Ford Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach-E Win J.D. Power APEAL Award Honors

For more than 40 years, J.D. Powers and Associates has run an ever-increasing number of studies that compare new car attitudes, new-car realities, and other vehicle-related issues.

Ford Bronco owners receive great news about their long-overdue tops.

One Of The More Significant Surveys

One of the more significant surveys is the APEAL Study. Now in its 26th year, the APEAL study measures vehicle owners' emotional attachment and the level of excitement across 37 attributes. The study measures the applicable attributes ranging from the power drivers feel when they punch the accelerator to the sense of comfort and luxury when climbing into the driver's seat.

While two Ford models, the Bronco Sport and the Mustang Mach-E have earned top honors from J.D. Power and it APEAL award, Subaru was shutout of the honors, according to my colleague Denis Flierli.

The all-new Ford Bronco Sport and the Mustang Mach-E earned the top spots in their respective segments in the J.D. Power 2021 APEAL Study. The Bronco Sport took first place in the Small SUV category, while the Mustang Mach-E earned the top spot as Compact SUV.

Both models beat the competition in their segments in nearly every category, from exterior to power train to driving comfort. The study also noted that most Ford models match or exceed their segment averages.

Chris Brewer, executive director of quality, Ford Motor Co., said, in describing the vehicles that led the APEAL Survey: "Ford very much believes in listening to its customers. These vehicles were created to delight and impress them every time they get behind the wheel."

Award Validates Ford Strategy

Brewer concluded that the automaker was "honored by this award. It tells us we're delivering on their wants and needs."

One of the metrics for which Ford was honored was the youth of its audience. The automaker has one of the youngest audiences in the industry. The average age of its customers is 1.5 years younger than the industry average. The average mass-market age is 3.1 years older than the Ford metrics.

In addition, the APEAL Survey showed the Ford brand had improved by five index points. The survey showed that the automaker had maintained its historic lead over the mass market average. The survey judges noted that the brand score was helped by the company's emphasis on higher-performing vehicles like the Ford Super Duty pickup, the F-150 pickup, and the Bronco Sport, as well as the Mustang Mach-E.

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as I have been a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise that I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.