Macan

Make
Porsche
Segment
SUV

Every year, J.D. Power conducts a series of studies to show which automakers are the best in several categories. The studies measure everything from which manufacturer builds the most dependable cars, to which has the best website. Each year, J.D. Power conducts its APEAL study which stands for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout. This study takes a look at things like fuel economy, powertrain smoothness, ease of use of the infotainment system and navigation system, visibility and safety from the viewpoint of actual owners.

Data is collected from 80,000 purchasers and lessees of new vehicles that were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The data is then used to formulate a score out of 1,000 that shows how appealing brand's cars are and how satisfied customers are. For the twelfth year in a row, Porsche topped the survey with a score of 877 points. BMW ranked second with 852 points and Jaguar ranked third with 852. Among non-luxury brands, Volkswagen was number one with 809 with Mini trailing by just one point. At the other end of the scale, Smart got the lowest score of 745 with two FCA brands, Fiat and Jeep also coming in at the bottom of the list.

This study is certainly not the end-all-be-all of which cars are best. Even if a brand doesn't have a high score, it may have won when looking at individual segments. The Porsche Boxster, Macan and 911 won the Premium Sporty Car, Premium SUV and Midsize Premium Sporty Car categories respectively, but the Smart Fourtwo won the city car segment. Although, we suspect that's because it may have been one of the only cars in the segment. We will post the full results for you to check out. Where does your car's manufacturer fall on the list? Let us know in the comments.