Consumers most happy with safety-related technology, JD Power says - Dallas News

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Consumers are most satisfied with collision-avoidance technology such as lane-change warnings and least happy with navigation systems, according to the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study released today.

The inaugural study measured owners' experiences, usage and interaction with vehicle technology in the first 90 days of owning a new car or truck.

The findings were based on surveys of 17,864 people who bought or leased 2016 model vehicles.

Although consumers ranked all of the technologies as pretty average - 730 on a scale of 1,000 - they were most satisfied with the safety-related technologies, J.D. Power said.

Technologies such as blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning , lane-keeping/centering and back-up cameras drew an overall score of 754.

At the other end of the spectrum, owners gave navigation systems a rating of 687.

Moreover, the study found that many new-car owners weren't even aware of the technologies in their vehicles or didn't know how to use them.

"For any technology in a vehicle, it's critical that the owners want it, are aware they have it and know how to use it," said Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction and HMI research at J.D. Power. "It is alarming how many technologies consumers have in their vehicles but aren't using because they don't know they have them or don't know how to use them. Both of those knowledge taps have long-term implications for future demand."

In the various vehicle segments, BMW and Hyundai each had two vehicles that ranked highest in their respective segments for satisfaction with the vehicles' technologies -- the compact BMW 2-series cars and mid-size 4-series cars, as well as the Hyundai Genesis mid-size sedan and Tucson compact crossover.

Also ranking high in their segments were the Chevrolet Camaro, Kia Forte compact sedan and Nissan Maxima full-size sedan.

Satisfaction varied greatly by segment. It was highest in the large-vehicle segment (755), followed by small premium vehicles (735), compact premium vehicles (732), mid-size premium (731), compact (727), mid-size (725) and subcompact (706).

"It's not just how much technology you have in the vehicle, but how well it's delivered," Kolodge said. "The technology's usability and how well it is integrated into the vehicle are critical - and that has to be done."

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