JD Power Survey 2005 - Executive and luxury cars

You’d be forgiven for assuming that this class would bring certain satisfaction. Yes, it is true that only three of these cars fail to make the top half of the overall results.

However, there are notable exceptions, not least the Mercedes . It finishes second bottom in this class and barely makes the top 100 overall. Worse still for Mercedes, the C-Class finishes only two places above the E in this sector.

Top of the heap again is the Lexus IS and credit must go to Lexus for its consistently high scores. However, it was pushed hard by the BMW 5 Series, which narrowed the margin of the IS’s victory compared with last year.

Sadly, the Alfa 156 finishes last again.

Lexus IS200/300 CLASS WINNER
Rating 85.5% Overall Ranking 2nd
Once again, an excellent performance from the IS. It remains a clear winner in this class, even though the gap to the next best has narrowed since last year.

Again, the IS secures second place overall, too, and for the same reason: consistently good scores across the board. It’s rated as excellent in three categories, and above average in every other category except for one. The only real criticism – and it was surprisingly heavy criticism – was for its fuel consumption; diesel power is unavailable.

Otherwise, it’s good news all the way. Owners love the looks, the dealers and the interior, and they like driving it. Last, but not least, it has above-average build quality and mechanical reliability.

BMW 5 Series Second in class
Rating 84.3% Overall Ranking 6th
The Five keeps rising up the overall charts: eighth overall last year and sixth this year.

The interior was its real strength and every aspect scored extremely well, from the seat comfort, practicality and layout to the stereo and ventilation systems. On top of that, owners rated the running costs and dealers highly, and had plenty of favourable words about the quality, reliability and handling.

BMW 3 Series Third in class
Rating 82.9% Overall Ranking 14th=
A fine showing from the 3 Series, which secures third in this class. It scored well for handling and owners found running costs very affordable. They also rated service from dealers as above average.
It isn’t quite so impressive in the other categories but, even so, there are no horror stories about reliability, quality or comfort – it’s rated average in each one.

Click here for the executive and luxury cars results table

Click here for the model league table

Click here for the manufacturer league table