Subaru Forester
Rank: 5
Subaru pulled off an amazing feat last year. It was the only mass-market automaker to manage a sales increase, albeit a modest one. A strong performance by the redesigned Forester crossover SUV was a big factor in that.The Forester ranked as the fifth most successful new vehicle launch despite mediocre scores for quality and owner satisfaction in J.D. Power surveys. But it was the right product at the right time and Subaru gauged the market correctly. The Forester was priced right and Subaru didn't make the mistake of flooding the market too soon.
The competing Dodge Journey crossover, which ranked 24th out of 27 new vehicle launches last year, performed very poorly in J.D. Power's initial quality surveys. Owner satisfaction was about mid-grade, like the Forester. On the business side, the Journey was about average, according to J.D. Power. Although it didn't make huge profits for Chrysler and its dealers, it wasn't a flame-out either.
NEXT: Ford Flex
