Lexus has ranked third in the 2007 J.D. Power Customer Service Study, coming up behind Jaguar and Buick and tying with Cadillac:

The study “measures the customer satisfaction of vehicle owners who visit the dealer service department for maintenance or repair work during the first three years of ownership”, and in its 27th year, is a highly respected benchmark for automakers.

Lexus has seen its ranking drop from 2006, when it finished first, but at only 12 points behind the leader, and only 1 point less than last year’s result, this speaks more of Jaguar’s renewed commitment to their customers than anything else.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

While not Lexus specific, Joseph B. White of the Wall Street Journal has taken a deeper look at J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey and is driven to wonder, Is Initial Quality still relevant?

Now, most of the major auto makers have made so much progress, that the Power Initial Quality Survey has less to offer the consumer.

Let’s stipulate that most journalists should not be allowed to analyze statistics in public. But this example isn’t that hard. Lincoln scored 100 problems per 100 cars. That means, on average, buyers of new 2007 model Lincolns reported one problem per car to J.D. Power.

Mercedes owners reported 111 problems per 100 cars. Put another way, the Mercedes owners identified, on average, 0.1 more problems with each individual vehicle than did the Lincoln owners.

Except, there is no such thing as 0.1 of a problem. Problems are like pregnancy. It’s all or nothing.

This echoes my own thoughts while reviewing the recent results, the margins are incredibly thin — practically every automaker can build a car that remains relatively trouble free for three months(with the exception of Land Rover, seemingly).

This doesn’t necessarily make the Initial Quality Study obsolete, especially when you consider the significant weight it has with the general car-buying public. No matter how tiny the difference between rankings, low scores mean bad press. Mercedes-Benz illustrates this point perfectly. Constantly ridiculed for their poor results, MB took considerable action to raise their score this year, jumping from 25th place to 5th.

I would consider long-term tests much more important, but it stands to reason that a vehicle that posts worse-than-average scores in the first 90 days of ownership has the potential for more headaches years down the road.

Seems like there’s no end to the awards and studies this week, next up: Ward’s 8th annual Interior of the Year Awards.

The only Lexus up for nomination was the LS 460, and it took third place in the Premium Priced Car category, behind the Infiniti G35 and the Jaguar XK. However, the LS 460 did walk away with the Best Overall Comfort speciality award.

Still, it’s too bad the Chrysler Sebring won the Best Cup Holder Award, that would have been one to hang up in the Lexus head office foyer.

Another study was released today, this one by San-Diego-based research firm Strategic Vision. Their Total Quality Index, or TQI, is considered the premier measure of new vehicle owner satisfaction, as it asks buyers to rate every aspect of the owner experience.

Lexus made a decent showing, with the RX 350 placing first in the Near Luxury SUV category, and the LS 430 coming in second in Luxury Cars. Other models didn’t fare so well in their segments: The GS 350/430 placed sixth in Luxury Cars, the IS 250/350 placed fifth and the ES 350 ninth in Near Luxury Cars. The remaining models didn’t even figure into the rankings, as their sample size was too small to be included.

The bigger news from this study was the lack of any Toyota-branded vehicles taking top spot in their respective segments, and more importantly, Hyundai coming away with three first place finishes. Hyundai has developed into a real threat for their competitors, and the results from this study add some serious credibility to the Korean manufacturer.

[Source: Strategic Vision]
[Via: Carscoop]

J.D. Power & Associates published the results of their 2007 Initial Quality Study, and Lexus placed second in the overall rankings, behind Porsche:

As you can see, it was a very close race, with Lexus owners reporting 94 problems per 100 Vehicles as compared to Porsche’s 91.

The individual vehicle results were less flattering, with only the RX 350/400h placing first in its class.

Midsize Premium Car

1. Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2. Lexus GS 350/430/450h 3. Infiniti M-Series/Volvo S80

Large Premium Car

1. Audi A8/Mercedes-Benz S-Class 3. Lexus LS 460

Premium Sports Car

1. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 2. Porsche 911 3. Lexus SC 430

Midsize Premium MAV

1. Lexus RX 350/400h 2. Lincoln MKX 3. Lexus GX 470

As for the rest of the the Lexus lineup, the ES 350, IS 250/350 and GX 470 all failed to place in top three of their respective segments.

All in all, a strong showing for the brand, with just enough room for improvement to keep them on their toes.

[Source: J.D. Power]

KBB has released the “Interior Styling” results of their consumer automotive perceptions research study, and Lexus scored high in each of the luxury categories:

Luxury Sedans

1. Lexus 2. Mercedes-Benz 3. Infiniti

Luxury SUVs

1. Cadillac 2. Lexus 3. BMW

Convertibles/Sports Cars

1. Mercedes-Benz 2. Porsche 3. Lexus

From my own experience, I know Lexus would have been in tough against Mercedes in the Luxury Sedan category. Mercedes has a very commanding interior presence, and it’s no surprise that they came first in the Convertible/Sports Car category. The Cadillac Escalade interior was greatly improved in their 2007 redesign, and their first place finish in the SUV category is well deserved.

Lexus parent company Toyota almost swept the remaining non-luxury categories, with the except of Truck interiors, which went to GMC.

[Source: PR Newswire]