Strategic Vision has announced the results of its 2012 Total Quality Index (TQI) study. With only 17% of new owners reporting problems, Toyota Motor Sales earned Strategic Vision’s lowest “Problem Impact Measure” (PIM) score of 4.29, a metric that examines the nature of the problem as well as the dealer resolution.
In terms of Total Quality, Volkswagen Group of America is the leading corporation, followed by a tie between Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Group.
“This is really great news for all those corporations, but the key to success and sales will be products that satisfy the customer’s increasingly insatiable need for innovation, and the complete picture of quality,” said Alexander Edwards, president of Strategic Vision.
Strategic Vision has presented Total Quality Awards every year since 1995. This year’s Total Quality Index was calculated from 45,390 buyers who purchased 2012 models during September to December 2011. The following list contains the winners and vehicles that scored above the segment average in Total Quality as rated by new vehicle buyers:
| 2012 STRATEGIC VISION TOTAL QUALITY INDEX AWARDS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGHEST TOTAL QUALITY: VOLKSWAGEN | |||||
| FEWEST REPORTED PROBLEMS: TOYOTA | |||||
| MOST IMPROVED: CHRYSLER GROUP | |||||
| PASSENGER CARS | LIGHT TRUCKS/CROSSOVERS/SUVS | ||||
| SMALL CAR | MINIVAN | ||||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 1 | Fiat 500 Hatchback | 869 | 1 | Honda Odyssey | 872 |
| 2 | Smart fortwo Coupe | 858 | 2 | Volkswagen Routan | 856 |
| 3 | Nissan Sentra | 856 | 3 | Nissan Quest | 851 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Sonic | 853 | 4 | Chrysler Town & Country | 849 |
| 5 | Mazda Mazda3 Sedan | 847 | Segment Average: | 849 | |
| 6 (tie) | Honda Civic | 846 | ENTRY UTILITY | ||
| 6 (tie) | Hyundai Elantra Sedan | 846 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 8 | Kia Forte | 840 | 1 | Volkswagen Tiguan | 877 |
| 9 | Chevrolet Cruze | 838 | 2 | Toyota FJ Cruiser | 870 |
| 10 | Mitsubishi Lancer | 837 | 3 | Ford Escape | 866 |
| Segment Average: | 837 | 4 | Jeep Wrangler | 864 | |
| SMALL MULTI-FUNCTION | 5 | Jeep Wrangler Unlimited | 862 | ||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | 6 | Nissan Rogue | 861 |
| 1 | Volkswagen Golf | 874 | 7 | Honda CR-V | 856 |
| 2 | Nissan Juke | 870 | 8 | Subaru Forester | 852 |
| 3 | Nissan Cube | 862 | Segment Average: | 851 | |
| 4 | Kia Soul | 861 | MID-SIZE CROSSOVER | ||
| 5 | Nissan Leaf | 858 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 6 | Dodge Caliber (disc.) | 855 | 1 | Ford Flex | 888 |
| 7 | Honda Fit | 848 | 2 | Nissan Murano | 880 |
| 8 | Kia Rio Hatchback | 843 | 3 | Honda Pilot | 869 |
| 9 | Scion xB | 840 | 4 (tie) | Dodge Journey | 864 |
| 10 | Scion xD | 836 | 4 (tie) | Chevrolet Traverse | 864 |
| Segment Average: | 833 | 6 | Ford Edge | 859 | |
| MID-SIZE CAR | 7 | Toyota Venza | 856 | ||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | Segment Average: | 853 | |
| 1 | Chevrolet Volt | 913 | MID-SIZE TRADITIONAL UTILITY | ||
| 2 | Subaru Legacy | 886 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 3 | Volkswagen Passat Sedan | 885 | 1 | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 888 |
| 4 | Kia Optima | 883 | 2 | Dodge Durango | 878 |
| 5 | Subaru Impreza Sedan | 878 | 3 | Kia Sorento | 875 |
| 6 | Buick Regal | 875 | Segment Average: | 868 | |
| 7 (tie) | Volkswagen Jetta Sedan | 872 | LARGE UTILITY | ||
| 7 (tie) | Chrysler 200 Sedan | 872 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 9 (tie) | Ford Fusion | 868 | 1 | Nissan Armada | 900 |
| 9 (tie) | Nissan Altima Sedan | 868 | 2 | GMC Yukon | 886 |
| Segment Average: | 863 | 3 | Ford Expedition | 879 | |
| MID-SIZE MULTI-FUNCTION | 4 | GMC Yukon XL | 871 | ||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | Segment Average: | 865 | |
| 1 | Honda Accord Crosstour | 879 | NEAR-LUXURY UTILITY | ||
| 2 | Subaru Outback | 864 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| Segment Average: | 864 | 1 | Land Rover Evoque 5-Door | 928 | |
| LARGE CAR | 2 | Audi Q5 | 916 | ||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | 3 | Infiniti FX35 | 902 |
| 1 | Dodge Charger | 911 | 4 | Acura MDX | 900 |
| 2 | Nissan Maxima | 889 | 5 | BMW X3 | 898 |
| 3 | Volkswagen CC | 887 | 6 | Infiniti EX35 | 895 |
| 4 | Buick Lacrosse | 870 | 7 | Mercedes GLK-Class | 894 |
| Segment Average: | 868 | 8 | Land Rover LR4 | 893 | |
| NEAR-LUXURY CAR | 9 | Volvo XC60 | 891 | ||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | 10 (tie) | Volvo XC90 | 885 |
| 1 | Audi A4 Sedan | 917 | 10 (tie) | Cadillac SRX | 885 |
| 2 | Chrysler 300C | 913 | 12 | Lincoln MKX | 884 |
| 3 | Lincoln MKS | 910 | Segment Average: | 883 | |
| 4 | Acura TL | 903 | LUXURY UTILITY | ||
| 5 | Lexus ES 350 | 899 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 6 | BMW 3-Series Sedan | 898 | 1 | BMW X6 | 936 |
| 7 (tie) | Infiniti G37 Sedan | 895 | 2 | Audi Q7 | 930 |
| 7 (tie) | Acura TSX Sedan | 895 | 3 (tie) | Land Rover Range Rover Sport | 915 |
| 7 (tie) | Chrysler 300 | 895 | 3 (tie) | Infiniti QX56 | 915 |
| 10 | Hyundai Genesis Sedan | 894 | 5 | Cadillac Escalade | 909 |
| 11 | Mercedes C-Class Sedan | 893 | 6 | Mercedes ML-Class | 906 |
| 12 | Lexus IS Sedan | 891 | 7 | BMW X5 | 902 |
| 13 | Volvo S60 | 890 | 8 | Land Rover Range Rover | 899 |
| Segment Average: | 890 | Segment Average: | 896 | ||
| LUXURY CAR | STANDARD PICKUP | ||||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 1 | Audi A8 Sedan | 942 | 1 | Honda Ridgeline | 863 |
| 2 | Audi A6 Sedan | 931 | 2 | Nissan Frontier | 858 |
| 3 | Audi A7 | 921 | Segment Average: | 832 | |
| 4 | BMW 7-Series Sedan | 920 | FULL-SIZE PICKUP | ||
| 5 | Jaguar XF | 918 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 6 | Jaguar XJ | 915 | 1 | Ford F-150 | 902 |
| 7 | Mercedes S-Class | 913 | 2 | GMC Sierra 1500 | 883 |
| Segment Average: | 906 | 3 | Ram 1500 | 878 | |
| SPECIALTY COUPE | 4 (tie) | Nissan Titan | 877 | ||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | 4 (tie) | Chevrolet Avalanche | 877 |
| 1 | Mini Cooper Coupe | 926 | Segment Average: | 869 | |
| 2 | Volkswagen GTI | 909 | HEAVY-DUTY PICKUP | ||
| 3 | Ford Mustang Coupe | 908 | Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score |
| 4 (tie) | Mini Cooper Hardtop | 902 | 1 | Ford F-250/350 | 874 |
| 4 (tie) | Chevrolet Camaro Coupe | 902 | 2 | Ram 2500/3500 | 863 |
| 6 | Dodge Challenger | 901 | Segment Average: | 858 | |
| 7 | Mini Cooper Clubman | 897 | Only vehicles scoring above segment | ||
| 8 | Mini Cooper Countryman | 896 | average are shown in this chart | ||
| Segment Average: | 893 | ||||
| PREMIUM COUPE | |||||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | |||
| 1 (tie) | BMW 1-Series Coupe | 922 | |||
| 1 (tie) | Chevrolet Corvette Coupe | 921 | |||
| 3 | BMW 3-Series Coupe | 919 | |||
| 4 | Mercedes CLS-Class | 918 | |||
| 5 | Nissan 370Z Coupe | 916 | |||
| 6 | Audi TT Coupe | 914 | |||
| Segment Average: | 912 | ||||
| CONVERTIBLE | |||||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | |||
| 1 | Volkswagen Eos | 902 | |||
| 2 | Mini Cooper Convertible | 895 | |||
| 3 | Fiat 500 Convertible | 866 | |||
| 4 | Mazda Miata MX-5 | 859 | |||
| Segment Average: | 853 | ||||
| PREMIUM CONVERTIBLE/ROADSTER | |||||
| Rank | Vehicle | TQI Score | |||
| 1 | BMW Z4 Roadster | 938 | |||
| 2 | Mercedes SLK-Class | 922 | |||
| Segment Average: | 908 | ||||