Porsche has top APEAL in J.D. Power survey
Porsche owners are the happiest with their new vehicles, while Mitsubishi owners are the least satisfied, according to a new survey on 2019 model-year vehicles.
J.D. Power recently released the results of the 24th annual Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, which “measures owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle.”
With nearly 68,000 vehicle owners or lessees sharing their opinions, the study found that Porsche is the most popular brand, and Mitsubishi was the least popular. The study does not adjust for total sales volume.
The top overall model was the Audi A7 premium midsize car.
Of the 20 vehicle segments tracked by J.D. Power, Ford had the top model in five categories. Winning their respective segments were the Ford F-150, Expedition, Ranger and Super Duty, and the Lincoln Navigator.
BMW prevailed in four segments with the 2-Series, X4, MINI Cooper and MINI Countryman. (See the full list below.)
The top five brands were Porsche, BMW, Genesis, Audi and Volvo.
The results are not to be confused with the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS), which gauges flaws and shortcomings that pop up in vehicles in their first 90 days.
Factors in the APEAL study included vehicle owners’ feelings about their vehicles’ performance and inclusion of safety systems, visibility, infotainment, storage, seats, fuel economy and driving dynamics.
Tesla was not included in the study because, J.D. Power said, the company does not provide permission for the company to contact its customers, which is required in certain states. Those states account for 70% of Tesla sales, and J.D. Power says that ratio currently prevents it from achieving a representative sample of Tesla owners.
Overall, the gap between luxury brands and mass-market vehicles narrowed to its smallest in the study’s history.
On a scale of 1 to 1,000 – with a higher score meaning higher satisfaction – luxury brands scored 853, while mainstream brands scored 818. That shrinking gap owes to improvements in mainstream models, which increasingly provide features once exclusive to luxury lineups, such as active safety systems.