Lexus, Mercury, Cadillac top reliability survey

Furthermore, the types of problems reported have trended toward "soft" problems, like funny noises or aesthetic wear, in place of "hard" problems such as major technical defects, Sargent said.

"Improved quality is good for everybody. It's good for the consumer -- they don't have the annoyance of problems, they don't have the costs associated," he said. "For the manufacturer, it's obviously good news because they don't have to pay so much in warranty repairs."

Ford leads domestics

Broken out by segment, Lexus took top honors in six categories for its IS 300, ES 300 and LS 300 sedans, the SC 430 coupe, and the GX 470 and LX 470 utility vehicles. Toyota led four categories and tied Honda for a fifth. Toyota's Prius hybrid was the top-ranked vehicle in the compact car segment.

Besides the Buick Century, one other GM vehicle was ranked the best in its segment: The Chevrolet Monte Carlo took the honor amid midsize sporty cars. Ford led three categories with the Crown Victoria large car, the Ford Ranger midsize pickup and the Mercury Monterey minivan.

Chrysler was the only Detroit automaker with no brands ranked better than the industry average.

J.D. Power's dependability results are watched closely by automakers and are often used in advertising. Owners' opinion of a car after three years can be a major influence on their opinion to buy that brand again.

Top-ranked 2005 models by segment
Subcompact Car	Winners
Highest-ranked	Hyundai Accent
Runner-up	Scion xA, Chevrolet Aveo
Compact Car
Highest-ranked	Toyota Prius
Runner-up	Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla
Compact sporty car
Highest-ranked	Mazda Miata
Runner-up	Toyota Celica, Subaru Outback Sport
Midsize sporty car
Highest-ranked	Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Runner-up	Toyota Solara, Mitsubishi Eclipse
Midsize car
Highest-ranked	Buick Century
Runner-up	Mercury Sable, Toyota Camry
Large car
Highest-ranked	Ford Crown Victoria
Runner-up	Mercury Grand Marquis, Buick Park Avenue
Compact premium sporty car
Highest-ranked	Honda S2000
Runner-up	BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster (tie)
Entry premium vehcile
Highest-ranked	Lexus IS 300/300 Sport Cross
	BMW 3 series, BMW X3
Midsize premium car
Highest-ranked	Lexus ES 330
Runner-up	Lexus GS300/GS430, Acura RL
Large premium car
Highest-ranked	Lexus LS 430
Runner-up	Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac DeVille
Premium sporty car
Highest-ranked	Lexus SC 430
Runner-up	Ford Thunderbird, Porsche 911
Compact multi-activity vehicle
Highest-ranked	Honda Element, Toyota RAV4 (tie)
Runner-up	Honda CR-V
Midsize multi-activity vehicle
Highest-ranked	Toyota Highlander
Runner-up	Buick Rainier, Mercury Mountaineer
Large multi-activity vehicle
Highest-ranked	Toyota Sequoia
Runner-up	Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Excursion
Large pickup
Highest-ranked	Toyota Tundra
Runner-up	Ford F-150, Dodge Ram
Midsize pickup
Highest-ranked	Ford Ranger
Runner-up	Toyota Tacoma, Dodge Dakota
Van
Highest-ranked	Mercury Monterey
Runner-up	Ford E-Series, GMC Savana
Midsize premium multi-activity vehicle
Highest-ranked	Lexus GX 470
Runner-up	Lexus RX330, Volvo XC70
Large premium multi-activity vehicle
Highest-ranked	Lexus LX 470
Runner-up	Cadillac Escalade EXT, Cadillac Escalade

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