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Marine Engines with Advanced Technologies Positively Impact Customer Satisfaction, Yet in Many Cases, Technology Does Not Play a Key Role in the Purchase Decision, J.D. Power and Associates Reports
MIAMI: 15 February 2007 — Although owners of advanced-technology marine engines are consistently more satisfied compared to owners of older technology engines (such as carburetor-driven), only one-half of outboard owners report that engine technology played a major role in their purchase decision, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Marine Engine Competitive Information StudySM released today at the Miami International Boat Show. Additionally, only 27 percent of inboard owners and 26 percent of sterndrive owners indicate the same.
“While they cost more, engines with newer technologies tend to perform better, are more fuel efficient and have fewer problems than engines with older technologies,” said Todd Markusic, senior director of the powersports practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Boat owners who want to save money may be inclined to favor carbureted engines, but they should be aware of what they’re getting—and what they’re not—when they select those engines. Salespeople need to educate consumers about the newer engines so that they fully understand the benefits of the technology, and consumers need to understand that the short-term cost savings they receive when purchasing an older-technology engine is offset by long-term, substantially lower satisfaction with that engine.”
Now in its sixth year, the study measures overall customer satisfaction with four marine engine types: EFI inboard; four-stroke EFI outboard; two-stroke DI outboard; and EFI sterndrive. Overall scores are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) engines, with lower scores reflecting higher quality.
Owners of four-stroke EFI outboard engines experience much fewer problems and have higher overall satisfaction compared to owners of other outboard engines available in the market. Owners of four-stroke EFI engines report an average of 58 PP100, while owners of two-stroke DI engines report 77 PP100. Owners of two-stroke carbureted engines report experiencing the most problems, 167 PP100, which is more than double the number of problems as the higher-technology engines.
The study also finds that since engines are often sold as part of a boat package, many boat owners have little or no choice in their engine selection. Sixty-four percent of boat owners report purchasing the exact engine they wanted, and they report much higher levels of overall satisfaction with both their engine and boat compared to owners who did not receive the engine they desired.
“It is important for boat dealers to work with customers and fully understand how they plan to use their boats so they can recommend the appropriate size and type of engine to satisfy their customers’ needs and meet or exceed their expectations,” said Markusic. “If the dealer matches the engine to customer needs, they’re well on their way to ensuring that owners have a much more satisfying boating experience.”
The study examines seven factors to determine overall marine engine satisfaction: starting ease; quietness at cruise; reliability; fuel economy; shifting smoothness; lack of engine fumes; and ability of boat to accelerate rapidly.
Inboard EFI segment
Pleasurecraft Engine Group (PCM) ranks highest in the inboard EFI four-stroke engine segment for a second consecutive year, followed by Indmar.
Within the segment, experiencing difficulty with starting the engine and the engine making an unusual noise have the greatest negative impact on overall satisfaction. Additionally, the engine running too loudly and stalling are two of the most commonly reported problems among inboard EFI customers.
Outboard EFI four-stroke segment
Honda ranks highest in the outboard EFI four-stroke segment for a third consecutive year (tying with Suzuki in 2005), followed by Suzuki and Yamaha.
Overall, four-stroke EFI outboard engines receive high marks from owners for ease of starting and reliability. Conversely, engine transmission problems and stalling are the most frequently reported problems for outboard four-stroke EFI engines.
Outboard DI two-stroke segment
Evinrude and Mercury rank highest in a tie in the outboard DI two-stroke segment. Mercury ranks highest in the segment for a second consecutive year, while Evinrude records a 24-point improvement compared to 2006.
Owners of two-stroke DI outboard engines report high marks for ease of starting and reliability. Engine transmission problems and the engine running roughly are the two most frequently cited issues for engines in the segment.
Sterndrive EFI four-stroke segment
For a second consecutive year, Mercury MerCruiser ranks highest in the sterndrive EFI four-stroke segment. Volvo Penta closely follows in the segment rankings.
Owners give four-stroke EFI sterndrive engines high marks for ease of starting. However, customers frequently report issues with the way the engine transmission feels and sounds when shifting and that the engine runs too loudly.
The 2007 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study is based on responses from 12,140 owners who registered a new boat between June 2005 and May 2006. Eleven brands of outboard, sterndrive and gas inboard marine engines are included in the study.
Owners of four-stroke EFI outboard engines experience much fewer problems and have higher overall satisfaction compared to owners of other outboard engines available in the market. Owners of four-stroke EFI engines report an average of 58 PP100, while owners of two-stroke DI engines report 77 PP100. Owners of two-stroke carbureted engines report experiencing the most problems, 167 PP100, which is more than double the number of problems as the higher-technology engines.
I wonder if this portion will get the 2 stroke guys fired up?
Here are the scores in each of the engine categories:
Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking Based on 1,000-point scale)
2-stroke DFI
Evinrude 894
Mercury 894
Outboard Two-Stroke DI Segment Average 892
Yamaha 884
4-stroke
Honda 939
Suzuki 924
Yamaha 913
Outboard Four-Stroke EFI Segment Average 905
Johnson 900
Mercury 880
Stern Drive
MerCruiser 857
Volvo Penta 855
Inboard
PCM 917
Inboard Four-Stroke EFI Segment Average 903
Indmar 899
Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size are:
Marine Power and MerCruiser.
The 2007 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study is based on
responses from 12,140 owners who registered a new boat between June 2005
and May 2006. Eleven brands of outboard, sterndrive and gas inboard marine
engines are included in the study.
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*... personally possessing more tools than talent !
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I bought a new boat in June 2005 but never received a survey to which I could respond. I assume that is because I didn't register it for some reason or other. Looks to me like all the two strokes scored pretty well as did the four strokes. 88% is pretty good, although 100% would be much better. It's obvious that the manufacturers are putting out pretty good engines and that one will get through the crack once in a while and cause problems. Thanks for the report.
__________________ jal
2009 Crestliner Superhawk 1900
175 Optimax Pro SX
Dodge Ram 2500 HD Cummins Diesel
Owners of four-stroke EFI outboard engines experience much fewer problems and have higher overall satisfaction compared to owners of other outboard engines available in the market. Owners of four-stroke EFI engines report an average of 58 PP100, while owners of two-stroke DI engines report 77 PP100. Owners of two-stroke carbureted engines report experiencing the most problems, 167 PP100, which is more than double the number of problems as the higher-technology engines.
I wonder if this portion will get the 2 stroke guys fired up?
Small price to pay for blistering past a four stroke.
What is interesting is Yamaha continues to slide. The 250 and 300 HPDI fiasco is no longer affecting the surveys. Yamaha's response to customer concerns and decline in quality of products is the reason for their dropping in customer satisfaction.
BRP, Mercury, and Honda have addressed these issues. Yamaha used to but now have come under the control of bean counters who want to maximize profits at the expense of their customers.
These facts are well known among the industry as well as their dealer network.
He guys wake up, this information is all craps and should not be used to make a purchase decision. Statistically speaking the results shown above are dead even, only in the 4 stroke segment there is a significant spread. Here the Mercury shows to be loosing by a 6 to 7% margin, but even here if you factor say a 3% statistical impressision, the difference is not that much. Another issue is that it seems that engines were not segregated by size, how can we know that Merc's low score in the 4 stroke segment is due to the small dinghy engines, the Yamaha's painted in black, the Verado's or a combination of factors.
Last but not least, how can one rely on the opinion of a non technology inclined crowd (half the population replying) for such things as reliability, acceleration and fumes. From their knowledge they may be even factoring in the barbecue smoke into the fumes equation.
Forget JDP, ask around at the marine (but first ask them if they don't rely on JDP for their opinion) and read THT, combine the two and you will get better information.
By the way slowtroll stop the Yamaha bashing because with the above information if you want to bash a manufacturer is Merc.
That's it. Ignore JDP. Hmmm...that was the same words of the domestic auto manufacturers years back when GM, Ford and Chrysler owned the auto industry and the foreign makers were "a joke". Would anyone care to state the obvious as to what happened since that time? JDP called that one then - they have been a somewhat accurate barometer of customer satisfaction in a number of industries. And no, I have no affiliation with the company, but just have 30 years of experience with the auto industry and saw what a power they became - to the point that the automakers used this info to develop a CSI (customer satisfaction index) system to rate themselves, dealers, and even used it advertising.
But you're right, it probably won't happen in this industry.
If you understand what JD Power is doing, than their reports are interesting. They are taking consumer surveys. Getting a pulse of what consumers think about new products. I always find their boat rankings interesting.
Thanks for posting topfish & KJS. I pay attention to the JD Powers... But I also think a little bit on my own too. 3 Or 15 points out of 1,000 isn't enough to matter in my book.As for the carbed 2 strokes having twice as many problems... Yeah, owners need to learn how to start them! 95% Of those problems are on 75hp and smaller motors, they're about the only ones left with carbs.
I don't look at the report as saying one is better then another. I look at the report as seeing what owners are saying about their boats. This is not indicitive of the quality of the boat. I would not use their reports to make a decision on what to buy or not to buy. It is what it is, and they do have some interesting consumer surveys.
I based my comments on marine engines posted above, now we are introducing boat and car information. I still stand behind what I said, the 2007 JDP data on marine engines is so statistically even that no one can do a selection based on them. Even more, the population of different engines is so varied in each classification listed by JDP that they ended comparing orange and apples. Is someone going to base the purchase decision on a Verado (just to give an example) based on what a 25HP outboard owner (which by the way is only 50% technically concerned) thinks about Merc? Better information about the Verados is available here that from JDP. I may agree with lovingthekeys that the manufacturers are the one that should take these statistics more seriously, but with the above engine statistics there is not much information for the manufacturers to act other than some fine tuning.
About the boat information now introduced, here the spread between the top and low end is bigger, more than 10%. However, there is still subjectivity issues here to consider. For example, the two top boats, the GW and the BW, are the 2 more expensive boats here. When you buy the big buck item your ego is normally at a higher level, and normally you are more satisfied. When you buy a mid-tier product, you tend to be more realistic and thus critical. To me, the true winners here are the Century, the Scout and the Polar, that came very close to the expensive top tier, and are much more affordable. Also, of the 9 brands that came below average 7 are the bread and butter boats locally, and I know a lot of happy owners riding on them.
So, again, better ask the old salt at the marina and keep reading THT...let the manufacturer worry about JDP.
I bought a new boat in June 2005 but never received a survey to which I could respond. I assume that is because I didn't register it for some reason or other. Looks to me like all the two strokes scored pretty well as did the four strokes. 88% is pretty good, although 100% would be much better. It's obvious that the manufacturers are putting out pretty good engines and that one will get through the crack once in a while and cause problems. Thanks for the report.
I bought a 2 stroke small motor in 2006 and a 4 stroke large motor in 06. Never heard of that survey. They must have carefully selected who to query.
None of my neighbors that purchased new Etec powered boats for their kids in 05, 06 or recently have received any queries.
J.D. Power & Associates
Winner of the 2006 Bogie for Achievement in Contrived Quality Surveys
The Big Kahuna, Power & Assoc. dates back to 1968, when it was essentially an industry shill for Japanese carmakers hoping to make inroads into the tough American marketplace. Detroit soon took notice and adopted J.D. Power as its own. Since then, the company has figured out all kinds of clever ways to shine the Big Three's lemons. When the 1989 Buick LeSabre lost big to Nissan in an overall quality survey, J.D. simply created a new category: Best Rated American-made Car. Buick then proudly announced in national ads that the LeSabre had won the best-rated car of the year. J.D. went on to rate cell phone providers, speedboats, mortgage lenders, opticians, homebuilders, digital cameras—name the category, there's probably a prize. And they give them out in 17 countries.
The awards juggernaut was started by James David Power III and eventually bought out by McGraw Hill, owners of Businessweek, Standard & Poor's, and all manner of text books and maps. But the original business model has never changed:
1. Conduct a random direct-mail survey on a product, enticing people to participate with $1 bills.
2. Charge the surveyed companies significant amounts of money for the results.
3. Re-charge survey winners a hefty licensing fee for the right to use the J.D. Power Logo in advertisements. (Power himself has admitted that fees can run anywhere from $25,000 to $300,000 a year.)
4. Reap the benefits of free advertising, without having to do any marketing of your own.
The real genius lay in segmenting the awards to garner as many winners as possible. Cars, for example, are judged in literally dozens of categories, from size to price point, to ensure that nearly every model wins a prize. And J.D. Power only ranks the top five in any category, saving their clients contestants from the humiliation of not being the best. Because losers don't pay licensing fees.
I actually like what I see. I keep hearing about 4 stroke reliability and how dominate it is over 2 strokes here. I look primarily at Merc and Yamaha as the other brands just have such poor dealer networks compared to these two that it almost makes them difficult to consider unless you have someone good right by you. I look at the 19 point spread out of 1000 between the Yam 4 stroke and Merc DFI and see that it is less than a 2% difference in satisfaction. This is even lessened by these statements:
"Overall, four-stroke EFI outboard engines receive high marks from owners for ease of starting and reliability. Conversely, engine transmission problems and stalling are the most frequently reported problems for outboard four-stroke EFI engines. "
and
"Owners of two-stroke DI outboard engines report high marks for ease of starting and reliability. Engine transmission problems and the engine running roughly are the two most frequently cited issues for engines in the segment."
It sounds like the main differences could be stalling issues vs. running roughly because both appear to have tranmission issues as one of the most reported issues. Considering 2 strokes are more affected by variables like if the owner use approved dfi oil and decarb fuel additives I say the 2 percent difference is overcome by the fact that my bet is that more than 2 percent of owners dont use what they are supposed to.
Considering I chose to power of my boat with a 225 Opti over the Yammie f225, This read validates my decision even further being I know I use the appropriate oils, I am powering a 25'er with a single, the cost to service, and the noted power differences between the two engines. Of course I could have problems with either one I chose and both did have excellent dealer representation not only in my immediate area but just about anywhere I chose to take my boat.
Interesting J.D. Powers Marine Engine Report 2/07 
