Honda tops J.D. Power and Associates' APEAL study

Honda has topped this year’s J.D. Power and Associates' APEAL study, taking out the most best-in-segment awards of any carmaker. The yearly Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study rates consumer opinion on car design, content, layout and performance and ranks cars based on a 1,000-point scale.

Honda took top honors in four segments, with its Fit, CR-V, Ridgeline and Odyssey all taking top spots. Other cars to win a best-in-segment award include Ford's Mustang and Edge crossover, Nissan's Altima sedan and Armada, VW's Jetta and GTI cars. The luxury segments were dominated by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, with the 3-Series, 6-Series and X5, and E-Class, S-Class and GL-Class all winning their respective segments.

Porsche held on to its ranking as the number one automotive brand, its third consecutive year at the top. It scored 849 points out of 1,000, beating BMW by just two points.

The results are based on opinions of 91,000 new car buyers in the US, who purchased vehicles between February and May. Two brands we’re surprised didn't make the list were Lexus and Toyota, who usually dominate the J.D. Power surveys.