(WTVF/CONSUMER REPORTS) — Can a car make you happy? Maybe. But what exactly makes you happy seems to be influenced by things like where you live and how old you are.
Consumer Reports surveyed several hundred thousand car owners and found that if you really want to be happy with your car, you should be driving a sports car – specifically, a Tesla.
Consumer Reports has survey data on more than 420,000 vehicles and not just about gas mileage and reliability. CR knows what cars are most likely to make you happy.
“We know this because we ask CR members whether they would buy the same car again. Their answer is the basis of CR’s owner satisfaction score. We then look at how owners rate their cars on satisfaction in five categories: driving experience, comfort, value, styling, and dashboard controls,” said Jon Linkov, Consumer Reports auto editor.
Ultimately, owner satisfaction is an individual thing, but there are some interesting trends.
For example, women were most satisfied by the Kia Telluride, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Ford Expedition, while men preferred the Tesla Model S and the Hyundai Santa Fe.
What about where you live? Well folks in the Midwest were happiest with the Chevy Bolt. For the South, it’s the Ford Expedition, Tesla Model S in the West, and the Toyota Avalon in the North.
What about by age? Millennials like the Subaru Ascent. For GenX, it’s the Tesla Model S, while Boomers are likely to be happy with a Ford Expedition. The Silent Generation loves the Genesis G90. But, the top vehicle for everyone in every category is the Tesla Model 3.
“Cars that inspire the strongest loyalty are fun to drive, reliable, deliver great fuel economy or can be driven solely on electricity, or provide a high-tech, luxurious driving environment,” said Linkov.
Consumer Reports also found that price matters when considering happiness, and the more you spend on a car, the more likely you are to be satisfied with it.
