Text by Top Gear
Photos by motioncars.com
MOTIONCARS Magazine
http://motioncars.com/
The Top Gear/JD Power survey is a lot more than a reliability survey. Carried out for Top gear by JD Power, one of the world's leading market research companies, it's unique because it measures customer satisfaction: the way both the car and its dealer back-up match up to the expectations of the owner. That's why a Skoda can score higher than a BMW - it's the customer's expectations and how they're fulfilled that count. 

This year's survey covers cars s (from August '97 to July '98) and is based on a comprehensive questionnaire returned by 24,089 Top Gear viewers and readers. 

Roughly a quarter of a car's final rating is based on reliability, another quarter on the way it drives. Customer care (courtesy, helpfulness, speed of garage staff, etc.) counts for about 20 per cent and the remainder is accounted for by service costs, warranty cover, quality of work done and so on. 

As well as an overall score out of 100, each car gets 'blob' scores in eight categories amalgamated from the comprehensive survey findings: 

Performance 
Not purely about speed and power; the smoothness of both the engine and transmission are rated too, as well as road handling. 

Fuel economy 
Obvious but important - more economical cars get higher scores.  

Customer care 
Encompasses courtesy, efficiency, helpfulness and all those other old-fashioned virtues that add up to the customer feel good factor. 

Dealer charges 
Covers fairness of charges for parts and service, and also includes adequate explanation of service/repair bills and associated times. 

Mechanical problems 
Includes any faults which occur with the vehicle's engine, transmission, steering, handling, brakes or tires. 

Electrical problems 
Deals with heating, air conditioning, accessories and audio. 

Body and interior problems 
Judges the standard of build quality, including fit and finish, wind noise, squeaks, rattles and water leaks. Exterior paintwork and moldings come into this section too 

Miscellaneous problems 
All those other annoying faults which send you scuttling back to your dealer to complain are gathered together here 

 Since some of these categories are more important to the overall score than others, the winning car isn't simply the one with the most blobs. Likewise, the blobs themselves are just an easy reference scorecard; the JD Power statisticians can go much deeper into the results. That's why cars with the same blob scores have different overall scores.
1. Subaru Legacy
2. Subaru Impreza
3. Skoda Felicia
4. Toyota Starlet
5. Jaguar XJ Saloon
6. Honda Shuttle
7. Toyota Corolla
8. Subaru Forester 
9. Toyota Picnic
10. Volvo S70
11. Honda CRV
12. Toyota Celica
13. Honda Prelude
14. Saab 9-5
15. BMW 7-series
16. Hyundai Lantra / Elantra
17. BMW 3-series
18. BMW 5-series
19. Mazda 626
20. Mazda 323
21. Mitsubishi Galant
22. Toyota RAV4
23. Mazda MX5 Miata
24. Mitsubishi Colt
25. Nissan Primera
26. Suzuki Wagon R
27. Toyota Land Cruiser
28. Hyundai Accent
29. Honda Accord
30. Honda Civic
31. Mercedes-Benz E-class
32. Hyundai Coupe / Tiburon
33. Nissan Micra
34. Volvo V70
35. Nissan Almera / Sentra
36. Proton Persona
37. Saab 9000
38. Toyota Carina / Corona
39. BMW Z3
40. Mercedes-Benz C-class
41. Mercedes-Benz SLK
42. Suzuki Baleno / Esteem / Chevrolet Cassia
43. Chrysler Voyager / Dodge Caravan
44. Saab 9-3
45. Seat Ibiza
46. Chrysler Neon
47. Audi A4
48. Daewoo Leganza
49. Nissan 200SX
50. Audi A3
51. Mitsubishi Carisma / Lancer
52. Citroen Xsara
53. Rover 600-series
54. Lotus Elise
55. Nissan Terrano II
56. Volvo V40
57. Daewoo Nubira
58. Seat Alhambra		 59. Seat Cordoba
60. Jeep Cherokee
61. Volkswagen Golf
62. Audi A6
63. Ford Puma
64. Volvo S40
65. Daewoo Lanos
66. Ford Fiesta
67. Ford Mondeo
68. Land Rover Freelander
69. Renault Megane
70. Citroen Xantia
71. Ford Scorpio
72. Seat Arosa
73. Volkswagen Passat
74. Land Rover Discovery
75. Suzuki Vitara
76. Jeep Grand Cherokee
77. Rover 400-series
78. Peugeot 406
79. Ford Ka
80. Citroen ZX
81. Rover 100-series
82. Volkswagen Polo
83. Alfa Romeo 145
84. Alfa Romeo 146
85. Daewoo Nexia
86. Fiat Marea
87. Land Rover Range Rover
88. Renault Clio
89. Vauxhall / Opel Astra
90. Ford Galaxy
91. Renault Laguna
92. Rover MGF
93. Alfa Romeo GTV / Spider
94. Citroen Saxo
95. Fiat Brava
96. Fiat Coupe
97. Volkswagen Sharan
98. Fiat Punto
99. Fiat Cinquecento
100. Vauxhall / Opel Corsa
101. Vauxhall / Opel Tigra
102. Renault Escape
103. Vauxhall / Opel Omega
104. Rover 200-series
105. Vauxhall / Opel Vectra
106. Rover 800-series
107. Alfa Romeo 156
108. Peugeot 106
109. Peugeot 306
110. Fiat Bravo
111. Ford Escort
112. Ford Explorer
113. Rover Mini
114. Vauxhall / Opel Frontera
115. Vauxhall / Opel Sintra