Nissan, GM rated best in poll of auto owners

Associated Press

DETROIT — Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. were the top performers in a new survey of vehicle quality, with satisfied owners praising power and styling.

BMW was the highest-scoring individual nameplate in the survey by Strategic Vision Inc., a San-Diego-based marketing research firm. The 10th annual survey, released today, questioned some 40,000 owners of 2004 vehicles between October and November about their emotional response to vehicles as well as any problems they have experienced.

Six GM vehicles got top ratings in the survey's 20 vehicle categories, the most of any automaker.

The Pontiac G6 was the top midsize car, while the Buick Rainier was the top midsize sport utility vehicle and the GMC Sierra the top heavy-duty pickup. The Cadillac Escalade and the Hummer H2 tied with Land Rover's Range Rover in the luxury SUV category, while the Chevrolet Corvette was tops among luxury specialty cars.

Nissan delivered five first-place winners and got the highest overall quality scores. The Nissan Maxima sedan tied with the Ford Five Hundred among large cars, while the Nissan Titan was the top full-size pickup. The Nissan Murano was the top crossover, the Nissan Armada was the top large SUV and the Infiniti FX35 was the top near-luxury SUV.