JDPower: Consumers don’t like newer cars as much; thinks they are getting worse

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New cars are generally supposed to be better than the old cars, by virtue of the march of technology and lessons learned in their design. As far as consumers are concerned, though, that may not be the case, according to new research from J.D. Power.

According to the research, customer satisfaction with new vehicles is in steady decline. In 28 years of J.D. Power's Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout Study (APEAL), the latest survey marks the first consecutive year-on-year decline in results. “The decline in consecutive years might look small, but it’s an indicator that larger issues may lie under the surface,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power.

The study takes in ten total factors, nine of which received lower scores from consumers over the last two years. The only area of improvement was in fuel economy. That's little surprise, as most automakers have been capable of improving their results in this area, and it's a matter not subject to taste.

The biggest area of dissatisfaction has been in the looks department. Scores have slid from 894 to 888, with customers simply not finding today's new cars as appealing as they once did. Notably, brand-new models aren't doing that well, scoring just 3 points higher than carryover models still in production from previous years.

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