{"id":77818,"date":"2014-06-18T14:08:51","date_gmt":"2014-06-18T18:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=77818"},"modified":"2014-06-18T14:16:15","modified_gmt":"2014-06-18T18:16:15","slug":"the-top-ranked-vehicles-in-the-jd-power-2014-initial-quality-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2014\/06\/the-top-ranked-vehicles-in-the-jd-power-2014-initial-quality-study\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top-Ranked Vehicles in the JD Power 2014 Initial Quality Study"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Hyundai Accent scored second only to the Porsche Panamera among all 207 models included in the 2014 JD Power Initial Quality Study.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the typical 2014 model posted a \u201csomewhat unusual\u201d dip in quality, at least according to the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, there were a number of stellar performers on the list \u2013 including some significant surprises.<\/p>\n

Porsche led the list among 32 brands covered by the 2014 IQS, while the German maker\u2019s 4-door sports car, the Panamera, had the \u201csingle-lowest\u201d number of problems among any of the 207 models the annual survey of U.S. owners covered.<\/p>\n

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In Drive!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even more surprising, perhaps, was the fact that Korean carmaker Hyundai came in fourth overall, and was the highest-ranked of all mainstream makers, beating out such familiar quality leaders as Toyota and Honda. And the little Hyundai Accent, at the other end of the price spectrum from the Porsche Panamera, was the second most problem-free vehicle, the new J.D. Power study found.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have some very expensive cars at the top,\u201d noted Dave Sargent, Power\u2019s lead automotive analyst, \u201cand very inexpensive ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Why has quality dropped this year? For more on the 2014 Power Initial Quality Study, <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a>.) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lexus was third on the list among brands, two spots ahead of its mainstream sibling Toyota, while Chevrolet was the highest-ranked domestic brand, at sixth.<\/p>\n

The IQS measures consumer concerns in terms of so-called \u201cproblems per 100 vehicles,\u201d or PP100s. Those can include anything from a faulty transmission to a hard-to-operate infotainment system. In fact, design-based issues — such as a voice control system that won\u2019t properly program a destination into the navigation computer \u2013 now are more common than mechanical failures. And infotainment-related problems have become the single most frequent owner complaint.<\/p>\n

And the fact that new models tend to come loaded with lots of the latest technologies may explain why all-new and significantly redesigned vehicles introduced for the 2014 model-year tended to have more serious quality issues.<\/p>\n

(Lincoln leads in latest Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. <\/em>Click Here<\/a> for more.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Which vehicles topped the chart according to the 2014 Initial Quality Survey? Here\u2019s a list of the winners, and their scores, by product segment:<\/p>\n

Small Car <\/strong><\/p>\n