Yahoo Autos 
America's Best-Loved Cars
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One of the benefits of a competitive market is that things should keep getting better. Well, it seems to be working for cars. According to J.D. Power and Associates' latest APEAL survey — which stands for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout — new cars are more satisfying than ever.
The survey essentially boils down how much owners of new cars like the cars they bought. Every new model is scored on a 1,000 point scale and this year's average score of 781 is higher than any time since the survey was first done in 1996.
Here are the cars that ranked the highest in 13 different categories.
SUBCOMPACTS:
1st place:
Ford Fiesta
2nd place:Mazda2
3rd place:Honda Fit
The new Ford Fiesta subcompact ranked highest in its category. The Mazda2 and Fit had the second- and third-highest scores. Differences in scores may not always be statistically significant, J.D. Power said.
COMPACTS:
1st place:
Chevrolet Volt
2nd place:Volkswagen Golf
3rd place:Mitsubishi Lancer
It may not sell in huge numbers, but General Motors' plug-in Chevrolet Volt topped all compact cars, hybrid, electric or whatever, in owner appeal.
MIDSIZE:
1st place:
Suzuki Kizashi
2nd place:Hyundai Sonata
3rd place:Kia Optima
The Kizashi is available with all-wheel-drive, something you won't find on most sedans its size and price.
LARGE:
1st place:
Dodge Charger
2nd place:Ford Taurus
3rd place: Nissan Maxima
The Charger was completely redesigned for the 2011 model year. It's still available with 5.7-liter V-8 or a new V6 engine.
COMPACT SPORTY:
1st place:
Volkswagen GTI
2nd place:Mini Cooper
The GTI is a sport-tuned version of the popular Golf hatchback. These two cars were the only ones to score above average in this category.
MIDSIZE SPORTY:
