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Porsche, Jaguar continue dominance in 2015 JD Power APEAL study

The top of JD Power's 2015 APEAL Study has not changed much in the last year. Porsche remains No. 1 with Jaguar nipping at its heels, although both premium brands saw their overall score fall compared to 2014. For those that need a refresher, the APEAL Study looks at how "gratifying" a vehicle is to own and drive, rating cars and brands on a 1,000-point scale. The industry average for 2015 has increased from 794 to 798, while the total number of automakers that finished above the curve increased from 16 to 20. While Porsche and Jaguar finished at the top, their scores dropped eight and seven points, respectively, to 874 and 855. The top "non-premium" brand was Mini, which scored an impressive 825, up from 795. If the BMW-owned British marque is still a bit too premium for your tastes, last year's non-premium winner, Hyundai, did climb five points and is this year's runner up. At the opposite end of the scale, Smart sits at the very bottom of the rankings, with a score of 683 (it didn't appear on the 2014 rankings). Fiat also dropped, from fourth worst in 2014 to second worst in 2015, despite the 500 being named most appealing city car. Subaru made an impressive climb, from third worst to seventh, falling just 10 points shy of the industry average and two points south of the non-premium average. In the individual vehicle segments, eight brands earned multiple awards, with Ford, Chevrolet, and Porsche earning three apiece. Surprise segment victories included the new Ford Expedition, which beat out Chevy's popular Suburban. The Infiniti QX80 bested the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Range Rover for best large luxury SUV, and the Dodge Challenger beat its muscle car rivals from Ford and Chevy. Most of the victories, though, were quite predictable. The Mazda6 and CX-5 took wins for the midsize sedan and compact SUV categories respectively, while the Volkswagen Golf captured the compact car win. The Ford F-150 won the large pickup category, while the Porsche Cayman was named most appealing compact premium sporty car. Check out the official release on the 2015 APEAL Study, available below, from JD Power. 2015 U.S. APEAL Study Results The latest safety-related technologies are among the drivers of customer satisfaction with new vehicles, according to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S.

Subaru's three-row Tribeca replacement spotted testing with Explorer and CX-9 in tow

Despite being a roomy, midsize crossover with seven seats living in a market that's mad for the genre, Subaru had a difficult time selling the Tribeca. Subie's largest automobile was one of the worst selling vehicles of 2012, which surely led to its death in 2014. The latest spy shots of Subaru's new three-row crossover reveals that the automaker is finally ready to replace the Tribeca. Our photographers managed to capture photos of Subaru's upcoming three-row crossover testing with the Ford Explorer and Mazda CX-9. The heavily disguised model doesn't appear drastically different than the dead Tribeca, but thick cladding is hiding the majority of the vehicle's features. From the front, the CUV looks to have similar triangular headlights as the old Tribeca, but have been given a sharper design. The front grille closely resembles the one found on the current Subaru Outback with three horizontal slats. The large air intake toward the bottom of the front fascia is also similar to the Outback's. The overall profile of the 'ute indicates that the new crossover will be similarly sized to the now-dead Tribeca, current Explorer, and present-day CX-9. At the back, the crossover features square taillights that are comparable to the ones found on the Forester's LED units. The prototype's dual exhaust outlets hint toward Subaru's 3.6-liter six-cylinder Boxer engine. The new seven-seater is expected to utilize Subaru's new modular architecture that will underpin the majority of the automaker's lineup. While the Tribeca was larger than its competitors, the previous model, as we pointed out in our review, had polarizing styling and a subpar interior that held the machine back. The Tribeca's replacement, which is expected to debut in 2018, should fix the previous car's issues with a rugged, sleeker exterior design and a more luxurious interior. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Subaru Three-Row SUV View 16 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Subaru Crossover SUV subaru tribeca three-row three-row cuv

Autoblog Podcast #370

Episode #370 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Michael Harley and Craig Fitzgerald of BangShift and Boldride talk about the 2015 Jeep Renegade, the Consumer Reports list of Cars to Avoid, and the Geneva Motor Show, which opened today. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #370: Topics: 2015 Jeep Renegade Worst Cars of 2014 Geneva Motor Show preview In the Autoblog Garage: 2014 Volkswagen Jetta SE 2014 SRT Viper 2015 Subaru WRX Hosts: Dan Roth, Michael Harley Guests: Craig Fitzgerald Runtime: 01:28:37 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Jeep Renegade - 27:28 Cars to Avoid - 41:46 Geneva Motor Show - 59:54 Q&A - 01:11:04 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Geneva Motor Show Jeep Subaru Volkswagen Concept Cars worst cars