Every year, J.D. Power surveys tens of thousands of verified new car owners about what they think has gone right and gone wrong during the first 90 days they’ve had their cars, trucks, and SUVs. The survey asks consumers just like you to rate their vehicles in terms of design, comfort, performance, and technology (among other factors), asking for detail related to what they like and dislike about a given make and model.
The resulting collection of data is analyzed and compiled into several automotive industry benchmark studies that measure customer satisfaction. One of them, the annual Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, offers an index score that represents broad satisfaction with the overall appeal of different vehicles. The higher the index score, the happier the consumers who own the cars are with their purchase.
This list contains the five highest-rated sporty cars for overall appeal in 2020, according to the consumers who own them. We’ve blended two categories here – compact and midsize sporty cars – and listed the vehicles in order starting with the highest index scores. The average index score for compact sporty cars is 849, and the average index score for midsize sporty cars is 882.
1. 2020 Dodge Challenger – Highest Midsize Sporty Car in Customer Satisfaction According to Consumers! - Find the best Dodge deals!
The 2020 Dodge Challenger is a 2-door coupe that channels the 1970s like few modern cars can, and though it hasn’t seen a redesign since Dodge reintroduced the nameplate back in 2008, this rear-wheel-drive muscle car still impresses its owners. Engine choices range from a 305-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 to an astounding 807-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V-8, with several power rating stops in between. And with myriad ways to customize a Challenger, it’s easy for owners to love their cars.
The APEAL index score for the 2020 Dodge Challenger is 914, and the Challenger receives an APEAL award in the Midsize Sporty Car segment.
The 2020 Ford Mustang lives up to its distinguished heritage of offering a variety of rear-wheel-drive performance cars in both coupe and convertible body styles. As is true of the Challenger, the Mustang is available with an array of powertrains that range from affordable turbocharged 4-cylinder performance to eye-watering supercharged V-8 excess. Power ratings range from 310 to 760 horsepower, and regardless of engine selection Ford makes track-ready handling available through special option packages.
The APEAL index score for the 2020 Ford Mustang is 884.
Chevrolet offers the 2020 Camaro in coupe or convertible body styles, and with engines ranging from a 275-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder to a 650-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. While the Camaro doesn’t quite reach the lofty maximum power ratings that the Challenger and Mustang do, it sits on a lighter and more compact rear-drive chassis also engineered for Cadillacs that intend to challenge the best from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Add track-ready tuning packages to a Camaro, and it tackles the twisties with the best of them.
The APEAL index score for the 2020 Chevrolet Camaro is 878.
4. 2020 Hyundai Veloster – Highest Compact Sporty Car in Customer Satisfaction According to Consumers! - Find the best Hyundai deals!
A scrappy entrant on this list, the 2020 Hyundai Veloster springs from humble beginnings but is tuned for impressive available performance. Equipped with an asymmetrical 3-door body plus a handy hatchback, this Hyundai offers three engine choices. A modest 147-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder is standard, with a turbocharged 201-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder available. The Veloster N sits atop the lineup, with a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder making as much as 285 horsepower. Depending on specification, manual, automatic, and dual-clutch transmissions power to the front wheels.
The APEAL index score for the 2020 Hyundai Veloster is 858, and the Veloster receives an APEAL award in the Compact Sporty Car segment.
Having earned its legions of enthusiast fans through decades of proving its handling prowess on dirt and autocross courses, the all-wheel-drive 2020 Subaru WRX lineup consists of the base, Premium and Limited, each motivated by a 268-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, matched to your choice of a manual or continuously variable automatic transmission. Hardcore aficionados will want the WRX STI version of this Subaru, which employs a 310-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder putting power to the AWD system through a manual gearbox.
The APEAL index score for the 2020 Subaru WRX is 856.
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