BlueEyes

have you driven the new mustang?

spork

what a strange list....

Entry midsize car: Pontiac G6
Huh? I thot the G6 was a minor flop?

Premium midsize car: Kia Amanti
Whoa? The Amanti is more desired than say the Acura TL?

Entry Luxury car: Lexus IS300/IS300 SportCross/Mercedes-Benz C-class
Over the BMW 3 series?

Sporty car: Ford Mustang
Premium sports car: Chevrolet Corvette
Sure. American readers so there's going to be a bias toward american cars. Plus those two are nice in their own right.

Entry SUV: Kia Sportage
I'm guessing Kia has really improved this car. I had an older one as a rental once and it was utter trash. After I dropped it off, I decided I would NEVER buy a Kia. But yeah I've heard Kia and Hyundai have made ENORMOUS advancements.

The discontinued Pontiac Aztek placed third, after the Nissan Xterra, in the "Entry SUV" category.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aoshi Shinomori

The ones, from what I've read, seem to hold their own "in the twistes." Maybe not quite as good as cars like the 8 or the S2000, but that is to be expected with a bigger car. The new Mustang is not too shabby.

therm8

I rode in a newer Kia Sportage a while back, and I must say I was impressed. It's no X3, but the quality greatly exceeded what I expected.

playdoh43

consumers love to own mustangs, and the sales data backs it up. stop the mustang hate.

Blue87Sport

Have you seen the JD Powers ratings for the RX-8?

Go to http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/ratin...ndJdAwards.jsp and put in the RX-8.

Average or below average in everything but comfort. WTF??? I guess the only people from this forum who voted are the few with blown engines.

No wonder it wasn't on the list.

Smoke Honda

iTrader: (1)

Kia Amanti? KIA AMANTI?!?! A KIA!??!!!!!!! WTF!!!! WTF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mmats69

Look around. You probably see 10 to 20 mustangs for every 1 rx-8 that you see.

mkaresh

You've got to think about the research behind the ratings, what questions were asked, and who was asked these questions.

The APEAL study surveys people who own the car. These are people who already bought the car in question, implying that they liked it better than the alternatives. If they didn't like something about the car, especially something that should be evident before they bought it, then they wouldn't have bought the car. It's kind of like people asking how much they like the clothes they're wearing.

Of course, this bias is the same for every car in the sample. So how to explain why some cars do better than others?

Frankly, there is a bias towards ugly cars. If a car is good looking, like many people consider the RX-8 to be, then many people are likely to buy it for the wrong reasons, or figure they can just live with a few things they don't like. If a car is ugly, and especially if it is widely regarded as such, then those who buy it likely do so because it truly meets the full range of their needs.

More than this, if they know many others don't think much of their car they'll defend it all the more. This is why the Pontiac Aztek was tops in its segment a number of times. This factor also comes into play even if a car is just widely recognized as a second- or third-best choice behind a widely recognized leader. This is why the BMW 3 will trail cars like the Lexus and Mercedes.

A low price can cut both ways. Most people don't like to think they bought an inferior car just to save money. So they'll argue that they really like the car. This tends to boost ratings for Korean cars as long as they aren't unreliable. On the other hand, if the incentive is so huge, the manufacturer seemed desperate, and the car has obvious weaknesses, then people might regret cutting corners and the car will receive no such boost.

With the RX-8 I think fuel economy really takes a lot of people by surprise, and this could affect their opinion of every aspect fo the car. Most people aren't very good at forming multiple opinions about a single product. If one thing upsets them, then every aspect of the product is suddenly bad. Similarly, if nothing upsets them and they like one thing a lot, every aspect of the product seems good. This might explain why so many people think Toyota sedans are good looking cars...

Tigster

Mustangs have been around for years and they have VERY loyal consumers. There are people that have 2 or more mustangs per house hold. It is one of those cars that people grew up riding in and want to relive the experience of when they were younger.

Frostee

price may have something to do with it...

Canadian $$$

Kia Amanti starts @ $35995
Acura TL starts @ $41000

differences are probably similar on the american side of the border (i would assume)

tiggerlee

Outlaws eXtreme

Mustang is a nice little ride that is great for it's value.

I'd still stick with the Rotary though... more fun to drive, and gets more looks. Kinda sad to pull up next to another Mustang and see a 70 year old grandma driving one.

Zoom zoom.

cas2themoe

Funny that you say that. I see about 10 new mustangs a day where I live and about 7/10 are driven by 40+. But out of all those that I do see, only 1 or 2 are a GT's, most are just the base model. BOOOOOOOOOOO

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

True that. Everytime I see the 05 mustang I read the bak for the GT symbol or the front for the fogs. I usually don't see those.

Aoshi Shinomori

Don't the GTs have dual/bigger exhaust pipes?

truemagellen

are you retarded?

Speed-ER doc

Mustang ownz u.

truemagellen

do u know I have two bunnies?

RotaryNoob

A couple weeks ago a guy at work bought a brand new Mustang GT. Knowing that I'm a car guru he tossed me the keys and told me to go take it for a spin.

I gave it hell but it really didn't impress me. I guess I just expected more. After hopping back in my 8 I felt right at home and reassured that I made the right decision.

Don't get me wrong the Mustang is a nice car, but its not for everyone. I, for one, would rather be in a lighter, higher revving, and nicer looking car such as the RX-8 or even the S2000.

Japan8

You should take the Mustang for a run after a reflash with the SCT tuning kit, cat-back and intake. The 1/4mi will drop significantly...

snizzle

this fact basically nullifies any credibility that the survey had :D

Yeah it's strange, i've always wondered why anyone would buy a V6 Mustang. The GT is in short supply from what I understand. Also, the fogs really do add to the appearance of the car.

RX8_Buckeye

It's difficult for some sports car enthusiasts to understand, but there is a very good reason. The majority of people feel that they are getting 95% of the style of a Mustang GT for considerably less money and much cheaper insurance. That, coupled with the fact that the performance of the V6 is more than enough for your average driver, and it's clear to me why the sales mix is along the lines of 70/30 V6/V8.