Intrepidation

Autoblog J.D. Power and Associates has just released its 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study... and it is a bombshell. For the past 14 years, including the most recent 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study, Lexus has sat at the top of the chart. In a significant upset this year, Buick and Jaguar have tied for top ranking (with just 122 problems per 100 vehicles) dropping the premium automaker Lexus (126 PP100) down to third place. The top five are rounded out by Toyota (129 PP100) and Mercury (134 PP100). The Vehicle Dependability Study is designed to accurately measure problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old (2006 model year) vehicles. J.D. Power based this year's results on responses from more than 46,000 original owners of 2006 model-year vehicles. For 2009, the study has also been redesigned to include 202 different problem symptoms across all areas of the vehicle. Scores are based on the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with lower scores reflecting higher vehicle quality. The complete J.D. Power press release and charts can be found after the jump and in the gallery below. PRESS RELEASE J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Buick and Jaguar Tie to Rank Highest for Vehicle Dependability; Toyota Motor Corporation Captures Ten Segment Awards; Ford Motor Company Garners Four WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 19 March 2009 - Buick and Jaguar each rank highest in vehicle dependability in a tie, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS) released today. Buick improves from a sixth-place ranking in 2008, while Jaguar improves from 10th place. Following in the top five rankings this year are Lexus, Toyota and Mercury. Toyota garners five segment awards-more than any other nameplate in 2009-for the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia, Solara and Tundra. Lexus follows with four segment awards for the ES 330 (in a tie with the Acura RL), GX 470, LS 430 and SC 430. Lincoln captures two awards for the Mark LT and Zephyr. Models by Acura, Buick, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan and Scion each rank highest in one segment. "Buick has ranked among the top 10 nameplates each year since the study was last redesigned in 2003, while Jaguar has moved rapidly up the rankings," said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Lexus remains a very strong competitor in long-term quality. In particular, the Lexus LS 430 sets the industry standard for dependability, with fewer problems reported than any other model in the study." The study, which measures problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old (2006 model year) vehicles, has been redesigned to include 202 different problem symptoms across all areas of the vehicle. Overall dependability is determined by the level of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality. The study is used extensively by vehicle manufacturers worldwide to help design and build better vehicles-which typically retain higher resale values-and by consumers to help them make more-informed choices for both new and used vehicles. "In the current economic climate, consumers are delaying new-vehicle purchases and keeping their vehicles longer-the average age of a vehicle at trade-in has increased to 73 months in 2009 from 65 months in 2006," said Sargent. "This makes vehicle dependability even more critical. Automakers have improved long-term dependability by an average of 10 percent each year since the inception of the study, which is a testament to the industry's commitment to continuously improve and sustain quality, especially long-term quality. Making improvements in long-term quality not only satisfies customers who are holding onto their vehicles longer, but it will also influence their decisions when they return to the new-vehicle market or are seeking to purchase a pre-owned vehicle." The study finds that the frequency and severity of component replacement has a particularly strong impact on customer loyalty intentions. Component areas for which the impact is greatest include engine and transmission. When engine components are replaced or rebuilt, just 11 percent of customers state that they definitely intend to purchase or lease another vehicle of the same make, compared with nearly 40 percent among owners who report replacing no components. The study also finds that Buick, Lincoln, Mercury and Jaguar owners are less likely to replace components than owners of other vehicle brands. While component replacement rates are similar for premium and non-premium makes, there are notable differences between vehicle segments. Owners of models in the premium sporty vehicle segment are least likely to replace components, while owners of models in the van segment are most likely to replace components. The 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 46,000 original owners of 2006 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded in October 2008. Find more detailed findings on vehicle dependability as well as model photos and specs by reading an article and reviewing brand and segment dependability ratings at JDPower.com. About J.D. Power and Associates Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies. About The McGraw-Hill Companies Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

O RLY? CMG owns one as I recall and begs to differ. Way to bring back an old thread. /sarcasm

I still like the Sky better...but this has the advantage of a top that's not retarded. Although if the soft top takes up as much of the trunk as they say, well that just sucks. I new the interior was going to be an issue...It's a Pontiac after all. Lousy interior means EXCITEMENT!!! Except for the G8...it has a nice interior...so it's not a real Pontiac. I kid I kid...sort of. I wouldn't mind the cheapy interior quality and lack of storage so much as the driving position. I would have to actually sit in one and take it for a ride to see how it is...but if it's not comfy that's a deal breaker. That's why I'd never want to be in a PT Cruiser...it's is so uncomfortable.

What Works: Looks like a $100,000 sports car. What Needs Work: Has the interior of a $5,000 sports car, and the powertrain refinement of a $12,000 sports car. Bottom Line: Not without enjoyment, but its crude drivetrain and interior keep it from being a favorite. We could smell him long before he crept from the dark doorway. Part booze. Part full diaper. "What kind of car is that?" he asks during his stumble and sway across the road. "It's the new Pontiac Solstice Coupe." "Daaaaaaamn. That is beautiful, but I thought it was the new Volt," he says, circling the car. "Hey, Bobby," he yells back into the dark doorway. "Check this out. It's a Solstice. I thought it was that new Volt, but it's not. It's a Solstice." Bobby appears. Part booze. Part full diaper. "What is it?" "I thought it was that new Volt," repeats El Disgusto #1. "But it's not, it's the... it's the..." He turns back to us, opens his bloodshot eyes extra wide and asks, "What is it?" "It's the new 2009 Pontiac Solstice Cou..." "Yeah, it's the Pontiac Solstice Coupe, but I thought it was the Volt. Come on, Bobby. Let's get something to eat." More stumble. More sway. True story. And proof positive that GM's marketing blitz for the Chevy Volt is reaching the homeless community of Venice, California. It also proves that the bums of Dogtown have quite an eye for design. Drop-Dead Gorgeous The 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe is beautiful. Drop-dead so. The design stops joggers midstride and grabs stares from Beverly Hills lawyers in their high-end European machines. It's the kind of car you can't walk away from without looking back at least once. And it's butch in a way the roadster can never be. Manly, but not to a flaw. Metros are welcome. Cruise around in a Solstice Roadster and as many women compliment the car's style as men, but in the Solstice Coupe only the male of the species responds. And always with a primordial thumbs-up. Based on the design of the Solstice Coupe Concept, which wowed the world way, way, way back at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, the new Solstice Coupe proves that what looked good when Bush was popular looks even better now. Well, with the exception of Bush himself, of course. (Hillary, too. The pantsuits have not aged well.) Inside and Under the Hood Still, it's not all guns and roses, despite what the press release says. "The Solstice has always represented some of the best traits of Pontiac: sporty styling, fun to drive and economical," said Susan Docherty, GM North America vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. "The Solstice Coupe shares those same attributes and provides an all-season alternative for people who still enjoy open-air driving." All of which is true, but Docherty fails to mention that the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe is sabotaged by the same unrefined drivetrain and ergonomically challenged interior as the Solstice Roadster. From the seats that feel like they are filled with marshmallow pudding to the steering wheel that's just too low, to the complete lack of storage (just to name a few gripes), the Solstice interior has never been a benchmark of design or execution. And neither has its drivetrain. Like the roadster, the Solstice Coupe comes in two flavors: base and GXP. We tested a GXP coupe recently and as with the roadster, its 290-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 made up for some of the car's shortcomings. This base car, however, doesn't get away with as much. Its 173-hp 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder is not exactly smooth or powerful. Wring its neck and the Solstice Coupe, which is not exactly light at 2,942 pounds, is quick enough to get you into trouble, but the thrill is coupled with enough vibration to trigger panic at the UCLA seismology laboratory. The slow-revving Ecotec doesn't exactly like to find its 7,000-rpm redline and its five-speed transmission is geared very tall. Taching out just a few gears seems to take a month and the shifter will numb your right hand like the handlebar of a superbike. Track Testing We endured the torture, however, and headed for the test track. The 60-mph mark came up in 7.5 seconds from a standstill (7.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). It did the quarter-mile in 15.6 seconds at 89 mph. Overall, a performance identical to the last Solstice Roadster we tested. With a slalom speed of 64.2 mph and skid pad performance of 0.86g, the coupe and the roadster handle the same, too. Both Pontiacs are very stable and easy to drive quickly thanks to their wide stance and big 18-inch tires, but tossable they ain't. As we've said before, compared to any Mazda MX-5 Miata (including the one with the retractable hardtop) the Solstice — any Solstice, including the coupe — feels like a boulevard cruiser. We weren't surprised. To build a Solstice Coupe, Pontiac starts out with a Solstice Roadster and basically bolts on the fixed roof complete with the opening glass hatch and removable targa-style roof panel. (There will be no Saturn Sky coupe.) Gone are the roadster's ill-fitting soft top and its heavy and complex folding mechanism. But the car's weight and weight distribution didn't even change enough for Pontiac to bother retuning the suspension. Therefore the ride is about the same, too; comfortable, if a bit choppy on some concrete surfaces. Same brakes, too. And they work just fine; best stop from 60 mph was 120 feet. And fade is not a problem off the racetrack. Two Tops Despite the new fastback roof line and glass hatch, cargo volume remains at a premium. Pontiac says there's 5.6 cubic feet of space, including a very small bit of storage beneath the floor. It's not enough. Carry along the optional fabric roof panel, which rolls up for transport much like the top of a Lotus Elise (only less elegantly), and the entire cargo area is essentially full. Worse than that, when installed on our silver coupe it looked like a toupee. We say leave the magnesium-framed, body-colored panel in place at all times. Sure it weighs just 31 pounds and is removed quite easily, but it doesn't fit in the car. That's right; it must be left behind, so top-down road trips need to be either short or without more luggage than a toothbrush and a spare pair of Underoos, depending on your roof choice. Visibility is also at a premium. If maneuvering through a tight parking lot gives you the chills, this is not the car for you. Cool Coupe So it has its problems. But this little car can make you smile. Climb in, crank up the Hair Nation and the drive to work feels special. You sit low and look through a gunsight-style greenhouse. The view out is all long hood and creased fenders. Somehow it takes you back in time to the days of Porsche Speedsters and Bugeye Sprites. Don't ask too much of it and the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe is very likable. It doesn't push all the right buttons but it tickles most of them. Plus, there's nothing else out there like it for the price. For less than 30,000 bucks, the Pontiac Solstice Coupe oozes cool. And for many buyers, that just might be enough. The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation. InsideLine

I sprinkled it on the first layer of bacon to give it an even coating. When I make it again eventually I'll probably add a little more. I also coated it once it was rolled up. Just be patient with it. It takes a surprisingly long time to get it ready (about an hour if I remember). And of course slow cooking it takes a while but so worth it. As far as health goes...if you've ever had bacon and sausage with your eggs for breakfast this is the equivalent plus BBQ sauce. I mean, yeah, if you eat the whole thing yourself everyday you're gonna be in trouble, but splitting it at a party once in a while won't be the end of the world.

Cntrl+Tab+Up is complex?

Hmm, well #1 is thanks to the safety regs. #2...eh It seemed to lap the Ring pretty quick and it's smaller than a Challenger. #3 is a decisive factor though.

I'd love it if Chrysler called their bluff and actually pulled out of Canada. Refusing to bargain won't seem liek such a smart idea when you're JOBLESS.

So I forget, what don't you like about it?

:rotflmao:

As for as the site goes,. it not so much as a complaint as a thought. It might be cool to have seen them play around with the Transformers them a bit.

Car A

Too me it looks bigger in pictures than real life. But then I know it's based on a full size platform, so I don't walk into the showroom expecting something the size of a Cobalt.

No I see that, but the way you worded it made it seem like it was a package to be checked off, which I didn't see. However upon looking at the pictures earlier I found that those gauges are standard on 2LT and 2SS models.

To each their own. That's why it's optional. I like how it visually lowers the car. Also, the simple/clean ground effects for the Camaro are not rice. THIS is rice:

Try downloading the new version: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/?promoid=DXLUJ

Where is that package? I don't see it.

Well the stripes and wheels all come in different colors, I don't see why the ground effects wouldn't either if they were available.

That's a tough call. Vehicle A sounds like the logical choice from problem free commuting. Depending on how new it may even have a warranty still. However it also sounds like a penalty box and it will remind of you of it every time you get in. Vehicle B would bring you joy an satisfaction every time you got in and drove it, until something potentially goes wrong. If you're prepared for potential repair down the road and are willing to except that, I would choose vehicle B. Vehicle B sounds a lot like my car. While I didn't know just how bad the reputation was on the 2.7 when I bought it, I was well aware that with 173,000 miles on it that something like a timing chain or belt would be in it's future, and that some parts may have to be replaced due to the higher mileage. Even when I found out about the 2.7's reputation months after buying it, I simply accepted it and looked forward to putting a bigger motor in it. I've owned it for 2 years and put nearly 25,000 miles, and taken it halfway across the country on it it with about 3 small problems total before the time came to replace the engine. And even now I can still drive it.

Saab SRX?

Dino juice for all the cars. I like Castrol GTX High Mileage.

It's because Americans are perceived as fat, lazy bastards who feel compelled to buy the biggest car or truck they can to give them a sense of security.

Firned of mine has one of these: He paid $300 for it I think. I've used it and it's nice. I like the compact functionality. I would pay $300 for a bike, not $400 more than what my Intrepid cost.