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J D Power and Associates South Africa Customer Satisfaction Index Study
First published in the January 2005 edition of CAR, this survey by world-renowned consumer research group J D Power and Associates, is the most comprehensive customer satisfaction index study on South African cars. Unlike other surveys, J D Power and Associates uses a variety of sources to garner its data to ensure the information is as unbiased as possible. To make sure the comparisons are representative, only owners of cars between 10 and 21 months old are surveyed. Every owner completes a comprehensive questionnaire on what goes wrong and how often, likes and dislikes, after-sales treatment, and how much the vehicle costs to run. Scores are given for each item, which are then collated by J D Power and converted into a Customer Satisfaction Index.


The survey covers 25 different aspects – nine are linked to vehicle quality/reliability problems and encompass mechanical, dynamic, interior and exterior factors; eight cover vehicle appeal in the areas of styling, mechanical, dynamics and comfort/convenience; five assess the dealer/servicing experience, and the final three cover running costs (fuel economy, insurance and maintenance). The overall Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) is derived from the total rating achieved in these 25 aspects.

Lower Light Car Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Chevrolet Spark 80,7 good 2 Kia Picanto 79,0 good 3 Hyhundai Atoz 78,7 good 4 Daihatsu Charade 78,4 good Upper Light Car Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Toyota Tazz 76,5 reasonable 2 Fiat Palio 72,6 poor 3 VW CitiGolf 72,5 poor 4 Tata Indica 69,0 poor Lower sub-compacts Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Honda Jazz 88,0 outstanding 2 Chevrolet Aveo 82,2 good 3 Hyhundai Getz 81,5 good 4 VW Polo Classic 81,3 good 5 Nissan Micra 81,1 good 6 Renault Clio 81,1 good 7 Mini Cooper 80,9 good 8 Volkswagen Polo 80,6 good 9 Renault Modus 80,5 good 10 Ford Fiesta 80,4 good 11 Opel Corsa (New) 80,3 good 12 Opel Meriva 78,8 good 13 Citroën C2 78,3 good 14 Citroën C3 77,8 reasonable 15 Daihatsu Sirion 77,8 reasonable 16 Kia Rio 77,1 reasonable 17 Peugeot 206 76,7 reasonable 18 Opel Corsa Lite 75,8 reasonable 19 Ford Ikno 75,5 reasonable Upper sub-compacts Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Honda Civic 84,2 very good 2 Subaru Imprezza 84,2 very good 3 Mitsubishi Lancer 84,0 very good 4 BMW 1 Series 83,9 very good 5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class 83,2 very good 6 Hyundai Elantra 83,1 very good 7 Toyota RunX 82,9 very good 8 Toyota Corolla 82,8 very good 9 Audi A3 82,7 good 10 Volkswagen Jetta 82,1 good 11 Nissan Almera 81,3 good 12 Kia Cerato 81,2 good 13 Volkswagen Golf 5 80,9 good 14 Mazda 3 80,4 good 15 Opel Astra (New) 79,5 good 16 Ford Focus (New) 79,4 good 17 Peugeot 307 78,9 good 18 Opel Astra Classic 78,4 good 19 Renault Mégane 77,9 good 20 Citroën C4 77,2 reasonable

Compact Car Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Toyota Camry 87,2 outstanding 2 Audi A4 86,4 outstanding 3 BMW 3 Series (E46) 85,4 outstanding 4 Volvo S60 84,8 very good 5 BMW 3 Series (E90) 84,7 very good 6 Jaguar X-Type 84,3 very good 7 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 84,2 very good 8 Volvo V50 83,1 very good 9 Mazda 6 82,6 good 10 Volvo S40 82,4 good 11 Peugeot 407 78,7 good Executive Saloon Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Bmw 5 Series 87,6 outstanding 2 Audi A6 84,4 outstanding 3 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 85,0 outstanding Compact MPV Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Volkswagen Touran 83,4 very good 2 Toyota Corolla Verso 82,6 good 3 Hyundai Matrix 78,2 good 4 Renault Scénic 78,2 good 5 Opel Zafira 76,0 reasonable 6 Toyota Condor 74,9 poor Large MPV Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Volkswagen Caravelle 80,8 good 2 Renault Grand Scénic 78,2 reasonable 3 Mercedes-Benz Vito 76,7 reasonable 4 Chrysler Voyager 75,9 reasonable Compact SUV Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Suaru Forester 86,2 outstanding 2 Toyota RAV4 84,1 very good 3 Honda CR-V 83,9 very good 4 Nissan X-Trail 81,0 good 5 Kia Sportage 78,9 good 6 Hyundai Tucson 78,7 good 7 Land Rover Freelander 78,1 good 8 Mahindra Scorpio 75,1 reasonable Medium SUVs Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Toyota Prado 84,4 very good 2 Mitsubishi Pajero 84,2 very good 3 BMW X3 83,9 very good 4 Kia Sorento 77,8 reasonable 5 Jeep Cherokee 72,8 poor Luxury SUV Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 BMW X5 86,8 outstanding 2 Land Rover Discovery 3 83,5 very good 3 Volkswagen Touareg 83,2 very good 4 Volov XC90 82,0 good Half-ton pick-ups Pos Model CSI rating Verdict 1 Ford Bantam 77,2 reasonable 2