Earlier this year, Fiat and Chrysler cars ranked at the very bottom of the 2015 Initial Quality Survey by J.D. Power.
That survey rates brands based on how many problems new car owners experienced in the first 90 days of ownership.
Now, turn that survey on its head, and you'll basically have the results of the 2015 Total Quality Index by Strategic Vision.
Fiat Chrysler was the number-one automaker in the survey, with six vehicles that were rated best for total quality: The Fiat 500, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Durango, and Ram truck.
Christopher Chaney of Strategic Vision says focusing solely on problems reported per vehicle overlooks an important trend: quality and reliability have risen dramatically for all automakers in recent years.
So Chrysler and Jeep vehicles can be at the bottom of the J.D. Power list, and still have only slightly more problems per vehicle than the brands at the top.
He says Strategic Vision's survey takes not just problems into account, but positive reactions as well.
Call it the "I love it" factor.
"People were having a strong emotional experience with quality from the perspective of things gone right," says Chaney of Fiat Chrysler cars. "The legacy is still a challenge for them, but the data and the customers speak for themselves."
General Motors and Volkswagen tied for the number two spot.
