Dodge Durango Wins Big in J.D. Power Study as Brand Sees Record Climb

In late July 2025, Stellantis announced that the Dodge Durango earned top honors in the upper midsize SUV segment of the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. This distinction reflects the Durango’s leadership in emotional appeal—how satisfying and exciting owners find their vehicle across a broad range of attributes. By achieving a first-place ranking in its category, the Durango not only secured an individual model-level trophy but also propelled Dodge to a significant rise in brand standing across all mass-market automakers in the U.S.

Dodge’s overall performance in the study marked a dramatic improvement: the brand jumped 31 points year-over-year and claimed second place among mass-market brands. This leap represents the largest gain by any brand in that category and underscores Dodge’s renewed focus on translating customer satisfaction into tangible results.

Yuri Rodrigues, Stellantis North America’s Senior Vice President of Quality, commented that Dodge’s ascent reflects a strong emotional connection between the brand and its customers. He emphasized that the brand’s bold identity, centered on performance and execution, played a key role in delivering vehicles that resonate deeply with owners. The Durango, as the leading model, exemplifies that strategy—what Rodrigues described as “Dodge delivering with pride, purpose and power.”

The J.D. Power APEAL Study evaluates new-vehicle owners’ emotional engagement and satisfaction across 37 criteria covering comfort, performance, technology, and overall pride of ownership, with all segments showing improvement across the board for the first time in nearly a decade, according to J.D. Power’s July 24, 2025 press announcement. Within this context, premium brands led the industry, though Dodge’s rise in the mass-market segment stands out as the most dramatic shift in customer sentiment.

These results signal strategic gains for Stellantis’ North American vehicle brands. Dodge’s 31‑point climb, powered by the Durango, highlights the importance of aligning design, functionality, and emotional engagement in automotive experience.

Industry analysts and automotive commentators echoed the news. A few days after the release, MoparInsiders published that “Dodge Durango Dominates J.D. Power 2025 APEAL Study,” affirming the model’s segment‑leading status and noting its role in boosting Dodge to second place overall among mass-market brands. They highlighted that Dodge’s performance was the largest brand-level jump recorded in the study—which reflects strong momentum for Stellantis in meeting consumer expectations.

Allpar forums also picked up on the milestone, noting that Dodge rose 31 points and surged to the No. 2 spot among U.S. mass‑market brands in APEAL—calling it “the biggest climb of any mass‑market brand.” That commentary reinforces the wider industry recognition of how significant Dodge’s performance was in the 2025 rankings.

Taken as a whole, the release and its supporting coverage signal a strategic turning point for Stellantis brands in the U.S. market. The Durango’s success in the upper midsize SUV segment—not only in the traditional metrics of power or space but in owner satisfaction and emotional connection—illustrates Stellantis’ capacity to cultivate vehicles that meaningfully resonate with consumers. Dodge’s jump upward in brand ranking reflects broader gains in perceived quality and product execution.