Among the many studies it puts out each year, J.D. Power’s U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study is specifically designed to measure owner satisfaction with new-vehicle design and performance. In that realm, Ford and Lincoln have both posted mixed results in recent years, and that was also the case with the recently-released 2025 version of the APEAL Study. However, there was some good news in that same study for The Blue Oval, as the Ford Mustang managed to top the sports car category this time around.
The Ford Mustang wound up as the top-ranked sports car in the 2025 J.D. Power U.S. APEAL Study, with the Mini Cooper falling behind it in second place. Those two models were alone in regard to which received awards in this specific category, which isn’t hugely surprising given the fact that sports cars, in general, just aren’t quite as common as they used to be.
As for brands, Ford wound up with a score of 838 out of 1,000 possible points, which is a seven-point improvement versus 2024, but also still slightly below the mass market average of 840. The automaker’s luxury arm – Lincoln – scored 870 points, compared to 874 last year, ranking it below the segment average of 881, but it still ranked fifth among all premium brands.
J.D. Power’s APEAL Study asks vehicle owners to consider 37 different attributes, including the sense of comfort they feel when hopping in those vehicles and the excitement they garner from the driving experience itself. Those responses are then aggregated to compute an overall APEAL Index score, and this time around, is based on responses from 92,964 owners of new 2025 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. Interestingly, the 2025 APEAL Study’s overall satisfaction of 851 is the highest since the study was last redesigned in 2020, signaling that owners are more excited about their new rides than ever.
“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,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “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 suggests that increasing technology and menu complexity remain persistent challenges for the industry.”
Still a good looking truck by today's standards.
Yet another wild, one-off creation.
It's looking like it might actually happen.
She's not keeping it, but not for the reason you think.
View Comments
Such a crazy spin on data manipulation. Bragging mustang is #1, only lost 4 points (fyi -wrong direction), with second place a Cooper 500? If that's the benchmark, good luck. Oh wait, remove Camero (and all gm products), then remove challenger (and all Chrysler) and your comparison is a fiat 500? Wow.
When the breaking story is a new paint color - news flash, chosen 3 YEARS ago.
Start some actual REAL news plus or minus, but some paint color or comparison to a b car is a joke.
Seripusly?
It's Camaro, unless this "Camero" fad is either meant to be a slight or inside joke? I see it everywhere and the nameplate spelled C-A-M-A-R-O has been around for over 58 years. Really all I can conclude is spelling the car's nameplate C-A-M-E-R-O is intentional trolling on the internet's part and can't understand why people misspell a name that's been around for almost 60 years.
I had to read it twice. Why are "Mini Cooper" and "sports car" in the same sentence?
What do you consider a "sports car", I know what I consider a "sports car" and even the Mustang doesn't really fit the bill since its more of a sports sedan (properly per the SAE since interior volume qualifies it as a sedan and not a coupe) or sports coupe since it has a slopping roof and two doors which seems to be how the term, coupe, has evolved.
The Mini certainly qualifies as a sports sedan or sports coupe (if it has two doors) which is in the same territory as the Mustang. There are precious few actual sports cars these days with a handful like the Miata or 718 qualifying since they fit the proper definition of a small two door, two-person coupe or convertible built for handling and braking (acceleration wasn't necessarily part of the deal since the focus was on being light as possible and offering sporty handling and good dynamics over raw acceleration). The problem of course is that the public conflates anything with a set of tape stripes and aluminum wheels as a sports car and for the really clueless, cars like the C8 ZR1 as what defines the bare minimum for what constitutes a sports car.