Lexus has the most user-friendly Web site for new-vehicle shopping among auto manufacturers, according to the latest survey of automaker Web sites by J.D. Power and Associates.

Pontiac and Suzuki tied for second.

Lexus.com "scores at the top by upsetting the fewest shoppers," said Dennis Galbraith, senior director of digital marketing for J.D. Power, of Westlake Village, Calif.

Power released its results this month. They were based on evaluations by 11,800 shoppers who indicated they would be in the market for a new vehicle within 24 months. Many manufacturers subscribe to a detailed version of the study and say that it helps them improve their sites.

Power conducts its factory site survey twice a year. In the previous study, the Lexus site ranked sixth. Kia, which took the No. 1 spot then, tied for fourth in the latest rankings.

Lexus scored 874 on a 1,000-point scale. The industry average was 834. The lowest finisher was Volkswagen's site, with a score of 806.

Lexus provides information quickly for users, whether they're on a broadband or a dial-up connection, Galbraith said. The site downloads images and moves users quickly to the information they seek, he added.

Nancy Inouye, interactive marketing manager for Lexus Division, said Lexus took speed into account when it set up the technology for the site.

"We contract out our distributed content delivery service to local servers around the country, so our download speeds are fast enough," she said.

Lexus also strives for "simple, straightforward Web design" that is friendly to its market of mostly boomer and older consumers, Inouye said. That includes improvements such as larger vehicle images and easier-to-read fonts that optimize the better visual resolution offered by the latest computer screens.

"Older consumers want to see details," Inouye said.

Team One, a marketing agency in El Segundo, Calif., performs the creative work on the site. Lexus.com uses proprietary software to drive the site.

Lexus relies on specialists for particular needs, such as designing applications that use Flash, a program for including video and audio clips.

Another special project outsourced by Lexus involved the technology that allowed visitors to upload personal photos to Lexus.com as part of last year's introduction of the redesigned IS sedan, said Robin Pisz, Lexus's national interactive relationship-marketing manager.

Galbraith said automakers are moving away from regarding their sites simply as marketing billboards.

Pontiac.com's strength is easy navigation, Galbraith said. It includes what he called a "flyout" design that allows visitors to delve into model details directly from the home page.

The feature relies on technology developed by Digitas Inc., an interactive marketing firm in Boston, said Mark-Hans Richer, Pontiac's marketing director.

"We think through the site the way a shopper would," Richer said. For example, the site recently moved its link to information about trade-in appraisals to the home page.

"In the past, we buried it somewhere in the site because it didn't seem as sexy as other things," he said.

"But we've found that it's very important to consumers to know what their current car is worth. And it facilitates the online shopping process."

How the top 10 brands scored in the J.D. Power manufacturer's Web site survey. Score based on 1,000 points.
1. Lexus: 874
2. Pontiac: 864
3. Suzuki: 864
4. Hummer: 857
5. BMW: 856
6. Kia: 856
7. Saab: 854
8. Mazda: 851
9. Subaru: 850
10. Mercury: 846