2011-2012 Most Appealing Cars

A slower economy may be tough on all of us, but at least we can feel good to know that new cars are more appealing than ever. According to a recent JD Power and Associates study, automakers are trying to bring in more buyers by offering new vehicles with better styling options and improved fuel economy. Web2Carz takes a look at the top 20 cars rated as most appealing by JD Power.

At the top of JD Power and Associate's 2011 U.S. Automobile Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study is Porsche, followed by Jaguar and BMW. These three brands scored the highest with ratings above 800 on a 1,000 point scale.

Today, vehicle appeal is at a historic high, and JD Power's study found that overall vehicle appeal is as high as it has been since they started the APEAL study in 1996. Also, recently released all-new models are substantially more appealing than their prior model-year counterparts, and today's newest models have widened the appeal gap for 2 years in a row.

Here is a list of the JD Power's most appealing cars in 20 segments, from Sub-compact to Mini Van!

	Sub-Compact Car
.	1 Ford Fiesta 2 Mazda Mazda2 3 Honda Fit
Compact Car
1 Chevrolet Volt 2 Volkswagen Golf 3 Mitsubishi Lancer

 Compact Sporty Car

1 Volkswagen GTI

2 MINI Cooper

Compact Premium Sporty Car  

1 BMW Z4 Roadster

2 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible/Cabriolet

 Entry Premium Car 

1 Lexus IS

2 BMW 3 Series tied with Volkswagen CC

 

Midsize Sporty Car  

1 Dodge Challenger

2 Chevrolet Camaro

 Midsize Premium Car  

1 BMW 5 Series

Large Premium Car 

1 Hyundai Equus

2 BMW 7 Series

3 Audi A8

 Midsize Car

1 Suzuki Kazashi

2 Hyundai Sonata

3 Kia Optima

Large Car 

1 Dodge Charger

2 Ford Taurus

3 Nissan Maxima

	Compact Crossover
. 1 MINI Countryman 2 Volkswagen Tiguan 3 Hyundai Tucson
Compact MPV
1 Scion xB 2 Kia Soul
	Entry Premium Crossover/SUV
	1 BMW X3 2 Audi Q5 3 Volvo XC60
Midsize Crossover/SUV
1 Dodge Durango 2 Ford Flex 3 Ford Explorer
	Large Crossover/SUV
	1 Nissan Armada 2 Chevrolet Tahoe 3 Ford Expedition
Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV
1 Porsche Cayenne 2 BMW X6 3 Audi Q7
	Large Premium Crossover/SUV
	1 Land Rover Range Rover 2 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 3 Mercedes-Benz GL Class
Large Pickup
1 Ford 150 LD 2 Chevrolet Avalanche 3 Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty
	Midsize Pickup
	1 Honda Ridgeline 2 Nissan Frontier 3 Toyota Tacoma
Minivan
1 Honda Odyssey

All data attributed to JD Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Automobile Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study.