Acura Tops Customer Satisfaction Survey

Acura Tops Customer Satisfaction Survey

Acura topped a consumer satisfaction survey intended to measure how well U.S. car shoppers thought they were treated in dealer showrooms and whether they bought a vehicle on their first visit.

The first-ever study, released Monday by the Pacific Grove, California-based sales consultancy Pied Piper, showed Acura in 1st place, followed by Land Rover, Saturn, Volkswagen, Nissan, Saab, Audi and BMW. 

"The dealerships that scored well all give customers a reason to be interested other than the deal," said Fran O'Hagan, study author and president of Pied Piper. "Acura dealers were very consistent in all categories."

Hagan said research showed up to 30 percent of U.S. vehicle shoppers do not buy on the same day they visit a showroom, making customer satisfaction key for making the eventual sale.

European import and luxury brands dominated the study. A dozen brands ranked below the industry average, including Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler. Toyota, Hyundai and Honda were ranked at the industry average.

The study was based on a combination of results from a survey of random shoppers leaving 1,592 auto dealerships and results from paid researchers posing as car shoppers.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.