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Chevrolet Blazer, Other GM Vehicles Fare Well In New J.D. Power Vehicle Technology Study

J.D. Power recently surveyed 20,000 owners and lessees of new 2019 model-year vehicles that had been introduced or redesigned in the past three years, quizzing them on what they though of their vehicle’s advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS).

The study found that many consumers find driver alert systems and active safety systems to be annoying, with some finding them so bothersome they will avoid such technology when making vehicle purchases in the future.

J.D. Power also said the study’s findings will prove to be “a major concern for automakers keen to market these lucrative technologies and pave the way for more highly automated vehicles in the future.” The deployment of semi-autonomous systems is seen as a necessary stepping stone to a fully automated future like the one General Motors‘ “zero emission, zero congestion, zero crashes” vision proposes.

On average, 23% of those surveyed complained that their vehicle’s ADAS alerts were annoying or bothersome and of these, 61% sometimes disable the systems. The population seems fairly split on this matter though, as just 21% of those who did not find the system annoying chose to disable it. Additionally, 63% of those that find ADAS technology to be bothersome would consider purchasing another vehicle with it, compared to 91% for those who do not.

GM appears to have easy-to-operate technology, with the automaker’s vehicles appearing in the top three in numerous categories in this study. The Chevrolet Blazer was the to-ranked mid-size crossover for technology, while the Chevrolet Traverse was second. The Chevrolet Silverado and Cadillac XT4 also came second and third in their segments, respectively. This is good news for the manufacturer, as J.D. Power says “owner satisfaction with their vehicle technology experience strongly determines whether they will recommend or repurchase the brand.”

Tech categories car shoppers were most happy with included collision protection tech, such as collision mitigation braking, along with smartphone mirroring, comfort and convenience, entertainment and connectivity, driving assistance and navigation. Notably, driving assistance and navigation categories received the poorest feedback from consumers, which also happen to be the areas most related to autonomous driving.

“Consumers are still very concerned about cars being able to drive themselves, and they want more information about these complex systems, as well as more channels to learn how to use them or how and why they kick in,” said on J.W. Power expert. “If they can’t be sold on lane-keeping—a core technology of self-driving—how are they going to accept fully automated vehicles?”

You can read the full study for yourself at this link.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. Things like adaptive cruise is great as is the 360 camera.

    But auto braking, lane keep and other invasive systems that can come in when needed or not needed with false signals are a pain.

    When I am driving I want to know what the car is doing and if I have full control I know what it will do and when it will do it.

    The lane keep not can randomly grab a tar strip and jerk the wheel when I am in the lane. There are times I am going to go around a car and the auto brake tries to stop the car just as I turn to get around the car.

    Auto park. Heck if you can’t park you should not be on the road.

    I do love my E mail coming up on the radio and my phone working with the system.

    I have no interest in self driving cars. I take driving serious and do just fine. To me this technology will just open the door for even worse habits. How many sleeping Tesla drivers do we need to see where this is going.

    Also mix self driving and driven cars with road rage and just see what someone can do to a self driving car. You will be able to force the computer to do some crazy things.

    Reply
    1. “Also mix self driving and driven cars with road rage and just see what someone can do to a self driving car. You will be able to force the computer to do some crazy things.”

      As opposed to people with road rage today being any more acceptable because their cars are manual driven?

      If the AV system is locked down and proprietary, the driver and/or hackers won’t be able to force the AV to do anything outside of its programming.

      Road rage is a human thing, and AV’s won’t have any reason to exhibit road rage if they’re all reading from the same script and coordinating their actions with each other; which is just the opposite of what happens when someone is having road rage.

      Reply
    2. I think spending money on safety is a waste!!! Take that money and invest it into the drivetrain. Not getting into a accident is more important than having systems that works after the accident.

      You dont need to worry about safety if you never get into a accident.

      Reply
  2. Doesn’t the auto manufacturer pay JD Power associates to conduct surveys on their behalf? Wouldn’t the manufacturer stop paying for the surveys if they all came back negative? I feel like most educated consumers recognize that these “studies” are not to be taken all that seriously.

    That being said, I was very skeptical of the new blazer, but it looks great on the road. The best way for someone to see how the new blazer matches up is to test drive all the comps.

    Reply
    1. What are your issues with the blazer? You do realize that the people who are going to buy them dont even know what a blazer was?

      The blazer is a great looking cuv!

      Reply
      1. The new blazer is growing on me… I just think it wasn’t the most pressing gap in the GM lineup. The aging trax, encore, and compact car segment desperately need improvement. I hope GM hits a homerun with the Trailblazer because the encore GX is a snoozer.

        Reply
    2. i just bought a new Blazer 2 months ago and I love it! The powertrain is fantastic with great acceleration with the V6 and the 9 speed. And, as for the ADAS, it does a short learning curve, but if you can use a smartphoine, you’ll be able to learn to use the ADAS. Having never had many of these new ADAS features before, people are learning to adjust to new technology and this transition is harder for some and easier for others. I’m really happy that the GM MyLink, IntelliLink, and Cadillac systems are rated high because from what I’ve heard and read, the ADAS and infotainment systems from other automakers are really a PITA with the exception of MBUX.

      Reply
  3. Would GMA readers prefer to. It the Blazer or the Acadia? I think I would rather go Acadia if I had to choose.

    Reply
  4. Good News for GM and Cadillac!

    Reply
  5. I’m somewhat indifferent.

    I love things like the parking sensors, and the 360 degree camera, but I cannot stand things like the lane keeping, and the collision warning, nor the extensive use of cameras. I’m not against the extensive use of cameras in vehicles, but it seems like these days, automakers are reducing visibility and just slapping more cameras around the vehicle. Cameras can be great, but I’d rather have em as an accessory….not be forced to rely on them to my actual vision.

    People can complain about these features not being standard all they want, but I’m still happy they aren’t. Why should I have to pay $2400 more for a vehicle with em standard, just so people who cant drive don’t have to pay to get em as an option?? Do I think they should be an option on any trim level? Of course! But some of us don’t want em, don’t need em, and don’t want to pay for ’em.

    Reply
  6. I traded in a 2018 Colorado and bought a Nissan Frontier because it has NO driver assistance features.

    My friend is an insurance adjuster and people seem to ignore the fact that if you get in a wreck with these cars with all this safety tech even replacing a still serviceable bumper is insanely expensive because of all the sensors in the front end of the car. And sometimes they have to total a car that would be completely drive able because of how much tech was damaged. And you DON’T get the full value, you still get KBB unless you have some sort of GAP coverage….

    As we get these increasingly complex systems you really won’t be able to keep your car very long if you want to maintain it yourself. The insurance costs skyrocket on even basic cars that have the technology in them as repair and replace costs are significantly higher than their analog counterparts.

    So we get great increased cost of entry ($2400+ to the cost of the car) plus higher insurance premiums and deductibles, for what? I have had 1 single crash in my life which I was not at fault from (guy was looking down and adjusting his radio and T-boned me) and yet I am supposed to want all this technology that costs way more and is hella $$ to maintain and repair? To keep me safe?

    I am sure the manufacturers love this new tech as it is super easy to mark up and very difficult for aftermarket parts manufacturers to produce replacement items because of the safety tech involved.

    Reply

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