J.D. Power released the results of their 2020 Automotive Performance Execution and Layout study (APEAL, get it?). The study assesses new car owners’ emotional attachment and excitement about their new vehicle looking at 37 different metrics. J.D. Power scored both brands and individual vehicles.
Before diving in, we’d suggest taking the results with a grain of salt. Emotion and excitement are hard things to quantify, no matter how much effort you put in. Buyers have different expectations when they buy different cars. And, at least for us, we’d be way more excited if a new Jeep Gladiator showed up than a Honda Ridgeline.
The top-scoring brand for APEAL was Porsche, followed by Lincoln, Cadillac, Dodge and RAM. Tesla would have ranked the highest but, as with the J.D. Power initial quality study, the company refused to let its buyers be surveyed for the study. That result seems fair. Few would question Tesla owners’ emotional attachment to their vehicles.
Looking at individual vehicles, BMW X6 took home the crown for most excited and emotional owners. Nothing raises the passions it seems quite like a sport activity vehicle with a sloping roofline. Hyundai Motor Group led the way with five different segment winners (Genesis G70, Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Stinger and Kia Telluride. BMW (BMW 7 Series, BMW X4, BMW X6, Mini Countryman) and Nissan (Nissan Armada, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Sentra, Nissan Versa) tied for fourth.
Each segment winner is listed below with links to our reviews.
