They may not “make ‘em” like they used to, but vehicles have gotten better in every department this year, according to JD Power. The data analytics company reports that scores have increased across all ten categories of its U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study for the first time in a decade.
Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power points out that: “Manufacturers have made significant advancements that continue to redefine the vehicle ownership experience and have become more adept at translating innovation into meaningful customer engagement. However, the study finds that owners of new models have lower levels of satisfaction with vehicle setup and startup—as well as infotainment systems—compared with owners of carryover models.”
This slightly contradicts one finding, which shows that over half of new vehicle owners are setting up user profiles with personalized settings and that the ability to do this leads to “increased emotional satisfaction.”
One of the more interesting points from the study centers on the consistency of customer satisfaction amongst EV and PHEV owners. While ICE and hybrid owners are more consistently satisfied with their vehicles.
German OEMs dominate in brand satisfaction
German manufacturers featured heavily in the “brand satisfaction” section of the survey. Porsche was the highest-scoring premium brand, followed by Land Rover and BMW. The BMW X6 is also noted as the “highest-ranking individual model” in the survey.
Among “mass market brands,” BMW-owned Mini took the top spot, while American manufacturers Dodge and GMC took the second and third spots, respectively.
