Driving a brand new car off the lot is always exciting. Unfortunately, that new-car honeymoon can be short-lived according to more than 3-hundred thousand people in Consumer Reports’ Annual Owner Satisfaction Survey. Here’s a peek at what cars owners love to hate.
70 percent of the respondents in Consumer Reports survey said they were happy and they would buy their vehicle again, but of course that leaves 30 percent that were not happy.
Owners of the Dodge Dart were far from thrilled, reporting annoyances ranging from sluggish acceleration to weak air conditioning, along with multiple mechanical problems causing trips to the dealer for repairs, making the Dart the most disliked compact car!
People who bought minivans seemed to be pretty happy with their purchase, except maybe for Dodge Grand Caravan buyers. Dissatisfied owners said the transmission shifts roughly and it has uncomfortable rear seats with an interior that felt cheaply made. They even hate the radio!
There’s unlikely to be a lot of repeat buyers of the Jeep Compass, with just 42 percent of owners saying they’d buy one again. Complaints included feeble acceleration and disappointing fuel mileage. And the Compass was rated uncommonly poor by owners for overall comfort.
The least liked car in our entire survey was the Acura ILX. Just 41 percent of respondents said they would buy the ILX again. Owners panned its lack of quality, pokey acceleration, excessive road noise and rough ride.
And if you’re looking to buy a new car sometime soon, there’s an important take-away from this survey. If these people were unsatisfied with the car, chances are, you’re probably going to be unsatisfied too.
But it wasn’t all bad, Consumer Reports said owners loved their hybrids! 90 percent of Chevy Volt owners would buy their cars again, and so would 89 percent of Toyota Prius and 78 percent of RAV4 Hybrid owners. You can visit CR.org for the full results of Consumer Reports’ survey.
Complete ratings and recommendations on all kinds of products, including appliances, cars & trucks, and electronic gear, are available on Consumer Reports’ website. Subscribe to CR.org.
