Jaguar is top cat in BBC's survey

Jaguar's XJ has come out as the surprise winner of a survey of car owners. The flagship model topped the poll commissioned by BBC's Top Gear programme, which rated cars for reliability, driving enjoyment and dealer service.

Claimed to be the most widely-commissioned independent survey, it found the Jaguar XJ came first in customer satisfaction. Jaguar's dealer network also drew praise. The ratings were for cars registered between September 1999 and February 2002.

Owners were asked to rank 137 cars from 35 manufacturers for mechanical, build, electrical and chassis quality, and dealer satisfaction and costs. More than 43,000 motorists took part, completing a detailed questionnaire.

However, while the luxury Jaguar topped the survey of 137 models, the list did seem to omit some of its main competitors, notably the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Audi A8.

Toyota did manage to come second with the Yaris, while Skoda, part of the Volkswagen Group, took third spot with the Octavia. It was not all good news for VW, however, with its people carrier, the Sharan, coming last in the survey, just behind the Renault Espace.

BMW's X5 was the highest placed SUV - in 16th place - while the highest placed Mercedes, the E-Class, came in a lowly 57th.

Meanwhile Jaguar staff also had some good news from parent company Ford. Jaguar is part of the Premier Automotive Group, and Ford is busy implementing a major cost-cutting strategy across its portfolio of firms.

There has been speculation that the measures included the closure of one of Jaguar's production facilities. However, Ford's chief operating officer Nick Scheele dismissed the reports. "The answer is no," Scheele told reporters at the Tokyo Motor Show, when asked about the report. "This is really speculation that's been running around now for six to nine months."

Previously the Sunday Times had reported that Ford plans to close its Brown's Lane plant near Coventry, threatening 1,500 jobs, one of three Jaguar production plants in Britain. The plant has been making cars for 50 years and is Jaguar's spiritual home.