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2023 J.D. Power APEAL Study shows new-car customer satisfaction scores slip

J.D. Power survey results have been slightly up but mostly down for automakers this year, literally. In February, the 2023 Vehicle Dependability Study showed an overall decline compared the 2022 a month before the Customer Service Index Study did the same. The trend reversed in June with a better overall score on the 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration Study than in 2022, then declined again the same month on with a lower overall score on the 2023 Initial Quality Study. The declines continue with the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, overall satisfaction among the 84,555 respondents down two points overall compared to 2022, to 845 out of 1,000 points. Because last year's score dropped compared to 2021, this year marks the first consecutive decline in the study's 28-year history. The study tries to "[measure] owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement with new vehicle" after 90 days of ownership by asking new owners to rate 37 attributes in 10 areas around the vehicle, such as the feeling they get when they hit the accelerator. Satisfaction with nine of the attributes is down this year versus last, fuel economy the only segment to show better results with 15 points more satisfaction. Styling and infotainment are big drags on satisfaction. Responses to new car exterior looks tallied 888 points, down from 894 last year, the largest drop in this year's study. On the digital side, less than half of those surveyed this year said they prefer using a manufacturer's built-in infotainment. From 70% of respondents in 2020 preferring to use a manufacturer's in-house software to play audio instead of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, that's 56% in 2023. Going all-in on Google appears to have the best effect. J.D. Power said that vehicles with both Google's Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS) and Google Automotive Services (GAS) "score higher in the infotainment category than those with no AAOS whatsoever. AAOS without GAS receives the lowest scores for infotainment of the three categories."  Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, said, "Despite the technology and design innovations that manufacturers put into new vehicles, owners are lukewarm about them. While innovations like charging pads, vehicle apps and advanced audio features should enhance an owner’s experience, this is not the case when problems are experienced.

Jaguar F-Pace V6 reminds us why we love supercharged engines

There are many things we like about our 2018 Jaguar F-Pace long-term car, as well as some things we don't care for, but easily one of the best things about it is the engine. Under the hood is the 380-horsepower supercharged V6 that Jaguar offers on other models. That amount of power would be fun in just about any car with any engine, but there are specific reasons why this particular engine is special, and it's because of that supercharger. Supercharged engines have a very different character than increasingly common turbo engines. One of the most noticeable differences being engine response. Unlike turbo engines, the F-Pace's V6 feels hardwired to your foot. Every extra millimeter of pedal travel yields a slightly greater amount of tug. And the tug is felt immediately. Even the best turbo engines have a hard time recreating this response. The power band is very linear, as well, so you know exactly what you're getting every time you hit the gas. The engine is wonderfully torquey, too. Because the Jaguar's engine uses a classic Roots-type blower, there's a major improvement in low-end torque. This means that our F-Pace has loads of grunt for punting around at low-rpm and can seriously move when tromping on the gas. And because of the near-instant throttle response and linear power band, it doesn't slam you in the back unexpectedly like some turbo engines do. Despite how great these supercharged engines are to experience, we're concerned that supercharged engines like this may disappear in all but ultra-limited production, high-performance cars such as the Chevy Corvette Z06 and Cadillac CTS-V. The reason being that car companies have to keep making cars more fuel efficient and lower emitting. Putting a supercharger on an engine is adding a handicap, since it takes engine power to spin the belt-driven supercharger. And when a turbo, which uses wasted energy from exhaust gas to spin the compressor and built boost, can effectively do the same thing, it's hard to make a case for a supercharger. We won't give up hope completely, though. Mazda is using superchargers on its spark-assisted compression ignition gasoline engines. And while we're not sure how powerful and sporty those will be, Mazda has said that it's going with superchargers for exactly the reasons we like the Jaguar engine: smooth power and fast throttle response.

Nissan Truck-a-Palooza | Autoblog Podcast #483

Episode #483 of the Autoblog Podcast is here. This week, Dan Roth, Alex Kierstein, and Michael Austin talk about the jam-packed Autoblog Garage, Alex Kierstein's time with several new Nissan trucks including the 2017 Armada, and we wrap it up trying to spend your money. Check it out! Check out the rundown with times for topics, and thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #483 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics 2017 Nissan Armada In The Autoblog Garage 2016 Audi R8 V10 Plus 2016 Jaguar XJR 2016 Jaguar XE Diesel 2016 Jaguar F-Pace 2016 Chevrolet Cruze Premier 2016 Kia Sedona SXL 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT Hosts: Dan Roth, Michael Austin, Alex Kierstein Rundown Intro & Garage - 00:00 Nissan Trucks - 19:39 Q&A - 29:38 Total Duration: 40:19 Get The Podcast 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 Audi Jaguar Mitsubishi Nissan