2014 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards Are Out

The 18th Annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards have been handed out, and among the big winners are Lincoln and GMC, voted the two highest-rated brands. (Lincoln was tops in the premium category, while GMC took home top honors in the “Popular Brand” category. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class posted the best overall score.

The Vehicle Satisfaction Awards are the work of vehicle consulting form AutoPacific, located in Tustin, California with a second office in Detroit. These awards identify the most satisfying vehicles based on responses from more than 92,000 new vehicle owners. 

Vehicle Satisfaction Awards Help Consumers

For the 2014 model year alone, there are 32 brands – and 274 vehicles – from which to choose. These awards help consumers make more informed decisions on what new vehicles to purchase, letting them know which ones are at the top of the categories they are considering.

What differentiates the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards from others is that, while others highlight a car’s reliability or quality, the lone benchmark for AutoPacific is the owner’s complete satisfaction with their cars. A criteria checklist of approximately 50 items is used to objectively measure the overall ownership experience. These include everything from interior comfort and convenience to fuel economy and performance.

Lincoln jumped from sixth last year to first this year, while GMC supplanted fellow GM brand Buick as the top dog in 2014.

Vehicle Satisfaction Award Winners

In addition to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, other individual awards were given to:

Luxury Midsize Car: Lincoln MKZ

Large Car: Chevrolet Impala

Midsize Car: Kia Optima

Compact Car: Kia Soul

Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette

Heavy Duty Pickup: Ford F-Series Super Duty

Light Duty Pickup: GMC Sierra

Midsize SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee

Large Crossover SUV: GMC Acadia

Midsize Crossover SUV: Nissan Rogue

Compact Crossover SUV: Hyundai Tucson

Minivan: Honda Odyssey

The 2014 results are a bit more diverse than they have been in recent years. Chevrolet took home the most awards with four; Lincoln collected three; and Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Kia and GMC each won two.