The Honda Accord Is a Winner, But It's Brother the Acura Is a P.O.S. ??
Quality. What is good. Like in politics, we each judge a car's quality individually. But it is funny how our eyes can fool us. Very often, we see two things that are similar in almost every way, but one is judge superior - often on name alone.
I read a Consumer Reports article today, the topic being their readers reviews of different cars, and their quality. Get ready for a big surprise.... Toyota and Honda were viewed as the highest in quality. Toyota got a total score of 189, Honda got a 140. Ford finished third (112 pts.), and Chevrolet came in fourth with 110 points. The oddities are how the same cars built by these manufacturers finished much lower.
While Honda finished second, it's Acura brand finished dead last, with a paltry score of 8. Mercury had the 4th lowest score of 22, and Buick barely beat that with a 25. What's the odd part? Aside from minimal trim and badge stuff, an Acura is a Honda, A Buick is a Chevrolet, and a Mercury is a Ford !!! Same engines, same bodies, just a different emblem on the hood !!
I know Moye drives a Buick, and I doubt he'd give it a 25, or trade it in for a Chevrolet.. So what's the reason they get worse scores? Perception. Consumers get used to a brand, and even if the quality is improved, most of them still view it as crap. Mercury, Buick and Acura have a huge uphill climb. Brands like Hyundai often beat Mercedes-Benz in customer satisfaction and quality, but put them next to each other, and we all know which one you'd take home.
Want to see how your car did? Here's the link:
http://editorials.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=435679
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4 comments:
thats funny, because the consumer reports new car edition for 2008 has honda rated 1, toyota rated 2, gm 12 and ford 13.
whats up with that???
I am proud of my GMAC car and truck.
CS rated the Honda #1, but the readers viewed it as #2.
Considering the pricing and difference in expectations between the Honda dn Acura owners, I can understand some reasons for the Acura owners dissing their rides, particularly when you pop the hood and the valve cover says Honda... Oldsmobile (I think)owners had a similar issue many years ago (1970s) when a batch of identical Chevy engines made their way onto a sister GM assembly line.
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