The MINI has earned top honors in it's catagory in the “Total Delight Index” as brought to you by the folks at Strategic Vision, Inc. Here's some further information on the award:

“Determining that satisfaction among new vehicle owners was not enough, Strategic Vision, Inc. developed a new metric to help product planners develop delightful vehicles that will beat the competition in a highly competitive marketplace. The San-Diego-based research and automotive consulting firm today announced winners on its Total Delight Index(TM) (TDI)….

European imports dominated the car classes with Mini Cooper retaining its top position. The highest scoring vehicle on the 2003 Total Delight Index(TM) was the 2003 Mercedes SL followed by last year's highest scoring vehicle the BMW 7 Series. The Volkswagen Golf and the Audi A4 were also winners in their segments.

The domestic manufacturers showed poorly in cars, with only three winners. Ford Motor took two of them with the Mercury Marauder and Ford Mustang Convertible winning in their classes. Honda was the only Japanese representative in the car classes with the Honda Accord Sedan and the Honda Accord Coupe winning. Toyota was noticeably missing in car delight.