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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.

Next-generation Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ confirmed

Toyota and Subaru jointly announced today that they would be continuing and expanding their alliance. Toyota will be taking a larger stake in Subaru, bringing the total to 20%, and Subaru will respond in kind by buying shares equal to the value of those purchased by Toyota. In terms of product, the two companies will reportedly swap knowledge in the development of all-wheel-drive systems, battery-electric powertrains and connected/autonomous driving technologies. Oh, and there will be a next-generation Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ. Despite less-than-stellar sales, the two companies confirmed that the rear-wheel-drive Toyabaru twins will be returning for a sequel. No details about them were provided, but a second-generation has widely been speculated and reported, with Australia's Motor quoting Supra chief engineer Tatsuya Tada confirming as such. "We have a new 86 team," he told Motor. "We have to make a new 86 that surpasses the Supra ... that is what the customer expects." Beyond that, there is rampant speculation of where the rear-drive platform will originate (a derivative of Toyota's TNGA platform, something boosted from Mazda, aliens), as well as what might find its way under the hood (virtually anything would be better than what's there now). A Japanese publication even suggested it might even be previewed next month at the Tokyo Motor Show.  In any event, expect the next-generation Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 to be a continuous source of interest for the next few years.  Subaru Toyota Coupe Future Vehicles Performance

2020 Subaru Forester adds a rear seat reminder, new pricing announced

The 2020 Subaru Forester has officially arrived with a few changes. To start, every Forester will be equipped with Subaru’s rear seat reminder as standard, following the larger 2020 Ascent which got that update earlier this year. Subaru is on the path to get the tech in all its cars, just like many other manufacturers have been doing for awhile now. ThereÂ’s a small revision to the standard EyeSight driver assistance tech for 2020. Now, every trim of Forester will be equipped with a Lane Centering function and a new Lane Departure Prevention function as standard. Previously, the standard equipment just included lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist.  Beyond those few tech add-ons, most things remain the same. A small increase of $200 bumps the price of entry up to $25,505. The destination charge was also increased by $35 to $1,010. All five trims from before are still available, including Premium ($28,405), Sport ($30,005), Limited ($32,105) and Touring ($35,605). The biggest trim-specific price increase comes at the Limited trim level, which went up $700 compared to the 2019 Forester Limited. You can read what we thought of the 2019 Forester in our first drive review of the redesigned model here. The 2020 Forester will be hitting dealers this fall.