Say this for Tesla owners: They stick by their brand. Despite red flags ranging from the Autopilot-fatality disaster to gull-wing doors getting stuck on the Model X, Tesla still ranked as No. 1 in the new, just-released Consumer Reports Annual Owner Satisfaction Survey.

Just as last year, following Tesla were Porsche, Audi and Subaru. Interestingly, however, some brands were on the move from 2015 to 2016, including Lincoln, which climbed from No. 21 to No. 12; and Hyundai, which rose to No. 13 from No. 24.

Meanwhile, some brands swooned, such as Ram, which tumbled to No. 17 from No. 5 in last year's rankings; BMW, which took what may be seen as a surprising fall to No. 14 from No. 6; and Volkswagen, which took a not-so-surprising dive to No. 24 from No. 16.

No. 5 through 10 were Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Chrysler, Chevrolet and Lexus. Ranking at the absolute bottom was Fiat at No. 29; Fiat Chrysler Automotive had four brands in the bottom 13 with Ram at No. 17, Dodge at No. 23, Jeep at No. 25 and Fiat. Infiniti and Nissan Ranked No. 27 and 28.

Each of the brands that ranks 1 through 4 once again is, arguably, a marque for which perceptions and emotions carry the day over the merit of each company's individual vehicles or even its overall product line, and over other criteria such as vehicle quality and utility. Those subjective notions absolutely pulse through the survey results.

For Tesla, of course, there is the fierce brand loyalty generated by the company's pioneering role in making a truly fine all-electric automobile, its daring pivot into mainstream-priced EVs with the upcoming Model 3, and the high-profile leadership of the always-kinetic Elon Musk, who keeps Tesla and its iconoclastic mission continually in the news -- whether he's defending Autopilot as being better than human drivers; defying Wall Street by continuing to report losses and missing production deadlines; boasting about his Gigafactory gambit; or saying he wants to die on Mars.

Even Consumer Reports -- an early fan of the Tesla Model S which once considered it such a perfect vehicle that it broke the magazine's rating scale -- has more lately been regularly knocking Tesla. About the Model X 90D crossover, for example, a version of Tesla's second model, the magazine said that, "Beyond the brag-worthy magic" such as the gull-wing doors and a "jet-fighter-like canopy windshield," the car "largely disappoints. The rear doors are prone to pausing and stopping. The second-row seats can't be folded, limiting cargo-carrying ability. The big windshield is neat but not tinted enough to offset the brightness of a sunny day, and wind noise is excessive."

Or take Porsche. The VW-owned sports-car brand has managed to extend itself nicely to SUVs and crossovers over the last several years, winning a whole new corps of buyers even as the brand continues to satisfy sports-car diehards with its iconic 911, Boxster roadster and Cayman two-door coupe. "The Porsche DNA is still baked into every model with confident high-performance handling," as Consumer Reports puts it, "a controlled ride, superb braking performance, a thrilling exhaust note, and beautifully crafted interiors."

Audi, of course, is one of the ultimate brand-ascension stories of the auto industry's last decade. Beginning under the leadership of Johan de Nysschen and continuing under current U.S. boss Scott Keogh, Audi managed to parlay a steady expansion of its product line in every significant direction, a strategy of planned retail "scarcity" of its halo cars, some clever and humorous marketing, and the notion of "progressive technology" that appealed to younger buyers into a brand that rattled the hold of Mercedes-Benz and BMW on the German luxury category in the United States. The lone thing for Audi yet to accomplish is to get sales volumes in the American market that match its relative levels elsewhere in the world, where Audi regularly challenges its national rivals for the global luxury-sales volume title.

Subaru continues to amaze as a volume-restricted brand that seemingly can do no wrong. Tom Doll, the American executive and former bean counter who has masterminded the brand's rise in the United States, has unapologetically pursued only certain niches: all-wheel-drive aficionados; tree-hugging progressives; parents concerned about safety. In their eyes, the Subaru brand is absolute magic. And by expanding the company's Indiana factory and circling back to nail certain nameplates, such as the impressive little 2017 Impreza model, Subaru still seems to have a lot of runway in this country.