You’ve no doubt have heard of JD Power. Indeed, you’ll likely already have read the results of its 2017 US Initial Quality Study, which ranks automakers for overall initial quality.
And now the US research company has released the results of its 2017 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study. And the automaker at the very top of the pile? None other than Porsche, for the thirteenth consecutive year…
The study seeks to measure “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”.
JD Power says these attributes are combined into an overall index score that is measured on a 1 000-point scale. The study, now in its 22nd year, is based on responses gathered from February through May 2017 from nearly 70 000 US purchasers and lessees of new 2017 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.
In this year’s study, the industry average index increased to 810 points, with the gap between premium and mass-market brands closing. JD Power says the average index score for the non-premium segment (804) improved by 10 points year over year, while the premium segment (845) improved by just 1 point.
Porsche ranked highest with an index score of 884, while Hyundai’s Genesis sub-brand took second overall (869), followed by BMW (855), Audi (854) and Mercedes-Benz (851).
Chrysler was deemed the most improved brand (815), with a 41-point improvement from 2016. Other brands with strong improvements included Mini (+30 points), Nissan (+27) and Honda (+25).
Jeep, Fiat and Mitsubishi found themselves at the foot of the table.
Check out the full rankings below…