Dodge and Ram Dominate Mass-market Brands Second Straight Year in J.D. Power APEAL Study

Dodge and Ram rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the 2020 J.D. Power Automotive Performance Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study™, reversing last year’s finish order among mass-market brands.

The Dodge result is historic because it marks the first time a domestic brand has earned top spots in the APEAL Study and J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study (IQS), in the same year.

America’s performance brand recorded a milestone first-place tie in the 34th running of IQS, spearheading an FCA surge in the influential industry rating.

“These ratings are consistent with our continuing focus on improving the ownership experience for our customers,” said Mark Champine, Head of Quality, FCA North America. “Our focus will not waver, nor will our efforts.”

Redesigned this year to capture greater detail, APEAL rates the emotional bond between customers and 2020 model-year vehicles. This is determined by customer feedback on vehicle attributes from seating comfort to throttle response, during the first three months of ownership.

The feedback is then aggregated on overall 1,000-point APEAL index.

Dodge and Ram are separated by one point with scores of 872 and 871, respectively. These results outdistance their nearest competitor by more than 13 points and far-exceeds the study’s mass-market brand average of 838.

For the third time in four years, the Dodge Challenger earns bragging rights in the highly competitive Midsize Sporty Car category.

Meanwhile, the acclaimed Ram 1500 captures top spot in the high-volume Large Light-duty Pickup segment.

Holding down the second spots in the Large Car and Minivan categories, respectively, are the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Pacifica.

The Dodge Durango ranks third among Upper Midsize SUVs.

Challenger, Charger and Durango also drove the Dodge brand’s first-place finish in this year’s IQS, which uses reported problems per 100 vehicles to assign quality scores for a model’s first three months in service.

Dodge brand’s total tied for lowest among 31 competitors, while Ram ranked third and Jeep improved six spots to record its best-ever finish. These results helped FCA climb five positions to a first-quartile industry placing that was 13 points better than the industry average.