J.D. Power recently released the results of the 2023 U.S. Tech Experience Index study, ranking more than 30 OEMs in the user experience with advanced vehicle technology as it first comes to market. Buick was ranked below average in the study, both in terms of overall ranking among all car brands studied and among mass-market brands specifically. The study is offered as an early measure of potential problems encountered by vehicle owners.
The results of the latest J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Tech Experience Index study are based on survey responses from 82,472 new-vehicle owners, who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study was fielded between February and May of the 2023 calendar year, and focused on new 2023 model-year vehicles.
Using these customer responses, J.D. Power measured the level of adoption for new technologies from each car brand studied with how much owners liked the technologies, plus how many problems they experienced while using them. This criterion was then used to calculate an overall score for each car brand based on a 1,000-point scale, with a higher score indicating a better experience.
According to the study results, Buick scored 462 points, placing it in eighteenth on the list among the 32 individual OEMs ranked. The overall study average score was 503 points. The highest-ranked brand was Genesis with 656 points, followed by Hyundai with 547 points and Cadillac with 533 points.
In the mass-market brand segment, Buick placed eighth among the 18 OEMs ranked. The segment average among mass-market brands was 478 points, while the segment leader was Hyundai, followed by Kia with 528 points and GMC with 505 points.
Notably, the 2023 U.S. Tech Experience Index study also identified a selection of vehicles for Advanced Technology awards, with 40 automotive technologies studied. Unfortunately, Buick was not among the award recipients.
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Comments
I believe it. My 21 Envision has been quirky to say the least.
– Automatic breaking kicking on at random times when there’s nothing around
– My lane keep assist is “unavailable” since the start of summer and my bumper to bumper warranty is expired
– My heads up display never remembers the view I want and constantly resets to the default
– My dashboard makes a whining sound like there’s a leaky capacitor somewhere.
Not great. Particularly for it being an Avenir.
This is an example why Kia is kicking GMs fanny in sales.
I love how you get downvoted for owning an Envision and list your own experience.
My father has a 21 Envision as well and your list is almost verbatim to his. He also has an issue where during wheel spin the car will bog down while AWD literally slams into action, he almost spun out in the snow when this happened.
Terrible product. I’m talking him in to trading it. No 48k product should he having these type of issues.
These studies make very little sense. GMC is ranked 3rd in Mass Market, and Chevrolet 6th. Buick is 8th. Cadillac is actually 3rd in the overall rankings. All of the GM brands use a variation of the same tech. It’s not like they are all using totally different tech for these systems. One has to wonder how demographics play into this and how much the age of the owners influences the ratings. My senior parents have a current Toyota hybrid with all of the latest tech in it, and they are constantly having to look in the various manuals for things as simple as changing the radio station. They haven’t even considered trying to change or adjust ANY of the advanced safety systems; all of that stuff (lane keep, emergency braking, etc.) is still set at whatever the defaults were at delivery 2 years ago. They consider it overly complicated and panic anytime some sort of new icon or message pops up on one of the screens. When I’m in the car, it all seems very seamless, easy to use, and generally straightforward (and my 2015 Chevrolet with MyLink is nowhere near as advanced.)
So, we’re not allowed to joke about Buick being an old folks brand, but then this article comes along and we use old folks as an excuse for why the customers don’t like the tech.
It’s not an excuse, it’s a valid point because Buick IS an “old folks” brand. The reality is that the average age of a Buick customer is 60 years old. Couple that with the relative affordability of Buick, and it is still considered an affordable “upgrade” [from Chevrolet] for that particular age group. That means you have predominantly senior citizens purchasing Buicks. Throw in touch screens, dozens of available settings via the DIC, and everything else in there and it is a recipe for dissatisfaction. I spend a lot of time around senior citizens {many of whom retired from technical professions or were teachers), and very few of them are tech savvy. They know enough to make it through the day. Most rely on their children or even grand children to assist them with tech (from TV/Internet, to smartphones, to automobiles; even online banking and bill paying.)
Honestly, touchscreen integration in cars was one of the worst things that ever happened. While it was certainly an inevitable temptation for automotive engineers, it has been poorly executed overall. There is a lot to be said for a simple radio with a couple of knobs, and an HVAC system with simple knobs and switches. Then with the introduction of more and more safety systems, which are in turn operated via the DIC and not the touchscreen, it just adds to the chance that the driver will get overwhelmed trying to understand and control it all. Throw some smartphone integration in there while you’re at it and just make it worse. Now, make sure there are icons and alerts for all of it and you create sensory overload. The younger demographic will be able to deal with it; most older customers are going to feel intimidated, frustrated, or just [unwisely] ignore it all until there is a real problem.
The ‘Doctor’s ‘ Car has sadly fallen over the years. So sad.
No surprise. With an incomplete lineup of only cookie cutter SUV´s and crossovers I don´t see how this brand can be competitive. If it weren´t for China, where it sells also a couple of decent sedans (and with certainty the only worthy cars in their entire lineup), this brand would be long dead.
Whoever thought touch screens on cars was a good idea must also think texting and driving is ok as well. Eyes constantly off the road fooling with the dam screen on my Silverado. Not so much on my 2015 vette.