonata was the leading medium car; Honda Accord Crosstour was the top medium multi-function car. Nissan Maxima was the top large car, while Ford's Mustang ranked as the top convertible. Ford's F-150 had the highest ranking among pickup trucks and Honda's Odyssey for minivans.