The APEAL Study complements the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), and the J.D. Power U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) by measuring owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle.

The APEAL Study asks owners to consider 37 attributes, ranging from the sense of comfort they feel when climbing into the driver's seat to the exhilaration they get when they step on the accelerator. Vehicle owners' responses to queries about these attributes are aggregated to compute an overall APEAL Index score measured on a 1,000-point scale.

The 2022 U.S. APEAL Study is based on responses from 84,165 owners of new 2022 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study was fielded from February 2022 through May 2022, based on vehicles registered from November 2021 through February 2022.

Porsche ranks highest among premium brands with a score of 888. Genesis (886) ranks second and Cadillac (885) ranks third among premium brands.

Meanwhile, for mass market brands, Dodge ranks highest with a score of 882. Ram (863) ranks second and GMC (856) ranks third.

Jeep is the biggest gainer in the mass market rankings, placing seven rank positions higher than in 2021. Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and Infiniti gain the most in the premium brand rankings, up three places year over year. Infiniti is the biggest gainer in terms of points, improving 24 points from a year ago.

A key finding of the 2022 study finds that mass market brands suffered a decrease in emotional appeal: The 19-point gap in score between premium and mass market brands in 2021 has widened to 31 points this year, as mass market brands decline 4 points and premium brands improve 8 points.

When it comes to electrified vehicles, the study notes that Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles have a lower composite APEAL Index scores than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. The score for PHEVs is 835 and is 832 for hybrids. In comparison, the composite index score for gasoline-powered vehicles is 846.

Battery-electric vehicles (excluding Tesla) also underperform gasoline vehicles in APEAL with an index score of 838. Tesla vehicles are summarized separately from the BEV composite score because the brand's dominance in the category would skew the results of all other BEVs.

Companies that have the most model-level awards are Hyundai Motor Group with seven, followed by BMW, Nissan, and Stellantis with three each.

The complete list of award recipients is:

• Hyundai Motor Group: Genesis G80, Genesis GV70, Hyundai Palisade, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Kia Carnival, Kia EV6 and Kia K5
• BMW: BMW X6, MINI Clubman and MINI Cooper
• Nissan: Infiniti QX60, Nissan Murano and Nissan Versa
• Stellantis: Jeep Wagoneer, Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Ram 1500
• Ford Motor Company: Ford Bronco Sport and Ford Super Duty
• Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes-Benz GLA and Mercedes-Benz EQS
• Toyota Motor Corporation: Lexus IS
• Volkswagen: Porsche 911

The BMW X6 is the highest-ranking individual model

The BMW X6, Nissan Versa (Philippine market Almera), and Ram 1500 each receive model-level awards for a third consecutive year.