Although most new-vehicle buyers remain in the same size segment as their old ride, more than a quarter are downsizing these days. And often they get just as much enjoyment out of their economized rides, says J.D. Power and Associates.

These findings were part of the firm’s 2012 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study, which also ranked the most appealing brands and models.

Topping the charts among brands was Porsche, which claimed this honor for the eighth straight year. It was followed by Jaguar, BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, respectively.

Within the model-level rankings, Chevrolet took the most categories (three), as the Avalanche, Sonic and Volt all won their respective segments.

Audi, Ford, Kia, Mini, Nissan and Porsche each were honored in two categories, while BMW, Infiniti, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen had one award. (This includes the midsize car category, where VW’s Passat and Kia’s Optima tied for the lead).

Explaining how its APEAL Study works, J.D. Power said it “examines how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, based on owner evaluations of more than 80 vehicle attributes.”

Between February and May, J.D. Power said it took up the survey responses of more than 74,000 consumers who had either bought or leased a new 2012 model-year vehicle. These drivers were asked for their input following the initial 90-day ownership period.

Customers Happy with Smaller Rides

Breaking down J.D. Power’s findings, the firm noted that 27 percent of customers turned to a smaller vehicle with their new purchase and 60 percent stayed within the same vehicle size.

Very few (13 percent) went for a larger vehicle.

“New-vehicle buyers who down are not making the sacrifice that they once were,” stated David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power.

“Automakers are heavily focused on providing the U.S. market with appealing smaller models, and buyers may be surprised at just how good some of them are,” he added.

The average trade-in on a new purchase today is about six years old, according to the firm’s Power Information Network. And those six years have shown a significant uptick in vehicle appeal, J.D. Power stressed. And often, the appeal of these smaller vehicles is stronger than the larger ride the customer is leaving.

To see the progress made by smaller vehicles, consider the following example from J.D. Power.

The compact/subcompact segment had an average APEAL Study score of 765 (out of 1,000) this year. Four years ago, mid-vehicles had the same score.

Moreover, mid-premium segment was at 844 this year. In 2008, the large premium segment posted the same score.

"For many years, almost twice as many vehicle owners have downsized, compared with those who have upsized," said Sargent. "Although larger models continue to attain higher APEAL Study scores than smaller models, as they typically provide higher performance, have more pleasing styling, are more comfortable and include more features, owners who down find that today’s compact models are not the ‘econoboxes’ that they may have once feared.

“For example, most compact vehicles are more substantial than in the past and perform much better on the road. They also have many of the features and appointments that were previously found only on larger model,” he continued. “Vehicle owners who down are often finding that they are actually upgrading when they buy a new vehicle.”