Buyers praise Prius, call Hummer a bummer

Motor, Jun 2003 by Nash, Tom

Results of the annual J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Initial Quality Study, which measures complaints per 100 vehicles in the first 90 days of ownership, have been released. Toyota and Lexus vehicles ranked highest in six of 16 segments, with Lexus vehicles topping every segment in which they compete.

The Lexus LS 430 premium luxury sedan had the fewest complaints per 100 of any vehicle in the study for the seventh consecutive year. Other Lexus vehicles at the top of their respective segments included the GS 430/300 sport sedans, ES 300 luxury sedan and RX 300 luxury SUV.

Toyota vehicles that led their competition were the Prius in the compact car segment and the Highlander among midsize SUVs. In fact, in the compact segment, the Prius hybrid was closely followed by the Corolla. The Toyota ECHO tied with the Mitsubishi Lancer for third.

At the opposite end of the satisfaction spectrum, the Hummer H2 received the worst rating from new buyers. Power says the complaints were mostly from buyers who, although drawn to the H2 for its size, were not prepared for its low mileage performance of 11 mpg. Since the Hummer is classified as a commercial vehicle, fuel economy is not posted on the window sticker. GM says it may now include fuel economy data on the window.