The Mazda3, Volkswagen Passat, Dodge Charger, Hyundai Santa Fe and Saturn Outlook ranked among the vehicles with which owners establish the strongest emotional bonds, according to a new study by Strategic Vision.

In conducting the annual survey, the California-based firm attempts to go beyond measuring mere satisfaction with a purchase. It tries to quantify consumers’ overall relationship with their vehicles by gauging responses to everything from performance to design details, including reliability, functionality, innovation and ease of use. “The perception of thoughtfulness comes from those cues that suggest the manufacturer was thinking about the customers individually,” says Darrel Edwards of Strategic Vision. Such emotional responses, says Edwards, translate to strong word-of-mouth recommendations and future loyalty by consumers.

Other vehicles that inspired powerful emotions in their owners included the Volvo V50 wagon (medium-size multifunction vehicle), Mini Cooper (small specialty car), BMW 3-Series (near-luxury car), Mercedes-Benz S-Class (luxury car), Honda Odyssey (minivan), Ford Expedition EL (large SUV) and Lexus RX 440H and Lincoln MKX (near-luxury SUVs). Strategic Vision calculates its ratings based on responses from more than 95,000 new-vehicle drivers after at least 90 days of ownership.