Porsche Tops J.D. Power APEAL Study Again

Among vehicle brands sold in America, Porsche leads by a strong margin this year in terms of new-car appeal, according to results of the J. D. Power 2013 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study.

It's the ninth consecutive time Porsche has topped the 18-year-old ratings.

This APEAL survey, which has been redesigned this year, ranks nameplates according to how new owners assess 77 attributes that range from style and performance to "value" and dealership experience.

Porsche, with a score of 884 of a possible 1,000, beat second-place Audi by 27 points. This year's industry average was 795. The two lowest-scoring brands were Smart (739) and Mitsubishi (749).

Power says specific vehicles that score at least 100 points above the average for their market segment sell quicker and command a selling price at least $1,800 higher than lower-rated models.

The firm adds that 64% of owners of high-scoring brands repurchase another vehicle from that marque compared with only 55% of owners of low-scoring makes who do so.