Gojirra99

Kelley Blue Book 2008 Brand Image Awards

Posted on Friday 21 March 2008


Influential auto resource Kelley Blue Book (KBB) and its marketing research team have compiled a list of vehicles based its consumer perception data. Researchers look at carmaker’s achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that consumers look for when buying a new car, and is one of the best indicators of how certain brands are perceived by the public.

The winners were announced during a media event at this week’s New York Auto Show and include top picks for ‘Best Interior Design’ and ‘Best Exterior Design.’ Remember that the cars are not judged on any particular criteria but are picked depending on consumer perception, arguably the most important indicator.

The winners are as follows:

Best Overall Interior Design: Toyota
Best Overall Exterior Design: BMW
Best Overall Prestige Brand: Mercedes-Benz

Best Interior Design — Non-Luxury Sedan/Coupe/Hatchback: Toyota
Best Interior Design — Luxury Sedan/Coupe/Hatchback: Lexus
Best Interior Design — Sports Car/Convertible: Mercedes-Benz
Best Interior Design — Truck: Chevrolet
Best Interior Design — Non-Luxury SUV: Toyota
Best Interior Design — Luxury SUV: Lexus
Best Interior Design — Minivan: Honda

Best Exterior Design — Non-Luxury Sedan/Coupe/Hatchback: Chrysler
Best Exterior Design — Luxury Sedan/Coupe/Hatchback: BMW
Best Exterior Design — Sports Car/Convertible: Porsche
Best Exterior Design — Truck: Chevrolet
Best Exterior Design — Non-Luxury SUV: Ford
Best Exterior Design — Luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz
Best Exterior Design — Minivan: Toyota


via motorauthority

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Exactly.

That's why I don't agree with a lot of these choices...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

interesting results. toyota and lexus winning on both sedan interior and suv interior, i kind of agree with that. lexus not winning any of the exterior, they need to work harder on that i think

i think funniest one to me is minivan, toyota winning exterior and honda winning interior?

mmarshall

Philip is correct. I disagree with many of them myself.

Many (not all) of newer Toyota interiors have too much thin, cheap-looking, painted-silver plastic, flimsy rotary dials, and tinny-sounding doors when you close them. Chris-Bangle designed BMWs, not just IMO but in the opinion of man others as well, don't look as good as their predecessors (even though some other automakers have copied the look), and I-Drive is disliked by many as well. Many Mercedes vehicles, granted, have A-1 safety engineering, rocket-sled power levels, and extremely sophisticated suspensions that combine good ride with good handling, but is that worth them being in the shop (usually for electronic problems) more than they are out? Methinks not.

LexFather

Wow, out of what 36 brands, maybe 5 or 6 are mentioned with all those categories....

mmarshall

There may some sense to that part of it. The Odyssey's interior fit/finish level and quality of interior hardware, to some extent, is better then the Sienna's, though it lacks the wood paneling found in some trim levels of the Sienna. Honda, like it or not, seems to have a Swiss-Watch quality to their vehicle materials and assembly that few, if any, other automakers can match (though some new Honda/Acura steering wheels, granted, are awful). Older Lexus products were also Swiss-Watch-like, but have given some of that up lately.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i can't agree with that. maybe honda has improved, but 2 yrs ago when i was shopping for minivan, i checked out 5 odyssey and their interior quality was horrible. none of them had a lined-up-correctly glove box

and i thought most people like the exterior of the odyssey more than sienna

IsraelRX

Well I have a Sienna ltd. I agree that Honda has some points over the Sienna in the interior department (door panels, seats look richer) but the Sienna (at least in ltd edition) seems more upscale. The fake wood inserts, the whole AC/radio controls feel and look better (esp. the lighting, whats up with Honda's 80's green that doesn't even match the gauges?), it feels more carlike and everything is in reach (my wife is 5ft and in the Honda she had problems reaching stuff, including pushing the accelerator all the way).
To sum it up. Among 6 families we know we are the only ones with a Sienna, the rest (herd?) bought the Odessey. When I gave them a lift in the Sienna they all concluded it was better looking inside and out.
Problems with Toyota are:
1. They are expensive. (our AWD ltd. goes for 40K!)
2. They have too many configurations, people get frustrated. Honda has EX, EX-L & Touring...thats it!

TRDFantasy

I must also disagree with this. I've spent enough time in the current Sienna and current Odyssey and I must admit that the Sienna has a more solid interior with better fit/finish and quality hardware. An uncle of mine has a 2006 Odyssey and I've driven it on several occasions. The suspension shudders and gets nervous on rough roads, transmitting vibration to the cabin. At higher speeds, the engine manages to transmit vibration through to the floor. The interior is also not as ergonomic IMO as the Sienna. There were also some minor fit/finish issues with the Odyssey. I've seen the same issues on several current-gen Odysseys.

The Sienna when I drove it felt more solid, with better ergonomics, better refinement and less fit/finish issues. Most of the buttoms and controls had better feel and looked better than the Odyssey.

whlkev

best overall exterior design : BMW?

LOL, they gotta be kidding

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well a loaded odyssey is also 40k, so that's about the same imho. granted though, i think for the same amount of money you get a bit more car in honda than toyota though

IsraelRX

I don't know about other parts of the U.S, but here in the NW I could have bought an Odessey Touring for 3K less than the Toyota ltd.
As for getting more car...I'm not so sure.
*Sienna has AWD as option.
*Engine is more powerful.
*Has tilted rear windows (the Honda dropped those for some reason)
and other stuff.

If I had to buy a Minivan again, I would buy another Sienna AWD ltd, great car/van

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Wow, lot of people actually love Chris Bangle's design???