Lincoln Ranked Above Average In 2023 APEAL Study

July 25, 2023 6:01 am

Last year, Lincoln ranked below the premium segment average in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) Study, which also placed it behind a large number of rivals. Now, with the release of the 2023 versions of this same study, Lincoln managed to improve its ranking considerably, however, landing above the segment average this time around – which was also the case for Ford.

Last year, Lincoln scored an 870 out of a possible 1,000 points in the APEAL Study, ranking seventh among all mass market manufacturers. This time around, FoMoCo’s luxury arm stayed in that same exact place, but improved its score to 873, which ranked it behind Jaguar (887), Land Rover (883), Porsche (883), BMW (878), Genesis (877), and Mercedes-Benz (876), but ahead of the segment average (871), Cadillac (865), Lexus (864), Alfa Romeo (859), Volvo (856), Audi (855), Infiniti (854), and Acura (853).

As a whole – for the first time in the 28-year history of the APEAL Study – the overall market suffered a consecutive year-over-year decline in owner satisfaction, dropping by two points last year and three in 2021. This particular study measures owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle by asking them to consider 37 different attributes. This year’s results were derived from the responses of 84,555 owners of new 2023 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.

“The decline in consecutive years might look small, but it’s an indicator that larger issues may lie under the surface,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “Despite the technology and design innovations that manufacturers put into new vehicles, owners are lukewarm about them. While innovations like charging pads, vehicle apps, and advanced audio features should enhance an owner’s experience, this is not the case when problems are experienced. This downward trajectory of satisfaction should be a warning sign to manufacturers that they need to better understand what owners really want in their new vehicles.”

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By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.