BoatBanter.com - JD Power Customer Satisfaction Report, Marine Engines

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:

Mercury, PCM, Yamaha and Volvo Penta Rank Highest in Marine Engine
Customer Satisfaction

MIAMI: 14 February 2008 -- Mercury, PCM, Yamaha and Volvo Penta each
rank highest among marine engine manufacturers, according to the J.D.
Power and Associates 2008 Marine Engine Competitive Information
StudySM released today at the Miami International Boat Show.

Now in its seventh 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
customer satisfaction index scores are based on performance across
seven factors: starting ease; quietness at cruise; reliability; fuel
economy; shifting smoothness; lack of exhaust fumes; and ability of
boat to accelerate rapidly. The study also examines engine quality,
where scores are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) engines and a
lower score reflects higher quality.

Outboard DI two-stroke segment
Mercury leads in the outboard DI two-stroke segment for a third
consecutive year, with slight improvements in engine quality since the
2007 study. Evinrude closely follows Mercury in the segment.

Transmission issues and stalling are the most frequently reported
problems within the outboard DI two-stroke segment. However, two owner-
reported problems, major engine failure and engine runs rough, have
the most negative impact on overall satisfaction. Only 4 percent of
owners experience either of these two problems.

Outboard EFI four-stroke segment

Yamaha ranks highest in the outboard EFI four-stroke segment,
performing particularly well in engine reliability. Yamaha is followed
closely by Honda and Suzuki, respectively.

Among all outboard technologies, four-stroke EFI engines have a
particularly low number of reported problems (56 PP100). Among those
owners who experience problems, those involving engine transmission
are the most frequently reported.

Sterndrive EFI segment

Volvo Penta ranks highest in the sterndrive EFI segment, performing
particularly well in the engine's ability to accelerate rapidly, fuel
economy and lack of exhaust fumes. MerCruiser closely follows Volvo
Penta, receiving particularly high ratings from owners for engine
reliability.

More than 57 percent of EFI owners indicate that their new engine is
problem-free, while only 9 percent of owners report having three
problems or more. The two most frequently reported problems by EFI
sterndrive owners are engine transmission feels/sounds rough when
shifting and issues with the engine tilt/trim.

Inboard EFI segment

For a third consecutive year, Pleasurecraft Engine Group (PCM) ranks
highest in the inboard EFI four-stroke engine segment, performing
particularly well in engine reliability. PCM is followed in the
segment by Marine Power.

While inboard EFI engines have the highest quality (49 PP100) and
satisfaction ratings of all four engine segments, fuel economy
continues to be a major weakness for the engine type.

"Fuel economy is clearly the Achilles' heel of inboard EFI engines
when you compare segment scores to those of the other engine
categories," said Todd Markusic, senior director of the powersports
practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "Despite this shortcoming,
inboard EFI engines have remarkable quality and earn extremely high
satisfaction scores. Those brands that can find a way to improve the
fuel economy of their engines would clearly have a major competitive
advantage."

Industry Findings

The study finds that marine engine customer satisfaction has declined
slightly across all four segments examined in the 2008 study. However,
engine quality has remained stable or improved slightly in three
segments.

"We will certainly be keeping an eye on how the new emission law being
implemented in California this July impacts marine engine customer
satisfaction and quality," said Markusic. "In order to meet these
requirements, manufacturers will have to implement new technologies
and enhance some of their products. We have seen industries--such as
the commercial truck market--struggle to meet new emission standards
when their engines were redesigned. It will be interesting to see how
marine engine manufacturers respond to this challenge."

The 2008 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study is based on
responses from 9,718 owners who registered a new boat between June
2006 and May 2007. Eleven brands of outboard, sterndrive and gas
inboard marine engines are included in the study, which was fielded
between September and November 2007.

Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Inboard EFI Four-Stroke Segment

All charts are based on 1,000-point scale

PCM
913

Marine Power
887

EFI Inboard Segment Average
886

Indmar
879

Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Outboard EFI Four-Stroke Segment

Yamaha
898

Honda
895

Suzuki
893

Outboard EFI Four-Stroke Segment Average
888

Mercury
872

Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Outboard DI Two-Stroke Segment

Mercury
892

Evinrude
890

Outboard DI Two-Stroke Segment Average
889

Yamaha
882

Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Sterndrive EFI Segment

Volvo Penta
856

Sterndrive EFI Segment Average
853

MerCruiser
851

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates
is a global marketing information services firm operating in key
business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance
improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality
and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of
consumers annually. For more information on boat ratings, car reviews
and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and
more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a
business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.