For the second consecutive year, Subaru was named top manufacturer in one of the world's most respected consumer surveys for car owners - the 2000 J.D. Power and Associates Top Gear UK Customer Satisfaction Study. Subaru received a Gold Award for the highest overall rating out of 31 manufacturers. The Subaru Legacy scored the highest of the 115 models in the report, with the Subaru Impreza in the runner-up position.

This is the third time Subaru has won the Gold Award for first place - previous wins were in 1997 and 1999. It is also the third consecutive time a Subaru model has topped the model-by-model survey, following first-place rankings for the Impreza in 1998 and 1999. Since the Legacy placed second last year, it is the second consecutive year Subaru models have taken the top two positions.

The awards for 2000 were based on a survey of 24,089 owners of two-year-old 'R' registration cars. The detailed questionnaire covered 36 different areas of customer satisfaction in all aspects of car ownership experience including vehicle performance, quality, customer care, warranty, service and parts back-up and the speed of repairing faults.

The study summarized Subaru's achievement as follows: "Subaru tops the rankings again in 2000 as Subaru owners continue to enjoy superior performance and quality. On-road performance ratings continue to excel and owners report few problems, as well as a high ability among Subaru dealers to fix problems the first time around. Dealers also contribute strongly to satisfaction with excellent ratings for helpfulness, knowledge/expertise, explanation of work, promptness and quality of work performed."

The Subaru Forester also performed well in its first year, topping the list of all sport utility vehicles with an overall number eight ranking.