Lincoln, Chrysler score high in AutoPacific satisfaction survey

Lincoln and Chrysler were the top-ranked brands in AutoPacific's national customer-satisfaction survey for 2011.

This was the 15th installment of the annual survey, measuring which brands do the best job keeping customers happy. Lincoln snagged Highest Satisfaction Premium Brand and Chrysler won Highest Satisfaction Popular Brand this year.

Contrastingly, sales have dipped for both makers this year so far. Sales at the Chrysler Division are down 9 percent through April, compared with the same period last year. Lincoln's sales fell 8 percent in the same time frame.

AutoPacific noted that at the manufacturer level, Ford Motor Co. got the most awards in the survey (seven), Toyota nabbed four awards, and Hyundai and General Motors landed three each.

The truck with the highest overall satisfaction score was the 2011 Cadillac Escalade SUV. The car rated highest in customer satisfaction was the Mercedes-Benz S-class.

AutoPacific 2011 Vehicle Satisfaction Award winners

-- Premium Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S-class

-- Aspirational Luxury Car: Hyundai Genesis

-- Luxury Midsize Car: Lincoln MKZ

-- Large Car: Ford Taurus and Toyota Avalon

-- Premium Midsize Car: Hyundai Sonata

-- Midsize Car: Suzuki Kizashi

-- Premium Compact Car: Volvo C30/S40/V50

-- Compact Car: Hyundai Elantra

-- Economy Car: Honda Fit

-- Sports Car: Porsche 911

-- Sporty Car: Scion tC

-- Hybrid Car: Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

-- Heavy-Duty Pickup: Ford F-Series Super Duty

-- Large Light-Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Avalanche

-- Compact Pickup: Honda Ridgeline

-- Luxury Sport-Utility Vehicle: Cadillac Escalade

-- Large Sport-Utility Vehicle: GMC Yukon

-- Premium Midsize Sport-Utility Vehicle: Jeep Grand Cherokee

-- Premium Luxury Crossover SUV: Lincoln MKT

-- Luxury Crossover SUV: Lexus RX

-- Large Crossover SUV: Ford Flex

-- Premium Midsize Crossover SUV: Ford Explorer

-- Midsize Crossover SUV: Mitsubishi Outlander

-- Compact Crossover SUV: Kia Sportage

-- Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country

-- Hybrid Truck: Lexus RX450h Hybrid

By Michelle Koueiter