The Ford Super Duty has faired quite well in some recent owner surveys, as the F-350 was named as one of Consumer Reports‘ Most Satisfying Trucks of 2022 while the F-250 made the cut in the same survey back in 2021. Now, the 2022 Ford Super Duty is being recognized as the top ranking large heavy-duty truck in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. APEAL Study – which saw Ford rank above the mass market segment average – joining the Ford Bronco Sport in that regard as well.
The 2022 Ford Super Duty led the large heavy-duty pickup segment in this particular survey, beating out the Ram 2500 and 3500 to take home top honors. Meanwhile, the mass market segment of the automotive industry as a whole experienced a four point decline over last year, while the premium segment increased by eight points.
J.D. Power’s APEAL Study measures owners’ emotional attachment and their level of excitement with their new vehicle by asking them to consider 37 different attributes ranging from the sense of comfort they feel when climbing into the driver’s seat to the exhilaration they get when they step on the accelerator. Those responses are then used to calculate an overall APEAL Index score measured on a 1,000-point scale. The 2022 U.S. APEAL Study is based on responses from 84,165 owners of new 2022 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. This year, overall satisfaction dropped by one point, its first decline since 2014 and just the fifth in 27 years, which can be attributed to one major factor.
“The most important factor leading to the industry decline this year is owners’ perception of their vehicle’s fuel economy,” said David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power. “The study was fielded as fuel prices were experiencing a meteoric rise, and that pinch at the pump is conveyed in lower vehicle satisfaction. Battery-electric vehicles have not been negatively affected by the increase in fuel costs but do have issues related to battery range and charging time.”
Source: Ford Authority