Corvette overall Ideal Awards winner; GMC, Porsche top brands

(August 22, 2014) TUSTIN, Calif. — Automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. has announced the 2014 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA). AutoPacific’s IVAs are designed to recognize vehicles that best meet their owner’s expectations and desires, helping consumers make informed vehicle purchase decisions with “owners talking” feedback.

The top overall winner is the Chevrolet Corvette. For the second year in a row, the top luxury brand is Porsche. The top popular brand is GMC, also the top popular brand in AutoPacific’s 2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.

Ford and General Motors both had the most wins at five apiece, followed by a diverse brand breakdown, including Honda and Volkswagen, each with three wins, MINI and BMW with two wins, and one win each for Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota (Lexus), and Fiat-Chrysler (Jeep).

This year’s winner’s list also contains six completely redesigned vehicles: Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Acura RLX, BMW 3-Series GT and X5, Chevrolet Impala, and Fusion HEV-PHEV.

“Winning an IVA in their first year of release shows that these newly redesigned vehicles have hit the mark with their owners, but it also shows that the designers did their research to know how to best meet the needs and expectations of their core group of buyers,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. Of these new vehicles, only the BMW X5 and Ford Fusion Hybrid were IVA winners in their previous generation.

While overall vehicle performance varies within each attribute, more than 25% of consumers still seek more interior storage, better visibility and easier ingress/egress. 17% of consumers want easier to use technology, up 4% points from 2013, and the only attribute with a significant increase in desired change.

The 2014 awards are based on responses from over 92,000 new vehicle owners across all major manufacturers. Surveyed after 90 days of ownership, respondents were asked what changes they would make to their car or truck in 15 key categories, including interior storage, ease of technology use, power and acceleration and seat comfort.

“The vehicle buying and owning experience is often a love-hate relationship,” explained Peterson. “Buyers purchase their vehicle for many reasons, including price, style, and lifestyle fit, but it’s often not until the vehicle is driven for a while that the little annoyances start to show themselves and people wish things were a bit different.”

AutoPacific’s IVAs recognize vehicles where owners want the least amount of change across the 15 surveyed attributes.