Consumers believe the Ford brand has gained considerable ground as perennial leader, even as Toyota has declined during the past two years, according to Consumer Reports’ 2011 Car Brand Perception Survey. Although the two car companies are in a statistical dead heat, Ford excels in the factors that consumers say matter most: safety, quality, and value.

During a two-year period, Ford has climbed by 35 percentage points as Toyota has plummeted by 46 points, with total scores of 144 and 147, respectively. A year ago, Toyota retained a substantial lead over Ford and Honda, the No. 2 and No. 3 makes, respectively, in terms of the strongest or most favorable car brand. In 2010, however, Toyota finished only slightly ahead of Ford, which widened its advantage over Honda. Honda has continued to lose ground, sliding 28 points since 2008.

The scores in the survey reflect how consumers perceive each brand in seven categories: safety, quality, value, performance, design and style, technology and innovation, and environmentally friendly and green. Measuring across those categories provides the total brand perception and does not directly represent the actual qualities of any brand’s vehicles.

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