Sterling ranks highest among conventional medium-duty trucks in overall product satisfaction, while Hino ranks highest among cab-over engine medium-duty trucks for the second consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study.
Medium-duty truck product satisfaction is based on six key factors of the ownership experience (in order of importance): vehicle quality; vehicle engine; vehicle transmission; ride, handling and braking; vehicle cab interior; and exterior design and styling.
Sterling, which is represented in the study by its L-Line and Acterra models, performs better than the industry average in each of the six factors of product satisfaction. Peterbilt and Kenworth closely follow Sterling in the conventional medium-duty truck overall product satisfaction rankings. Peterbilt scores highest in vehicle quality and vehicle transmission, while Kenworth scores highest in ride, handling and braking.
Hino, which represents 20 percent of the cab-over market, scores highest in its segment in five of the six factors of product satisfaction, with vehicle transmission being the only exception. For the second consecutive year, Hino’s biggest competitive advantage is in vehicle cab interior, where it scores considerably higher than its nearest competitor in the segment, according to J.D. Power.
The 2003 Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 1,600 primary maintainers of two-year-old medium-duty trucks (Classes 5, 6 and 7). The study analyzes customer satisfaction across a number of important factors, including vehicle performance, product quality, interior and exterior design, dealer service, dealer parts and manufacturer images.
