Top 10 Carmakers with the Best Dealerships

Washington DC March 8, 2007

The AIADA newsletter reported that yesterday Forbes rated the top ten carmakers with the most attentive, effectual dealerships.

BMW's MINI made the list, thanks to its customer-friendly sales approach. "We really catered all aspects of the dealership experience to our target customers," says MINI spokesman Andrew Cutler. "And they're a different kind of customer in that they're very hands-on and technically tuned-in and want to know about their car."

J.D. Power's Tom Gauer says that dealers as a whole are getting better at respecting customers' time, but that this is still a major point of contention that separates the best from the worst. Dealerships with the highest sales satisfaction have gone to a single-contact system all the way through the sales process, which helps keep the customer from feeling passed off or ignored. This tactic has long been used at luxury dealers, but non-luxury ones are increasingly adopting it.

10 car companies -- luxury and non-luxury -- with the best dealership experience by combining their SSI and CSI scores.

The autochannel

Top 10 Carmakers with the Best Dealerships

Washington DC March 8, 2007

The AIADA newsletter reported that yesterday Forbes rated the top ten carmakers with the most attentive, effectual dealerships.

BMW's MINI made the list, thanks to its customer-friendly sales approach. "We really catered all aspects of the dealership experience to our target customers," says MINI spokesman Andrew Cutler. "And they're a different kind of customer in that they're very hands-on and technically tuned-in and want to know about their car."

J.D. Power's Tom Gauer says that dealers as a whole are getting better at respecting customers' time, but that this is still a major point of contention that separates the best from the worst. Dealerships with the highest sales satisfaction have gone to a single-contact system all the way through the sales process, which helps keep the customer from feeling passed off or ignored. This tactic has long been used at luxury dealers, but non-luxury ones are increasingly adopting it.

10 car companies -- luxury and non-luxury -- with the best dealership experience by combining their SSI and CSI scores.

The autochannel

Driving the Chevrolet Captiva in Holland

From "Autozine.nl" the internet automotive magazine

Reactions by owners

Name : "Mail"
Experience with the car : Beautiful car, drives incredibble. Enjoyable to drive on the highway. On rough terrain, remarkably quite, no rattling. Consumption 11-12Ltr/100km, not very economical. But one should not complain when buying a car like this.

Name : S.Snijder
Experience with the car : Experience the sensation! What a perfect car.

Name : "Info"
Experience with the car :
You can buy the 2.4liter gasoline with confidence. It is not a performance vehicle, but what difference does it make doing zero to 100kph (60mph) in eleven and not 10 seconds, just one second. Easy to move around traffic . If you are looking for a nice spacious vehicle, you try the Captiva. I recommended it.


Name : Pijnacker
Experience with the car :
I am absolutely satisfied with it wit the 2.4L version I bought. The car is extremely comfortable and richly equipped,especially for a base model.

Name : Richard Druppers
Experience with the car :
You have to buy it! Everybody has something to complain about the 2.4L engine. Here (www.autozine.nl), de Autoweek, Autovisie and others. I startedwith the info compiled from deze publication and bought the Captiva anyway. Conclusion : Sometimes the automotive press is not in line with our experience.
No need to spend unnecessarily, at least givethe 2.4L-version a try. For me he is more than satisfactory.


Comments on the testreport

Name : BMW
I tried the V6 and I have to say that I was impressed, beautiful finish, tight suspension, drives very controlled. In comparison to the Santa Fe and the Sorento(Hyundai), the Captiva gives a more definitive European impression.

Name : Victor
I tried the 150PK diesel version but eventually choose the 127HP version. I will only get mine in June. After reading the testreports, we started wondering if we choose the right engine.

Name ; Herman Van Dijk
I too drove an entire weekend in the 2.4L Captiva and I have to admit that I was surprised by its comfort, quite ride and quality of the car. In respect to any minusses of the 2.4L; I didn't notice any! It rides beatifully.

Name : Verryssen Ronal
I tried it during the Open House, and was charmed by this beautiful SUV, the 2.4L version. The price/quality performance is quite reasonable if not excellent.


Name : Robert Gras
I too tried my hand at this baby, and I have to agree with the previous comment plus the following : What is wrong with the 2.4L? True, it's not a performance beast, will not tear up the road, but then I would have taken a Cayenne (Oh no, forget it! Did you see the price?). So : a car with a great impression. Even with the 2.4, a decent performance and great material finish. Mij opinion : For the driver who is not a real road warrior and looks for something different.

Click here to read the original reports at autozine

Fastlane Blog : Good Feedback on the Certified Used Vehicle Warranty

By Brian McVeigh

General Manager, Fleet and Commercial Operations (USA)

Preliminary reports from our dealers indicate that customer interest has been encouraging regarding last week’s announcement that General Motors will provide a fully transferable 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty with no deductible on 2002-2006 model GM Certified Used Vehicles.

You should note that there are no exceptions to eligibility for this powertrain limited warranty, which is standard only on 2002-2006 model year GM Certified Used Vehicles purchased on or after March 5, 2007. However, you may want to consider the many GM Protection Plan offerings, as they can be tailored to include only the powertrain components or broader coverage, based on your needs.

Continue reading "Good Feedback on the Certified Used Vehicle Warranty"