[Houdini]

Report: Dodge Challenger Tops Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction Survey

Consumer Reports has just released some details of its Annual Auto Survey and the top ranked car for owner satisfaction is none other than the Dodge Challenger. According to the survey an amazing 92 percent of Challenger owners said they would purchase the car again. The Challenger unseats the Toyota Prius at the top-ranked car.
Taking second place at 91 percent is a hybrid, but it's not the Prius. Instead it's Ford's new Fusion Hybrid.

Other top-ten finishers are perennial favorites like the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911. The Acura TL AWD also rated highly.
The Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction list is based on more than 380,000 responses from Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org subscribers for vehicles from 2007 to 2010. For a vehicle to make the top list at least 80 percent of a model's owners must answer "definitely yes" when asked: "Considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, com-fort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?"

At the opposite side of spectrum, Consumer Reports also lists the vehicles that owners rate as the least satisfactory, meaning that less than half of the owners would buy the car again. The worst rated car was the 4-cylinder Chrysler Sebring (surprise, surprise), with just 37 percent voting favorably. The Dodge Nitro and Pontiac Torrent FWD also rated at the bottom of the list. In total, of the 10 vehicles that rated the lowest, three were Chrysler products and seven were GM products.

Consumer Reports Article here

Gotta love it when the Challenger beats out the Prius. :rofl:

EDIT: Link to Mopar Muscle Magazine article about the satisfaction rating. http://blogs.moparmusclemagazine.co...r-satisfaction-car-hating-magazine/index.html

 

[Houdini]

Consumer Reports' Annual Auto Survey Sees Gains For Detroit

A couple of weeks ago, Nelson Ireson reported on Consumer Reports' latest Reliability Survey, which put Ford and Lincoln at the head of the reliability pack. Now Consumer Reports has more good news for Big Three automakers thanks to its new Auto Survey, which places several American autos on the magazine's "top satisfaction list".
Even better for Detroit fans, the Dodge Challenger has charged to the top of the rankings, earning the survey's highest marks and the honor of being the most satisfying car in America. For several years, the Toyota Prius has taken the top spot on the annual Auto Survey, but this time around, the Prius was edged out by not one, but two American rides: the Challenger motored to the top spot, with 92% of buyers saying they'd definitely buy one again, and the number two spot was taken by the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which earned a 91% score. Prius fans shouldn't fret too much, though: the flagship hybrid still ranked near the head of the class, alongside the AWD Acura TL, the Chevrolet Corvette, and the Porsche 911.

To make Consumer Reports' "top satisfaction list", no less than 80% of buyers must respond "definitely yes" to the question "Considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, com-fort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?" Of all American autos, 9% earned that ranking -- an improvement over last year.

Despite these bright points, the news isn't all rosy for U.S. automakers. Although 9% of American models made Consumer Reports' "top satisfaction list", Europe and Asia trounced that figure, earning 23% and 12%, respectively.
Worse, of the ten models that earned less than a 50% rating on the Auto Survey, all fared from Detroit -- three from Chrysler, the other seven from General Motors. The worst of the lot? The Dodge Nitro, the Pontiac Torrent, and all the way at the bottom, the Chrysler Sebring sedan.

Story here.

 

[2B3LJ]

and yet they say its one of their lowest rated cars.

 

[Houdini]

Found some quotes from Consumer Reports... that shows how out-of-touch they are...

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/08/aut...campaign=Feed:+rss/money_latest+(Latest+News)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Dodge Challenger, the Chrysler Group's retro-styled muscle car, is the car best loved by its owners, according to Consumer Reports' survey of 380,000 readers of its magazine and Web site.
"Ninety-two percent of Challenger owners said they would definitely buy another one given the same opportunity," reads an article in the influential magazine's January issue.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid ranked second in the magazine's "Predicted Owner Satisfaction" survey, with 91% of owners saying they would buy another. The Prius dropped to fifth place in the survey this year, behind the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911.

The survey -- which asks car owners "considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?" -- tends to favor vehicles that people purchase for design, driving performance, or other emotional reasons rather than to simply fill practical needs.
Recently introduced or redesigned models also tend to do better in the annual survey. The Challenger, a car designed to evoke memories of Chrysler Group's classic Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars of the late 1960s and early '70s, went into production in late 2008.

The opinions of its readers notwithstanding, Consumer Reports itself does not recommend the Challenger. While the car's reliability is about average, according to Consumer Reports' surveys, the Challenger fared poorly in the magazine's performance tests. While Consumer Reports car testers lauded the Challenger's acceleration and engine sound, the car received criticism for its handling, braking, visibility and fuel economy.

The Challenger received an overall rating of 53 out of a possible 100, which is close to the lowest score in Consumer Reports' "Sporty Car" category. The highest score in the category, a 97, was received by the BMW 135i, a car the magazine doesn't recommend because of poor predicted reliability.

The Chevrolet Camaro and the redesigned 2010 Ford Mustang, the two cars that compete most directly against the Challenger, were both too new to be included in the owner satisfaction survey, which requires that a car be on the market for at least a year.

John Linkov, Consumer Reports managing editor for autos, said he saw no conflict between the magazine's low rating and consumers' opinions of their own cars. The magazine's testing doesn't take into account factors like design that can greatly influence customers' vehicle choices. The purpose of the magazine's testing is to provide a baseline for comparing vehicles, he said, and car buyers need to reach their own decisions.

Linkov recommends that car shoppers consider multiple vehicles before buying one, and factor in the results of their own test drives.
"Make your choices totally informed, and if, at the end of the the day, it adds up to something else for you, that's fine," he said.

 

[Chris1992]

Had to go represent the challenger on their comments below. Some idiot was blabbing on about how the Challenger and Mustang suck. He likes the Camaro apparently lol

 

[Houdini]

Had to go represent the challenger on their comments below. Some idiot was blabbing on about how the Challenger and Mustang suck. He likes the Camaro apparently lol

And he doesn't even know what he's talking about..... solid rear axle :rofl:

 

[Chris1992]

And he doesn't even know what he's talking about..... solid rear axle :rofl:

Haha thats what I said! Maybe that would shut him up, the only real thing he can reply back to is his opinion on the interior! lol

 

[Houdini]

And I'm tired of people ripping on the interior too. It isn't a foo foo luxury car.

Jeff Gale, the son of famous Chrysler design executive Tom Gale, explains how they took a big step forward on the interior design of the 2009 Dodge Challenger. Chrysler has been roundly criticized on the interior designs of its recent vehicles and on the Challenger it went out of its way to show that it's improving its interiors. Jeff Gale points out the use of different materials on the interior, and how they used certain design elements to tie it all together.

 

[Chris1992]

Great video! I myself love the interior (wish there was a diff steering wheel though)
But most prefer the Camaros or Mustangs. They all have their cons and pros.

Mustang has the personal choice of changing the color of the gauges at any time (that would be a cool feature have) There is a nice blend of retro styling but modern look to it, but the radio just looks way out of place.


Camaro has the center console gauges (IMO they look pretty cool) But it just adds to all the stuff they have crammed in there! Way to much going on!


Challenger has the comfortable seats, so much room, simple lay out(everything looks like its suppose to be there, nothing out of place), and I like the gauges! We also have 5 seats!

 

[Houdini]

There is a nice blend of retro styling but modern look to it..

I agree. And if it was more modern, the idiots would complain that it wasn't retro enough. :doh:

 

[Houdini]

Here's a great article on Mopar Muscle Magazine about the Consumer Reports rating.
http://blogs.moparmusclemagazine.co...r-satisfaction-car-hating-magazine/index.html

 

[IntimidatorR/T]

I think what I have done to my door panels in puttinig a classic challenger script emblem in the middle of that panel just sets it off.