When it comes to critic reviews, it could be hit or miss on whether the public is in agreement. This is sometimes the case with Consumer Reports. In many instances, it’s right on the money, but owners may have differing opinions.

Regardless, it’s worth taking a long look at what the review site has to say since it uses owner input to develop some reviews, especially when it doesn’t recommend a vehicle. In this case, Consumer Reports firmly believes that auto lovers will be as thoroughly disappointed with the 2022 Cadillac XT4 and the 2022 Jaguar E-Pace as it was.

How Consumer Reports determine its owner satisfaction scores

Determining “owner satisfaction” boils down to surveys from the owners themselves. Consumer Reports often does a road test, in which someone working for the review site drives the vehicle to see how they like it. This helps determine the overall score, but for “owner satisfaction,” it’s all based on what daily drivers who own the vehicle think.

Some questions asked on the survey include factors such as if the buyer would purchase the vehicle again. It goes on to ask more specifics, such as how the handling and acceleration are. Comfort is also a significant factor and includes questions regarding noise, climate control, ride, and how the seats feel after long rides.

Styling is another big factor. Surveyors are asked about the interior and exterior. Finally, Consumer Reports wants to know if the value is worth the owner’s money. If it’s not, this will be heavily reflected in the final “owner satisfaction” score.

If there aren’t sufficient responses, then the owner satisfaction score will be based on a similar model. In many cases, this will be the previous year’s model.

2022 Cadillac XT4 may not be a great entry-level luxury SUV

They say that looks can be deceiving. This appears to be the case with the luxury SUV 2022 Cadillac XT4. It received high scores from owners based on the styling inside and out. However, that was the only decent score it received from Consumer Reports.

The XT4 earned the lowest owner satisfaction score in the luxury entry-level sport-utility segment, while the Volvo XC40 earned the highest score.

The driving experience earned the Cadillac XT4 a decent score, although it certainly wasn’t stellar. As for the comfort and value, owners made it abundantly clear they were far from pleased. Less than 50% of owners stated they would purchase it again.

2022 Jaguar E-Pace is not the best entry-level luxury SUV

Consumer Reports has ranked the 2022 Jaguar E-Pace near the middle of the pack in the luxury entry-level sport-utility segment. However, how it reached this conclusion is a bit of a mystery.

Going back to 2018, when the Jaguar E-Pace first hit showroom floors, reveals there weren’t enough responses from consumers to rank the owner satisfaction. This means that Consumer Reports based the relatively low owner satisfaction score on a similar model. But which model has not been made clear?

The Jaguar F-Pace and I-Pace are those lacking in responses for the owner satisfaction survey, so it may not even be a Jaguar that helped Consumer Reports reach this conclusion.

Despite this, the Jaguar E-Pace has been slammed in the past for a lack of a comfortable drive. Many were also less than pleased with the lackluster performance. The poor gas rating for the 2020 model also left some owners feeling a bit cranky, given the price.

Finally, the plastic trim was something that many consumers felt had no place in a luxury vehicle. Sure, leather seats and touch screen infotainment systems are great, but this is a Jaguar. Cheap plastic should have no place in a luxury vehicle. 

Given the lack of enthusiasm for the E-Pace, it might explain why Consumer Reports didn’t receive enough responses to post the owner satisfaction data.