Sonic is the Most Dependable Small Car - JD Power 2017 Rankings

[The Champ]

Yes, the 2014 Chevy Sonic has been awarded the "2017 Vehicle Dependability Study Small Car Award".

This award is based on consumer surveys of 2014 original vehicle owners after 3 years of driving.

The Sonic scored a 5 (on a scale of 1 -5) for Overall Dependability and Power Train Dependability, a 4 for Body and Interior Dependability and a 5 for Accessory and Feature Dependability.

Second place was the Nissan Versa with 3, 5, 2 and 3 respectively.

Third went to the Chevy Spark with a 3, 3, 3 and 2.

2017 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) by Category | J.D. Power

Other GM products that led the rankings:

2014 Camaro was #1 with a 5, 5, 5 and 3 in the Midsize Sporty Car class.

2014 Equinox and Terrain finished #2 and 3 in the Compact SUV class.

2014 Siverado and Sierra HD PU finished #1 and 2 in the Large Heavy Duty Class

2014 Tahoe and Yukon finished #1 and 2 with the Suburban finishing #4 in the Large SUV class.

2014 Buick LaCrosse finished #2 in the Large Car class.

2014 Chevy Malibu was #2 in the Midsize Car class.

2014 Buick Encore was #2 in the Small Suv class.

 

[RMinNJ]

I see that.. I see the Cruze beating Subaru and Kia in compact segment also. I find it surprising for both the Sonic and Cruze given the problems we see on the forum...but it does seem accurate with the Focus at the bottom of the compact list..no doubt due to the DCT trans issues.
I just wish GM came out with a faster SS Sonic or Cruze,.

 

[The Champ]

I somehow forgot the Compact segment. I only listed vehicles ranked in the top 3 - but I should have listed the Buick Verano at #2 in the rankings (Cruze was #4). But looking at the ratings, the Verano and the Honda Civic actually rated higher than the #1 ranked Toyota Prius - Prius had scores of 5, 5, 4 and 4 compared to the Verano and Civic with 5, 5, 5 and 4.

 

[mja]

All these tests made no sense to me a while back so I looked into it...

Consumer reports predicted reliability - initial dependability based on previous models & customers in the 1st year.

JDPower initial quality - initial perception of car, rattles and clunks and how easy the controls are to operate - stuff like that.

JDPower Dependability - dependability of a used car @ 3 years, but the orientation of gauges, rattles, etc is factored in too. I think this is the best of all 3, but manufacturers are paying loads of cash for these awards, its hard to say if the tests are reliable.

Interestingly, no test is a good indicator of the sweet spot of buying a car, 1-2 years old under warranty after depreciation has started. Nor are these tests conducted to show that a car will get down the road for a few years without a mechanical or electrical issue.

And all of these tests are skewed in Fords case mainly because its infotainment center is not intuitive. I care less about how intuitive the radio is. I do wish GM would get rid of the turn signal stalk with 24 options.

Here's a good article for those who want to learn a little about the tests.
https://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/why-consumer-reports-and-j-d-power-are-so-different/

 

[The Champ]

All these tests made no sense to me a while back so I looked into it...

Consumer reports predicted reliability - initial dependability based on previous models & customers in the 1st year.

JDPower initial quality - initial perception of car, rattles and clunks and how easy the controls are to operate - stuff like that.

JDPower Dependability - dependability of a used car @ 3 years, but the orientation of gauges, rattles, etc is factored in too. I think this is the best of all 3, but manufacturers are paying loads of cash for these awards, its hard to say if the tests are reliable.

Interestingly, no test is a good indicator of the sweet spot of buying a car, 1-2 years old under warranty after depreciation has started. Nor are these tests conducted to show that a car will get down the road for a few years without a mechanical or electrical issue.

And all of these tests are skewed in Fords case mainly because its infotainment center is not intuitive. I care less about how intuitive the radio is. I do wish GM would get rid of the turn signal stalk with 24 options.

Here's a good article for those who want to learn a little about the tests.
https://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/why-consumer-reports-and-j-d-power-are-so-different/

I've never put much weight in the CR ratings - because they've been so biased over the years (I used to be a subscriber, but when I saw how off base their ratings were compared to my own experience I dropped my subscription.

JD Power is very highly thought of and I personally think they have a much better evaluation process.

As far as Ford's infotainment systems - that does impact the initial quality rankings adversely for Ford. But it has very little to do with the long term dependability scores. The infotainment system is only really considered in the Feature and Accessory Dependability (where the Fiesta scores a 2).

The rough-shifting PowerShift automatic transmission is probably one of the many reasons that the Fiesta has a 2 ranking for Powertrain Dependability.

You are right that manufacturers do make payments to JD Powers, but it has nothing to do with the rankings. The manufacturers are buying (and virtually all manufacturers elect to purchase) the complete detailed survey information so they can try and improve their products in the right places. These purchases are made AFTER the rankings have been established.

 

[mja]

Thanks Champ, that's good info

 

[Natesriv]

My 2013 has only had the oil pan gasket and a new water pump as problems. I did change out the POS rear shocks for KYB's and sealed the rear hatch against wind noise.
Besides that, 50K care free miles and still going strong.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Yes, the 2014 Chevy Sonic has been awarded the "2017 Vehicle Dependability Study Small Car Award".

This award is based on consumer surveys of 2014 original vehicle owners after 3 years of driving.

The Sonic scored a 5 (on a scale of 1 -5) for Overall Dependability and Power Train Dependability, a 4 for Body and Interior Dependability and a 5 for Accessory and Feature Dependability.

Second place was the Nissan Versa with 3, 5, 2 and 3 respectively.

Third went to the Chevy Spark with a 3, 3, 3 and 2.

2017 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) by Category | J.D. Power

Other GM products that led the rankings:

2014 Camaro was #1 with a 5, 5, 5 and 3 in the Midsize Sporty Car class.

2014 Equinox and Terrain finished #2 and 3 in the Compact SUV class.

2014 Siverado and Sierra HD PU finished #1 and 2 in the Large Heavy Duty Class

2014 Tahoe and Yukon finished #1 and 2 with the Suburban finishing #4 in the Large SUV class.

2014 Buick LaCrosse finished #2 in the Large Car class.

2014 Chevy Malibu was #2 in the Midsize Car class.

2014 Buick Encore was #2 in the Small Suv class.

I have a 2012 1.8L auto and they obviously didn't talk to me when they did that survey. I would have given them an earful. .

Put it to you this way, for GM to issue me a full coverage component letter, effectively covering the whole car for a full 10 years or 110,500 miles, it isn't because of a JDP survey being good........

 

[The Champ]

I have a 2012 1.8L auto and they obviously didn't talk to me when they did that survey. I would have given them an earful. .

Put it to you this way, for GM to issue me a full coverage component letter, effectively covering the whole car for a full 10 years or 110,500 miles, it isn't because of a JDP survey being good........

Of course they didn't talk to you.

Go back to the very first line of my post:

Yes, the 2014 Chevy Sonic has been awarded the "2017 Vehicle Dependability Study Small Car Award".

If you want to learn what JDP had to say about the 2012 Sonic - you'll need to look at the 2015 survey that tested 2012 models.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Of course they didn't talk to you.

Go back to the very first line of my post:



If you want to learn what JDP had to say about the 2012 Sonic - you'll need to look at the 2015 survey that tested 2012 models.

Or just look at the stack of warranty receipts I have in my files to realize the answer is: bottom barrel quality.

in 53k miles:

Cylinder head and cylinder head gasket
Two thermostats
Rear brake drums and shoes under a GM campaign
Shifter assembly
Right front window motor
Left front master power window switch
Alternator
Battery at 2 years old
Three sets of stabilizer bar links
Floor mat worn out to the carpet in 5k miles when new
Several transmission reprograms
Brake pedal position sensor (and I had to tell the dealer how to fix it).
Windshield washer recall (which I had to redo myself since the dealer didn't do it right and install the plastic ties)
Air intake duct (I forced GM to pay for it before the campaign)

Shall I go on? Who needs JDP when the tow truck guy says, "I recognized the address and name when it came from dispatch and said to myself, "That car again, I just towed it..........."

I guess you could say it's not a quality piece when GM issued me a 10 year/110,500 mile component letter basically covering the whole car through 2021. That's the only reason I still have it.

So yea, they didn't talk to me . Not GM's best foot forward. The only upside is that through my persistence, everything was covered.

 

[The Champ]

Or just look at the stack of warranty receipts I have in my files to realize the answer is: bottom barrel quality.

Once again, you're missing the key point.

It wasn't the 2012 Sonic that was awarded the JDP Most Dependable Award for 2017 - it was the 2014.

Once again, the 2012 would have been included in the 2015 report.

Dependability of models can vary from year to year - earlier models usually have more issues that are corrected over time.

I have had ZERO issues with my 2014. Nothing but oil and filter changes in the nearly 3 years of ownership - except for the radio reflash program that was done last year (and that was done during my scheduled free oil change).

I'm sorry your personal experience has not been positive. Maybe you should get rid of your Sonic and get something else to drive.

 

[SouthFLSonic]

Hell had my 2012 just under 3 years and 120k miles and only did tired and brakes. Loved it. You got a lemon it happens.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ponchoguy]

Hell had my 2012 just under 3 years and 120k miles and only did tired and brakes. Loved it. You got a lemon it happens.


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Which is exactly why I forced GM to eat the warranty for a total of 10 years. The woman on the phone offered me $2,000 off a new car, I refused. I told that doesn't solve my problem. So they came up with the 10 year/110.5k warranty covering everything.

If I didn't have that, the car would have been gone already. GM failed on this vehicle, part of the issue is the poorly made 1.8L Korean/Daewoo engine. Poorly made.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Once again, you're missing the key point.

It wasn't the 2012 Sonic that was awarded the JDP Most Dependable Award for 2017 - it was the 2014.

Once again, the 2012 would have been included in the 2015 report.

Dependability of models can vary from year to year - earlier models usually have more issues that are corrected over time.

I have had ZERO issues with my 2014. Nothing but oil and filter changes in the nearly 3 years of ownership - except for the radio reflash program that was done last year (and that was done during my scheduled free oil change).

I'm sorry your personal experience has not been positive. Maybe you should get rid of your Sonic and get something else to drive.

I shouldn't have to get rid of a less than 5 year old car due to poor quality problems...that's silly.

The problem at hand is that GM was trying to make a splash in a very crowded small car segment. They failed.

 

[The Champ]

I shouldn't have to get rid of a less than 5 year old car due to poor quality problems...that's silly.

The problem at hand is that GM was trying to make a splash in a very crowded small car segment. They failed.

Personal decision to keep a car you don't like.

GM has been very successful with the Sonic - most people feel that they got excellent value and quality.

 

[zomby woof]

Or just look at the stack of warranty receipts I have in my files to realize the answer is: bottom barrel quality.

So yea, they didn't talk to me . Not GM's best foot forward. The only upside is that through my persistence, everything was covered.

Learn a lesson. Don't buy a first year model car - from anybody, and at least give GM some credit. They recognize the problem, and are covering you for a period likely longer than you'll actually own the car.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Personal decision to keep a car you don't like.

GM has been very successful with the Sonic - most people feel that they got excellent value and quality.

I wouldn't call it successful....I'd say at best it's at least kept some jobs in the US (even though the vehicle only has 47% US content, unlike my G6 convertible which has 85% US content).

It's bottom barrel quality at best. Quite disappointing.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Learn a lesson. Don't buy a first year model car - from anybody, and at least give GM some credit. They recognize the problem, and are covering you for a period likely longer than you'll actually own the car.

They recognized the problem because I forced them to do so.....they wanted to give me $2,000 off the price of a new car and I told them that doesn't solve the $16,000+ paperweight I was driving.

The lesson learned is don't buy an entry level car from GM. They've never done them right and the Sonic is no exception....and that's coming from a 40+ year GM family. I have six GM cars in my fleet alone.

 

[The Champ]

I wouldn't call it successful....I'd say at best it's at least kept some jobs in the US (even though the vehicle only has 47% US content, unlike my G6 convertible which has 85% US content).

It's bottom barrel quality at best. Quite disappointing.

You are entitled to your opinion - even if it's wrong.

I would take JDPowers opinion over your's any day. Because JDPowers isn't a sample size of one.

BTW - my current "fleet" consists of 2014 Sonic, 2014 Cadillac ATS, 1981 Chevy C10, 1972 Camaro, 1964 GTO and a 1949 Cadillac Series 75 factory limo.

My dad started working for a GM dealer back in the 40's. He finished his career in the mid 90's as the Truck Sales Mgr for a Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealer.

I bought my first new GM product in 1977. An entry level Pontiac Ventura. Paid $3250 for it new, put 65,000 miles on it and sold it for $2750. Excellent car!

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[carsNskis]

I wouldn't call it successful....I'd say at best it's at least kept some jobs in the US (even though the vehicle only has 47% US content, unlike my G6 convertible which has 85% US content).

It's bottom barrel quality at best. Quite disappointing.

I wondered why so bitter... but now I get it. I'd be salty if someone tricked me into buying a Pontiac G6....

Salesman: dude, you'll TOTALLY look awesome in this car, AND the roof CONVERTS!
You: hell YES I will!
.... ten minutes later...
You: omg GM is the worst, I think I'll buy another one some day because if I don't make myself a victim who will pay attention to me....?

Congrats, you win Poncho! ...Now piss off