J.D. Power and Associates Reports: The Panasonic Rear-Seat Entertainment System in the Honda Pilot Ranks Highest in Overall Customer Satisfaction

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2007 -- A Panasonic system offered in the Honda Pilot ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with rear-seat entertainment systems for a third consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Rear-Seat Entertainment Usage and Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

Now in its third year, the study measures the satisfaction of owners who recently purchased a vehicle with a factory-installed rear-seat entertainment system. Four factors are examined to measure owner satisfaction: appearance, video screen, system operation and audio. Video screen has the greatest impact on overall satisfaction.

Among the 36 models evaluated, the Panasonic system supplied in the Honda Pilot receives the highest ratings from owners in the system operation and video screen factors. Additionally, Honda Pilot owners rate their system highly on its perceived value, which is defined as the price they paid for the system compared to the benefits they believe it provides. The Panasonic system supplied in the Honda Odyssey and the Mitsubishi Electric system in the Dodge Durango, respectively, follow the Honda Pilot system in the ranking. Dodge Durango owners also rate their system particularly high on perceived value.

The study finds that nearly two-thirds of all owners did not experience a problem with their factory-installed rear-seat entertainment system. Among those who do report a problem, the most frequent concern is with the supplied headphones. Overall, 51 percent of all owners indicate that they experienced fewer problems with their system than they expected.

"More than 40 percent of rear-seat entertainment system owners report using the supplied headphones at least 75 percent of the time, so satisfaction in this area becomes critical, considering the frequency of use," said Mike Marshall, director of automotive emerging technologies at J.D. Power and Associates. "In addition, nearly one-half of all owners report that passengers have used the headphones to listen to the radio or CDs, which only further emphasizes the importance of headphone functionality and quality."

The study also finds that owners want more convenience and ease in operating their rear-seat entertainment system. Features such as wireless headphones, remote control storage, illuminated remote controls, in-dash system controls as well as integrated storage for DVDs, CDs and MP3 players are all highly desired by owners for their next system. Additionally, while only one in 10 currently have the feature, nearly 75 percent of all system owners would like an integrated charger for their system's remote control in their next vehicle.

On average, rear-seat entertainment owners are advocates of their system, with 90 percent indicating they "definitely" or "probably" would recommend their system to family and friends. More than 60 percent of owners also indicate that their next vehicle purchase decision would be negatively impacted if a rear-seat entertainment system was not available.

The 2006 Rear-Seat Entertainment Usage and Satisfaction Study includes responses from 3,186 owners who purchased a new vehicle with a factory-installed rear-seat entertainment system between August 2005 and June 2006.

  Suppliers                     Vehicle Model            Index Score

  Panasonic                     Honda Pilot              841
  Panasonic                     Honda Odyssey            817
  Mitsubishi Electric           Dodge Durango            803
  Mitsubishi Electric/Visteon   Dodge Grand Caravan      793
  Mitsubishi Electric/Visteon   Chrysler Pacifica        789
  Panasonic                     Toyota Sienna            774
  Pioneer                       Ford Explorer            773
  N/A                           Industry Average         771
  Mitsubishi Electric/Visteon   Chrysler Town & Country  751
  Delphi                        Ford Freestyle           750
  Delphi                        Ford Freestar            740
  Delphi                        Ford Expedition          739

Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size are: Acura MDX (Panasonic), Chevrolet Silverado/Silverado HD (Panasonic), Chevrolet Suburban (Panasonic), Chevrolet Tahoe (Panasonic), Chevrolet Trailblazer (Panasonic), Chevrolet Uplander (Johnson Controls), Chrysler 300 (Mitsubishi Electric), Dodge Charger (Mitsubishi Electric), Dodge Ram (Mitsubishi Electric), Ford Five Hundred (Delphi), GMC Sierra/Sierra HD (Panasonic), GMC Yukon/Denali (Panasonic), GMC Yukon XL/Denali XL (Panasonic), Infiniti M (NA), Jeep Commander (Mitsubishi Electric), Jeep Grand Cherokee (Mitsubishi Electric), Lexus GX 470 (Panasonic), Lexus RX 330 (Panasonic), Lincoln Navigator (Delphi), Mercury Mountaineer (Pioneer), Nissan Armada (Panasonic), Nissan Murano (Panasonic), Nissan Pathfinder (Panasonic), Nissan Quest (Panasonic) and Toyota Sequoia (Panasonic).

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2005 were $6.0 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.