Ford Fusion Beats Prius in J.D. Power Satisfaction Survey

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ Jul 3 2006, 09:54 PM) [snapback]280845[/snapback]</div>

I am confused by your post. The 63,000 were the total survey for all types of vehicles, not per each class of vehicle. For all we know, only a handful of people responded about this type of vehicle.

Also, we have no idea where the survey was taken...it could be in an area where there are very few Prius and many Fusion.

Also, since they did not specify which cars were in each "group", for all we know, hybrids were excluded.

Ah, a little more reading produces this description of the award:

APEAL is designed to complement the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), which focuses on problems experienced by owners during the first 90 days of ownership. APEAL measures how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive. While the redesigned Initial Quality Study included a new measurement for design quality, the APEAL Study finds almost no relationship between a model’s overall APEAL score and its IQS design score.

“There are basically two schools of thought among consumers in determining which new-vehicle model to buy,†said Parker. “Many consumers are looking for a painless, trouble-free ownership experience, which, as we find in IQS, is certainly important. However, there is a large group of buyers who are most interested in things like comfort, style and performance. This group is often willing to put up with a few quality snags to get a vehicle they truly feel passionate about. For this group of consumers, there is more to an appealing vehicle than a lack of problems—even a lack of design problems.â€


So in other words, "my car is cool, so who cares if it is in the shop all them time"


This story is too short to really tell us anything...and the survey of only 63,000 total people is a joke. Was the survey done by numbers...in other words, more Fusion owners = more probable positive responses, or by percentages...like 10 Prius owners surveyed and one bad apple? I would think that JD would have to get a few hundred thousand people before you could even start to get some real information.

 

has prius been mentioned in previous years?

 

I like the line, "Sometimes the domestics tend to age prematurely compared to the other brands."

So, I'm wondering how the Fusion will rate AFTER 90 days.
That is when Consumer Report tells the real story regarding quality.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Jul 3 2006, 11:06 PM) [snapback]280869[/snapback]</div>

Well, that would be hard for them to tell, as many of them probably get repo'd before that time (from where I see a lot of them sold)

 

My problem with the JD Powers poll is that "Initial quality" has many items lumped in- as mentioned above, instead of purely focusing on reliabillity and build quality issues, they allow intangibles such as "pride of ownership" and presence/lack of options/features (vs strictly whether the options/features that do come with the vehicle work as designed) to influence the results- thus, a very flashy looking car that is loaded with features and options tends to score higher in such a survey despite other faults..

Additionally, the "initial quality" ratings have really nothing to do with long term reliability of the vehicles.. Toyota vehicles, with the exception of Lexus, have traditionally not rated particularly highly in any of the JD Powers surveys, yet people are flocking to buy them..

 

A few new Prius owners are dissatisfied when their new car fails to get the EPA mileage figures. Most new car buyers do not spend their time surfing the web so have not browsed Prius Chat or the other Prius discussion boards. Someone who buys a gas-guzzler will pay no attention to whether his new car meets the EPA numbers, but most Prius buyers are concerned with fuel economy, and the car itself shouts at them, "I'm not getting the EPA numbers."

This will lead a few to be disappointed in the first 90 days.

During those first 90 days the Ford will probably only have been to the shop for repairs a couple of dozen times. And the Ford buyer is used to that, so it does not "disappoint" him. Plus, it's got "performance." And an American name plate.

 

If you honestly sit in a Fusion, and look at the interior, and give it a test drive, there's no way it can be compared to a Prius. It's just that much better of a car than the Prius.

It's almost like Ford paid attention to the interior and comfort and handling.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jul 4 2006, 12:11 PM) [snapback]281009[/snapback]</div>

But it does have 8 way adjustable seats. Even power, if you want. And the 4 cylinder is PZEV.

My Prius has a much more sophisticated drivetrain... but I think just about any other car out there has a nicer interior than the Prius. And the the hard plastic in the Prius means that after 2 years of owning mine, it's like a squeak and rattle chorus on bad roads.

 

I'm approaching 2 years of ownership... no squeaks or rattles in mine. What the heck are you doing to your car?!?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brandon @ Jul 4 2006, 12:48 PM) [snapback]281026[/snapback]</div>

Driving it.

Seriously.. after 2 years of temperatures that range from the high 90s in the summer, to the single digits in the winter, the plastic has warped and gotten a tad misshapen. I know I'm not the only one with this problem (search for Dash rattles, or the "little stuff falling apart" thread). To pretend it's only me is... somewhat disingenuous.

 

i fail to understand why someone with extensive first hand experience (an actual Prius owner) would ever bother to waste a minute of their time to more than glance over this article

 

The fact that luxury car makers at at the top tell you the survey is skewed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jul 4 2006, 07:04 PM) [snapback]281152[/snapback]</div>

I'm afraid of the Yaris... I truly am. I think the Fit might be a little better, Honda's interiors seem a tad more 'upscale' than Toyota's.

And yeah, black interior is asking for it... but then all those windows don't help the cause either.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Jul 4 2006, 09:41 AM) [snapback]281022[/snapback]</div>

Odd. I've had mine since January of 2004, through one and a half North Dakota winters and two North Dakota summers (which can get pretty hot, though admittedly not as hot as farther south) and the only rattle in mine is from the CD cases in the center console compartment.

The seats could certainly be more comfortable for extended trips, though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jul 5 2006, 12:20 AM) [snapback]281249[/snapback]</div>

Take it on a really, really bad road and turn the stereo off. I've got one small one coming from the dash, and one that sounds like the entire hatch area is flexing.

I just think Toyota doesn't do interiors well.. maybe the Camry is OK (it was on my loaner that I was given when my Prius died), but the cheaper Toyotas (Prius included) seem to have interiors that punish you.