Dodge And Lincoln Make The Most APEAL-ing American Autos
Dodge doesn’t make a lot of models right now, but its customers find the ones that it does very appealing. Make that APEAL-ing.
The automaker earned the highest score of any mass market American brand in the 2025 J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study and came in second overall to Mini. The study is less about quality and more about the emotions and excitement owners feel after 90 days of ownership.
Mini scored 876 on a scale of 1000 and Dodge 868, while GMC came in third at 852 in a class where the average was 840. Ram, Chevrolet and Buick were the other American makes to score above average.
Dodge currently sells just the Hornet, Charger Daytona and Durango, the last of which tied the Hyundai Santa Fe for first in the Upper Midsize SUV segment.
The only other models from U.S. brands to win categories were the Ford Mustang (Sporty Car), Ford F-Series Super Duty (Large Heavy Duty Pickup), GMC Hummer EV (Large Light Duty Pickup), Chevrolet Tahoe (Large SUV) and Lincoln Nautilus (Midsize Premium SUV).
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Lincoln was the top American premium brand with a score of 870, but that was below the 881 average for the class. Unlike the rest of Lincoln’s lineup that is assembled in the USA, the Nautilus is imported from China.
Rivian and Tesla received scores of 896 and 892, but were excluded from the official ranking because they don’t provide all of the data that the other automakers do.
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But the award for best model overall went to the South Carolina-built BMW X6 SUV, which was also named the top Upper Midsize Premium SUV.
The APEAL study is different from the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, or IQS, which is focused on problems customers have with their vehicles. Dodge finished sixth overall in the latest IQS report behind fifth-place Chevrolet while Lexus led the way.