Photo: Nissan
The automotive industry has no shortage of awards, rating agencies, and metrics by which to judge the quality of new vehicles. Most of these evaluations are performed by certified professionals, as automakers aren’t typically eager to let the general populace mash their brand new cars into concrete walls at high speeds.
While it’s always advisable to trust the opinions of trained experts, sometimes you want to know what a car is like from someone who drives it regularly. That’s where J.D. Power’s APEAL and IQS evaluations come in.
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APEAL, or the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study, assesses new owners’ opinions of their new car’s design, content, layout, and performance at the end of a 90 day period. The IQS, or Initial Quality Study, tracks the number of issues that arise in an owner’s first 90 days on the road, such as brake noises or errant check engine lights.
The 2019 Nissan Maxima was named J.D. Power’s top vehicle in the Large Car category of the APEAL Study for the second year in a row. The Altima was a big winner as well, tying for first place in the Midsize Car segment. The Nissan Armada and Murano were also listed in the top three available cars in their respective classes.
To make a clean sweep of things, the Maxima was also the IQS’ highest-ranked Large Car, making it one of only seven vehicles to win both awards this year. The TITAN also claimed the top spot in the Large Light Duty Pickup category, and four other Nissan vehicles earned silver or bronze medals in their segments.
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The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.