A defect count tells you what went wrong. The Total Quality Index® (TQI) captures the whole experience of quality: positive and negative, product and dealership, reliability and driving excitement, all weighted by the emotional response owners attach to each.
How TQI is calculated
Problems with the vehicle
Problems come in all shapes and sizes. A rattle is not a transmission failing on the highway, so TQI counts both how many problems owners report and how severe they are.
Tangible aspects of the vehicle
Owners rate dozens of tangible attributes, from the comfort of the seat to the side mirrors to how the vehicle feels in a corner, and each is connected to its emotional impact.
Intangible aspects of the experience
How intuitive the infotainment interface is, how mindful the engineers were of the owner's needs, the image the vehicle conveys to friends and family. These shape perceived quality as much as anything bolted to the car.
Emotional aspects of the experience
How strongly owners feel about the vehicle, which emotions come through most, why they feel the way they do, and how likely they are to advocate for the brand and the dealership.
The award
Vehicles that lead their segments on TQI receive the Total Quality Award. Winners are announced in a press release each year, published in News.
TQI is also the foundation of the Total Value Award, which weighs quality against what the vehicle costs to buy and own.