For the ninth year in a row, Porsche ranks first as a brand when it comes to having the “most appealing vehicles,” that is, the most satisfied owners, a new J.D. Power and Associates study reports.

Land Rover’s newly redone Range Rover was the top-scoring individual vehicle in the survey.

Unlike the quality studies for which it is best known, Power’s Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study is aimed at seeing which models are just plain well-liked by their owners.

It is followed in the industry because happy owners are more likely to stick by a brand for their next purchase and buyers tend to pay more for cars ranking high for satisfied owners.

Apparently, happy owners are also rich owners because all the top brands in the brand rankings are in the luxury category.

The study measures 77 attributes to create a score, which is measured against other models and brands.

Among the highlights of the 2013 APEAL study:

Volkswagen Group receives the highest number of best model by category awards of all corporations when its three brands, VW, Audi and Porsche are taken into consideration.

Segement winners included Audi allroad, Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen GTI and Volkswagen Passat.

Chevrolet receives the highest number of segment awards of any individual brand, meaning it had the most individual models that performed well. They included Avalanche, Sonic and Volt models, all of which also received awards in 2012.

Land Rover’s Range Rover crossover, in achieving the highest score of any model in the industry in 2013, is breaking through a barrier. It is only the second time that the highest score did not go to a big luxury car.

Porsche always scores well as a brand that has an engaged and emotional body of owners.

Here is the brand list and their satisfaction scores out of 1,000, followed by the top-ranked car or truck for happy owners by vehicle category:

Brands Ranking:

Porsche: 884

Audi: 857

BMW: 854

Land Rover: 853

Lexus: 847

Mercedes-Benz: 847

Cadillac: 841

Jaguar: 839

Lincoln: 835

Infiniti: 831

Ram: 817

Volvo: 812

Acura: 811

Volkswagen: 809

Mini: 801

Buick: 800

Kia: 797

Industry average: 795

Hyundai: 792

Honda: 791

Ford: 790

Nissan: 790

Chevrolet: 788

Dodge: 787

Chrysler: 784

GMC: 784

Fiat: 781

Scion: 778

Mazda: 776

Toyota: 776

Jeep: 763

Subaru: 756

Mitsubishi: 749

Smart: 739

Best Cars by category:

Best City Car: Fiat 500

Best Sub-Compact Car: Chevrolet Sonic

Best Compact Car: Chevrolet Volt

Best Compact Sporty Car: Volkswagen GTI

Best Compact Premium Car: Lincoln MKZ

Best Compact Premium Sporty Car: Porsche Boxster

Best Midsize Car: Volkswagen Passat

Best Midsize Sporty Car: Ford Mustang

Best Midsize Premium Car: BMW 5 Series

Best Midsize Premium Sporty Car: Mercedes-Benz SL Class

Best Large Car: Dodge Charger

Best Large Premium Car: Lexus LS

Best Crossovers and Trucks by category:

Best Subcompact Crossover: Buick Encore

Best Compact Crossover: Mazda CX-5

Best Compact Premium Crossover: Audi Allroa

Best Midsize Crossover: Nissan Murano.

Best Compact Multipurpose Vehicle: Kia Soul

Best Midsize Premium Crossover: Porsche Cayenne

Best Minivan: Honda Odyssey.

Best Large Crossover: Nissan Armada

Best Large Premium Crossover: Land Rover Range Rover

Best Large Light-duty Pickup: Chevrolet Avalanche

Best Large Heavy-duty Pickup: Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty

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