Mini, Subaru, Scion improve the most in J.D. Power APEAL Study
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July 22, 2015 01:00 AM

Mini, Subaru, Scion improve the most in J.D. Power APEAL Study

Porsche has top score for 11th straight year

Vince Bond Jr.
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    Mini was the biggest gainer in this year's study. Ranking ninth in 2014, it jumped 6 points to 105 to tie with Lexus for fourth.

    Mini, Subaru and Scion had the biggest improvements in J.D. Power’s latest study of new-vehicle appeal, while Porsche finished first overall for the 11th consecutive year.

    The upper echelon of J.D. Power’s 2015 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study was dominated by luxury brands. Porsche was followed by Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. 

    Mini, the top-scoring non-premium brand, was led by a strong launch of the Cooper. Mini, which had two segment wins with the Cooper and Countryman, rose five spots in the rankings to 11th place with a score of 825 on a 1,000 point scale -- an industry-leading 30-point gain from 2014.

    While sometimes troublesome technologies such as voice recognition can annoy consumers, J.D. Power found that safety systems such as blind-spot monitoring are having the opposite effect by making vehicles more appealing.

    Models with blind-spot monitoring and warning systems scored 38 points higher than vehicles without them.

    “The safety features and the weight they had on the overall index was a surprise … For me, that was very telling,” said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power. 

    Subaru, which had a runner-up finish in the compact car segment with the WRX, scored 788, a 22-point leap from 2014; it rose from second-to-last in 2014 to tie for 25th with Chrysler. Scion, 796, had the third-largest improvement after its score rose 17 points; it climbed from 28th place in 2014 to tie for 22nd, with Mazda.

    Hyundai, last year’s leading non-premium brand, followed Mini as the second-ranked non-premium after improving five points to 809. Volkswagen, 806, was next with a 10-point gain.

    GMC, 804, and Ram, 803, rounded out the top five non-premium brands.

    Only two non-premium brands, Fiat and Toyota, had their scores drop this year. Fiat fell 19 points to 749, while Toyota, 781, was down two points.

    J.D. Power says strong showings in the APEAL Study correlate with the building of brand loyalty that leads to repeat buys. Owners of models with higher APEAL scores also are more likely to recommend their vehicles to others.

    “Word of mouth is still extremely important,” Stephens said.

    Lexus, 831, had the steepest decline of any luxury brand after its score slipped by 13 points. Lexus fell from sixth to 10th place.

    The premium brand average was 841, one point better than 2014. The non-premium average jumped five points to 790.

    Stephens said the 51-point gap between the two categories was the smallest since 2006. The tighter scores are attributed to non-premium brands increasingly offering in-vehicle technologies that were once only available to premium buyers.

    The APEAL Study, now in its 20th year, measures how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive.

    After the first 90 days of ownership, more than 84,000 purchasers and lessees judged their new 2015 model year vehicles across 77 attributes, which are combined into an overall APEAL score on a 1,000-point scale. The higher the score, the better.

    2015 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study
    Score
    Porsche874
    Jaguar855
    BMW854
    Mercedes-Benz853
    Audi852
    Land Rover843
    Lincoln842
    Cadillac838
    Infiniti835
    Lexus831
    Mini825
    Volvo825
    Acura810
    Hyundai809
    Volkswagen806
    GMC804
    Ram803
    Buick801
    Ford798
    Kia798
    Industry Average798
    Chevrolet797
    Mazda796
    Scion796
    Dodge795
    Chrysler788
    Subaru788
    Honda786
    Nissan786
    Toyota781
    Jeep763
    Mitsubishi755
    Fiat749
    Smart683
      
    Premium Average841
    Non-Premium Average790

    Top three models per car segment
    Highest Ranked:   
    City Car*Fiat 500  
    Small CarChevrolet SonicKia RioFord Fiesta
    Small Premium CarAudi A3BMW 2 seriesMercedes-Benz CLA
    Compact CarVolkswagen GolfSubaru WRXVolkswagen Beetle
    Compact Premium CarBMW 4 seriesMercedes-Benz C classLexus RC
    Compact Sporty Car*Mini Cooper  
    Compact Premium Sporty Car*Porsche CaymanPorsche Boxster 
    Midsize CarMazda Mazda6Hyundai Sonata (tie)Nissan Altima (tie)
    Midsize Sporty Car*Dodge ChallengerFord Mustang 
    Midsize Premium CarBMW 6 seriesAudi A7Infiniti Q70
    Midsize Premium Sporty Car*Chevrolet CorvettePorsche 911 
    Large CarDodge ChargerChevrolet ImpalaChrysler 300, Toyota Avalon (tie)
    Large Premium Car*Mercedes-Benz S classBMW 7 seriesPorsche Panamera
    * No other model in this segment performs above segment average
        
    Top three models per SUV, MPV, van, pickup segments
    Highest Ranked:   
    Small SUVMini CountrymanVolkswagen TiguanBuick Encore
    Small Premium SUVAudi Q3Range Rover EvoqueMercedes-Benz GLA
    Compact SUVMazda CX-5GMC TerrainSubaru Forester
    Compact Premium SUVPorsche MacanBMW X4Audi Q5
    Compact MPV*Ford C-MaxKia Soul 
    Midsize SUVNissan MuranoToyota HighlanderBuick Enclave
    Midsize Premium SUVBMW X5Audi Q7 (tie)BMW X6 (tie)
    Midsize Pickup*Chevrolet ColoradoGMC Canyon 
    MinivanKia SedonaHonda OdysseyToyota Sienna
    Large SUVFord ExpeditionChevrolet TahoeGMC Yukon
    Large Premium SUVInfiniti QX80Land Rover Range RoverLincoln Navigator
    Large Light Duty PickupFord F-150Ram 1500 LDGMC Sierra LD
    Large Heavy Duty PickupGMC Sierra HDChevrolet Silverado HD (tie)Ford Super Duty (tie)
    * No other model in this segment performs above segment average

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