JD Power is known for carrying out some of the most interesting research in the industry and trying to find out which brands are most loved every year. The results for their APEAL study (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) were just published and BMW scored a better than average score, being among the top five brands. Furthermore, cars like the BMW 4 Series scored highest in their respective category.

“The APEAL Study measures owners’ emotional attachment to their new vehicle, and the product launches that took place this model year have done a really good job. Some are all-new and some are redesigns, but the new launches demonstrate that automakers are getting even better at hitting buyers’ emotional triggers,” said David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power. The study itself asks owners to consider 37 attributes, according to a fixed scale.

These attributes include a variety of things 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. In the end, the data is crunched and manufacturers get a score on a scale from 0 to 1000. The overall title went to two companies: Porsche and Dodge. Yes, Dodge. The American brand continues to surprise, equalizing Porsche with 882 points.

Second place went to another tie, this time between Genesis and Land Rover, with 879 points. Third place went to Lincoln, with 876 points while BMW came in fourth with 874 points. BMW also scored high with a few of its models in the quality rankings. The BMW X4, X6 and X7 won both APEAL segment awards and IQS ones, the latter researching the quality perceived by the customers. In this study a number of 110,827 owners of new 2021 model-year vehicles were surveyed after 90 days of ownership and it kicked off in February 2021.