DETROIT — The quality of new cars improved across the industry this year, with Porsche, Honda, Toyota, General Motors and Ford among the automakers leading the pack, marketing and consulting company J.D. Power and Associates said Wednesday.
Porsche was the top brand in J.D. Power’s annual ranking of initial vehicle quality, which measures mechanical and design problems in the first 90 days of ownership. Others in the top five were Nissan’s Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota’s Lexus and Toyota brands.
In rankings by vehicle segments, Honda was the only brand with three winners — the Fit subcompact, the Civic small car and the CR-V crossover. Toyota, General Motors and Ford had three winners each across all their brands. Overall, 26 of the 36 nameplates in the rankings improved from last year.
Chrysler’s Jeep was the worst performing, with 167 problems per 100 vehicles. Other brands in the bottom five were BMW’s Mini, Land Rover, GM’s Saturn and Suzuki.
David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power, said the most improved vehicle this year was the Volkswagen Passat. He also cited the Chevrolet Malibu and Infiniti EX-Series, saying both vehicles had strong launches with relatively few problems, which is rare for all-new vehicles.
J.D. Power says overall quality improved to an average of 118 problems per 100 vehicles from 125 problems last year. Vehicle quality has steadily improved over the past decade; there were 176 problems per 100 vehicles in 1998.
Sargent said there are more profound differences in the numbers for individual models, which aren’t released publicly but are shown to automakers.
“Most brands produce some very good cars, and many brands produce some cars or vehicles which are not so good,” Sargent said during the release of the numbers before a meeting of the Automotive Press Association.
He also said that even though the differences seem insignificant, they have an effect on consumers and whether they will stay with a brand or recommend it to others.
He said rising gas prices had some effect on the rankings this year. While the average number of problems with vehicles’ fuel consumption stayed the same as in 2007, the owners of large vehicles were more likely to complain about high fuel consumption, while the owners of small vehicles were less likely to complain.
Best on the road for 2008
Top performers in the annual J.D. Power and Associates survey of quality for 2008 vehicles (activity vehicles refer to crossovers and sport utility vehicles):
Subcompact
Winner: Honda Fit
Runners-up: Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent
Compact
Winner: Honda Civic
Runners-up: Toyota Prius, Hyundai Elantra
Sporty compact
Winner: Mazda MX-5 Miata
Runners-up: Subaru Impreza, Pontiac Solstice
Sporty compact premium
Winner: Mercedes Benz CLK-Class
Runners-up: Porsche Cayman, Volvo C70
Entry premium
Winner: Infiniti EX-Series
Runners-up: Infiniti G-Series, Acura TSX, Volvo S40
Midsize
Winner: Chevrolet Malibu
Runners-up: Mitsubishi Galant, Ford Fusion
Midsize premium
Winners: Mercedes- Benz E-Class, Infiniti M-Series
Runners-up: Lexus ES 350, Audi A6
Large car
Winner: Pontiac Grand Prix
Runners-up: Mercury Sable, Mercury Grand Marquis
Large premium
Winners: Lexus LS
Runner-up: Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Cadillac DTS
Compact activity
Winner: Honda CR-V
Runner-up: Chrysler PT Cruiser, Ford Escape
Midsize activity
Winner: Dodge Durango
Runners-up: Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Highlander
Midsize premium activity
Winner: Lexus RX
Runners-up: Porsche Cayenne, Lexus GX 470
Large activity
Winner: Toyota Sequoia
Runners-up: Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon
Large premium activity
Winner: Lincoln Navigator
Runners-up: Infiniti QX56, Cadillac Escalade
Midsize pickup
Winner: Dodge Dakota
Runners-up: Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma
Large pickup
Winner: Chevrolet Silverado LD
Runners-up: Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Avalanche
Van
Winner: Ford E-Series
Runners-up: Nissan Quest, Chevrolet Express
