Potential Issues with Versa?

[jacksan1]

I wonder if the Versa would have done better in a couple of the "interior" categories if they had rated the Versa SL instead of the Versa.

The ratings appear to be strictly about quality and design and don't appear to take safety ratings into account.

Interesting, too, that the Fit won more categories than the Rio but the Rio won the overall award.

Granted that the reliability of the results like these depends upon the reliability of respondents, I doubt that a higher trim level would have made a difference, since that is not quality in the sense of failures, which are targeted by this kind of survey.

And yes, this survey is strictly about quality and design. J.D. Power does not survey safety in the way NHTSA and IIHS do.

[srellim234]

jacksan1-

Don't you think the more adjustable driver's seat, front and back armrests, upgraded upholstery, etc. of the SL might have raised the ratings maybe one notch on the interior design and quality?

[jacksan1]

jacksan1-

Don't you think the more adjustable driver's seat, front and back armrests, upgraded upholstery, etc. of the SL might have raised the ratings maybe one notch on the interior design and quality?

I agree with the might part, but unlikely would be more my response. Take the Fit. Its front seats have no height adjuster, and frankly, they are not that good seats (not bad, but not that good). The Fit has no center armrests, either. Yet, the Fit appears to be scoring fine in the interior categories as well as the "features" category with this particular sampling, much better than the Versa. So I doubt that it is the extra features and luxury that score points in this survey.

If the poll were only between the two trim levels of the Versa, the SL might come out ahead of the S. But with J.D. Power, the trim level is not a variable to be weighted.

[srellim234]

Makes sense.

[logicpaysoff]

In addition, the Versa wins out over the Fit hands down in size and interior room...which is actually we we chose it instead of the Fit to begin with.......as time goes by, the resale value will in the end provide a much better picture.....

[nissantech06]

...as time goes by, the resale value will in the end provide a much better picture.....

Which is why Honda has always been a choice for carbuyers...the cars have HIGH resale value.

[logicpaysoff]

True. A recent JD Powers article ties reliability into high resale values...and states that in the long run, automakers benefit by focusing on building quality vehicles...as in the long run, it costs less than dealing with all the warranty repairs and the lower resale value due to a poor reliability image.

One does wonder why some automakers are able to grasp this concept so readily, while others seem to be a slow study on the subject.