J.D. Power surprises

Just got my new copy of the J.D. Power car guide. Some surprising results! Isuzu is hardly ever even mentioned in the 100 page guide. All of you Hummer and Cayenne fans will be interested to know that in the quality rankings, the Hummer was dead last followed by Volkswagen and Porsche. They went on to say that Porsche was only ranked so low because of the abysmal quality of the Cayenne (the 911 is still ranked number one in Premium Sports cars). The overall top-ranked brand remains Lexus (this also agrees with Consumer Reports).

Hyundai was ranked very high, 7th out of 37, beating many more prestigious brands like Mercedes, Infiniti and BMW. They say Korean cars are the best value since their quality (although once terrible) is now equal to the competition, with lower prices and a better warranty (100K mi). Just thought some might be interested. Please post remarks, comments, etc.

I have found that many used car guides do not mention the VehiCross. It is like it never existed. Kinda adds to the mystique, though. :-)

I have never sat inside let alone driven a Kia or Hyundai, but just from taking close looks I have been fairly impressed. A coworker of mine drives a Kia Sorrento. To me it is a bit reminiscent of a Lexus but looks better and seems like a quality ride. I like what Hyundai is doing with Tiburon, though it needs some more tweaking. You'd probably see a lot more of them if it weren't up against Celica and RSX. It's a 3,000 lb. car that stopped just four feet shorter than a VX in braking tests, by the way.

At my workplace, we have a Trooper, a Rodeo, and a VX in the parking lot. It's a smaller business, so Isuzu is well-represented. What I'd like to know is if the VX in some way caused the Trooper sale. :-)

I was a very surprised that Isuzu wasn't included; but I guess since they only have one ongoing model which is really a GM product, it is not too surprising. If they really do come out with a new model (in 2007?), they will have lost most of their dealers by then, and might decide to sell it under another brand and just pull out of the consumer market all together (in the U.S.).
I don't know know how much stock to put in these rankings, but I guess I should at least change my opinion of Hyundai, after all the high marks it has been getting. Just goes to show you can't necessarily judge a vehicle by the image of its brand.
Hummers and Cayennes are very commonplace where I live (mountain resort community); and I guess most people drive them for "prestige" more than anything else, since the quality isn't anywhere near the price. Personally I am happy with my VX for the price I paid, it does what I want and turns a lot more heads than an overpriced Cayenne.

Years ago many described Korea as 'the next Japan' .... or something to that effect.
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...If Hyundai came to America this strong 20 years ago there would be little question of their quality, however they gave us the EXCEL... ;wtf; Hyundai has had their hands in everything from toaster ovens to oil tankers to personal computers :yes:

I am impressed with their growth, and perhaps my kids will benefit from their success. Quality and value make them attractive :yes:

The Kia Amanti is a gorgeous car. http://www.kia.com/amanti/amanti-photos.php

I tried to talk my dad into getting one, but he spent an extra 5k or so and got a Lexus ES. I still think he should have tried out the Amanti!