Another year, another No. 1 spot for Porsche in J.D. Power’s U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. The 2017 results are out, and for the 13 th consecutive year the German automaker leads all car brands with 884 points out of a possible 1,000.
Genesis ranks second with 869 points, followed by BMW (855), Audi (854) and Mercedes-Benz (851). Chrysler is the most improved brand (815), with a 41-point improvement from 2016. On the other hand, Mitsubishi (750), Fiat (752) and Jeep (773) are the least appealing brands according to the 2017 APEAL Study. And the fact that Mazda, Hyundai, Subaru and Kia all rank in the bottom 10 will raise many eyebrows, for sure.
This study measures owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement across 77 attributes, ranging from the power they feel when they step on the gas to the sense of comfort and luxury they feel when climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Many automakers are getting better and better at giving consumers what they want in a vehicle,” said Dave Sargent, vice president, global automotive at J.D. Power. “The industry is doing a very good job of creating vehicles customers like across every segment, and the APEAL study identifies why this is. One clear reason is that non-premium vehicles are increasingly offering technology and safety features found in premium vehicles.”
Interestingly, eight models receiving APEAL segment awards also received awards in the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Initial Quality Study : BMW 2 Series, Chrysler Pacifica, Kia Cadenza, Kia Niro, Kia Soul, MINI Cooper, Porsche 911 and Porsche Macan. The all-new Genesis brand ranks second in both APEAL and IQS this year, while Porsche ranks top in APEAL and third in IQS.
“Manufacturers are making ever-higher quality vehicles, but this is not coming at the expense of performance, styling, utility or features,” Sargent added.
Here are the segment-level winners in the 2017 J.D. Power APEAL Study:
Passenger cars
- - Small car: Chevrolet Bolt
- - Small premium car: BMW 2 Series and Audi A3 (tie)
- - Compact car: MINI Clubman
- - Compact sporty car: MINI Cooper
- - Compact premium car: Audi A4
- - Midsize car: Nissan Altima
- - Midsize sporty car: Dodge Challenger
- - Midsize premium car: Audi A7 and Lincoln Continental (tie)
- - Midsize premium sporty car: Porsche 911
- - Large car: Kia Cadenza
SUVs, vans, and pickups
- - Small SUV: Kia Niro
- - Small premium SUV: BMW X1
- - Compact SUV: Honda CR-V
- - Compact premium SUV: Porsche Macan
- - Compact MPV: Kia Soul
- - Midsize SUV: Nissan Murano
- - Midsize premium SUV: Porsche Cayenne
- - Midsize pickup: Honda Ridgeline
- - Minivan: Chrysler Pacifica
- - Large SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe
- - Large premium SUV: Cadillac Escalade
- - Large light-duty pickup: Ford F-150
- - Large heavy-duty pickup: Ford Super Duty