Which cars would owners buy again?(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Survey)

Hybrid-vehicle owners are a satisfied bunch, according to the latest Annual Car Owner Satisfaction Survey of CONSUMER REPORTS subscribers. Respondents again named the Toyota Prius the most satisfying vehicle of all cars, minivans, trucks, and SUVs, with 95 percent of Prius owners saying they would buy or lease the car again. (Last year, 94 percent said they would do so.) Buyers of other hybrids, such as the Honda Civic and Ford Escape, rated their choices higher than did owners of the same vehicles with conventional engines.

Subscribers also put a priority on horsepower and are willing to pay for it despite higher fuel costs. Comparing identical models, an overwhelming majority of survey respondents gave higher marks to a V8 than to a V6, to a six-cylinder than to a four, and to a turbo-charged engine than to a non-turbo.

The redesigned Chevrolet Corvette was the second-most-satisfying car, with 93 percent of owners saying they would definitely buy or lease one again, up from 88 percent last year for its predecessor.

In all, subscribers rated their experiences with more than 350,000 vehicles and 237 separate models in the survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Forty-four models made our top cut, up from 32 last year. That is, at least 80 percent of owners said they would definitely buy or lease the vehicle again. Japanese models led with 31, followed by European models, with nine. Four models were domestic, up from just one last year. All domestic models had V8 engines.

The Mitsubishi Lancer is at the bottom the list. Only 26 percent of owners said they would buy or lease one again.

 
MOST SATISFYING 
 
COUPES/CONVERTIBLES 
  Lexus SC430                       83% 
  Scion tC                          80 
 
SPORTS CARS/ 
  SPORTY CARS 
  Chevrolet Corvette                93 
  Ford Mustang (V8)                 89 
  Honda S2000                       85 
  Mini Cooper S                     85 
    (hatchback) 
  Subaru Impreza WRX                83 
    (sedan) 
  Mini Cooper                       83 
    (hatchback) 
  Audi S4                           81 
  Mercedes-Benz SLK                 81 
  Porsche 911 Carrera               81 
  Porsche Boxster                   81 
 
SMALL CARS 
  Toyota Echo                       80 
  Mazda3 (sedan)                    80 
  Honda Civic Hybrid *              80 
 
FAMILY CARS 
  Toyota ...