JD Power’s APPELLO study uses survey data to gauge emotional attachment and enthusiasm for their vehicles. The resulting information can be quite valuable to new vehicle buyers, providing them with a snippet of their user experience once they buy a car. As part of the APPEAL study for the 2022 model year, the consumer research firm asked Ford Raptor owners to rank 10 categories from most to least favorite. Now the results are out and it’s pretty clear what the owners of their SUVs love most.
The most voted categories from the survey
The winner of first place is the vehicle’s exterior styling, while second place goes to the ride feel. Third place goes to setting up and starting the SUV.
It’s also mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Interior design, driving comfort and getting in and out of the SUV occupy sixth to ninth place in order.
Unsurprisingly, the fuel economy of the Ford Bronco Raptor is what owners like least about the car.
Possible reasons why the 3 top rated categories scored so highly with Ford Bronco Raptor owners
With the vehicle’s exterior styling, one of the reasons it ranked high was the wider stance compared to other SUVs. It also came with a molded hardtop, molded door handles, configurable daytime running lights, and updated Raptor graphics option. Some of these characteristics help differentiate him from the other Broncos in the lineup.
When it comes to driving feel, the SUV has everything buyers need to feel confident behind the wheel. Examples include advanced all-wheel drive, selectable terrain modes, a powerful powertrain, short stopping distances, impressive proper suspension travel, and more.
When it comes to outfitting and starting the SUV, owners can configure the Bronco depending on what they plan to do during the day. For example, they can remove the doors and roof if they go off the road. Alternatively, they can reactivate these features to reduce wind and cabin noise during motorway driving.
There are also different exhaust modes to play with such as silent mode, normal mode, sport mode and Baja mode. Baja mode is the loudest and adds some excitement to starting the vehicle.
What the JD Power expert review said
According to the independent expert of , the Ford Bronco Raptor is a tall and imposing SUV with dune-jumping and rock-crawling capabilities. It ranks last in the APEAL study for the compact SUV segment, but among Bronco fans and off-road enthusiasts, it has the rugged truck-based utility and off-road capabilities to keep them satisfied.
This speaks to the vehicle’s exterior styling and driving feel, showing why they were two of the top-rated categories in the survey.
The independent expert also highlights the same problem areas as SUV owners. For example, that’s not something you’ll get with such a capable off-road vehicle, with the SUV managing a combined 15 mpg. That’s from 15 mpg city and 16 mpg highway.
As far as getting in and out of the vehicle is concerned, it is the second least liked component of the Bronco Raptor. The expert review also points to the same problem with the inclusion of standard footpegs. However, for off-road enthusiasts, this is often something they have to deal with due to the increased ground clearance of their cars.
