Lexus is the top brand for initial new car quality once again, while American automakers are improving faster than the competition. Who knows - by the time they're out of business, the not-so-Big Three could be the best in new car quality. This is based on the 2009 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, a beauty contest kind of survey that measures how well a car holds up in the first three months of ownership. The answer is: pretty well, thank you. The top five brands had less than one problem per car in those first three months. And the results suggest that cars with lots of technology aren't particularly trouble-prone. In fact, they're more likely to above average on initial quality; only two high-tech brands finished in the bottom half.

According to Power, the news is mostly good:

• Initial quality improved 8% over last year. For every 100 cars built, there were just 108 problems per 100 new cars, vs. 118 last year.
• Initial quality of U.S. brands increased 10%. (Three of the 10 brands were U.S.)
• Huge improvements were made by Suzuki (32nd to 9th in one year), Cadillac (10th to 3rd), and Hyundai (13th to 4th).
• In segment breakouts (the top car model in each category), Toyota Motor (Toyota, Lexus, Scion) had 10 individual awards. Ford had three, Honda two, Nissan two.

Porsche had been first the past three years. Lexus last was ranked first in 2005, the year Porsche was in 32nd place. This year it's second, followed by Cadillac, Hyundai, and Honda. The top 10 this year includes fourJapanese brands, three U.S., two German, and one Korean brands.

One piece of not-good news is that on this survey at least, the legend of the British motorcar that leaks oil and breaks down hasn't quite been disspelled. Of 36 brands studied, Mini was dead last, Land Rover was next to last, and Jaguar was 29th. The scores (134 to 165 problems per 100 cars) would have been superior a decade ago, but this isn't a decade ago.

Why IQS Isn't Really Initial Quality

As cars get better and better with fewer defects, Power could either stop doing surveys - like that would happen - or recast its surveys to keep finding differences that interests the public and keeps automakers clamoring for Power's exhaustive (and not exactly cheap) surveys. The top 10 plants in the world, led by Toyota's Hagashi-Fuji plant, have 29 to 40 defects (not problems) per 100 new cars. In other words, odds are better than even that nothing will go wrong with your new car in the first 90 days.

So IQS has evolved to measure problems per 100 cars, not defects per 100 cars, and problems can include things buyers don't like about the car's cockpit design or feel. So, for instance, if an automaker has trouble with brake dust because the brakes work well (when brakes brake, they give off dust, and the wheels get dirty) or they don't like how the cockpit control knob works. That's a problem just as surely as if the rear-view mirror fell off going over railroad tracks.

Below, the top brands on the 2009 IQS and the comparative score and ranking for 2008.

J.D. Power & Associates 2009 Initial Quality Study (IQS)
Rank, Brand, IQS score in problems per 100 cars (2008 IQS, rank)

1. Lexus, 84  (2008: 99, 3)
2. Porsche, 90  (2008: 87, 1)
3. Cadillac, 91  (2008: 113, T10)
4. Hyundai, 95  (2008: 114, T13)
5. Honda, 99  (2008: 110, 7)
6. Mercedes-Benz, 101  (2008: 104, T4)
7. Toyota, 101  (2008: 104, T4)
8. Ford, 102  (2008: 112, T8)
9. Chevrolet, 103  (2008: 113, T10)
10. Suzuki, 103  (2008: 152, 32)
11. Infiniti, 106  (2008: 98, 2)
12. Mercury, 106  (2008: 109, 6)
--  Average, 108  (2008: 118)
14. Nissan, 110  (2008: 124, T19)
15. Acura, 111  (2008: 119, T17)
16. BMW, 112  (2008: 126, 21)
16. Kia, 112  (2008: 119, T17)
18. Volkswagen, 112  (2008: 128, 24)
19. GMC, 116  (2008: 127, T23)
20. Buick, 117  (2008: 118, 16)
21. Audi, 118  (2008: 113, T10)
21. Pontiac, 118  (2008: 114, T13)
21. Scion, 118  (2008: 138, 27)
21. Volvo, 118  (2008: 124, T19)
25. Saturn, 120  (2008: 157, 33)
26. Mazda, 123  (2008: 127, T23)
27. Lincoln, 129  (2008: 115, 15)
28. Subaru, 130  (2008: 133, 26)
29. Dodge, 134  (2008: 141, 28)
29. Jaguar, 134  (2008: 112, T8)
31. Mitsubishi, 135  (2008: 149, T31)
32. Chrysler, 136  (2008: 142, 29)
32. Hummer, 136  (2008: 132, 25)
34. Jeep, 137  (2008: 167, 36)
35. Saab, 138  (2008: 149, T31)
35. Smart, 138  (2008: --, )
37. Land Rover, 150  (2008: 161, 34)
38. Mini, 165  (2008: 163, 35)
Fine print: 80,900 respondents, February-May 2009, first 90 days of ownership or lease.