Hyundai Azera best-loved big car

In J.D. Power survey that rates how owners like their cars, Mustang is best-loved sporty car and Mini is tops in compacts.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The new 2006 Hyundai Azera ranked first among large cars in a J.D. Power survey that rates vehicles by how well new owners like them. The closely-related Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 tied for second place in the category.

In a different J.D. Power survey released earlier this month, Hyundai finished third overall, behind Porsche and Lexus, when the brands were ranked for the quality of their new vehicles.

While J.D. Power's Initial Quality survey, released June 7, measured the number of problems owners experienced with their vehicles, the latest survey, called APEAL - for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout - ranks cars according to how well their new owners like them.

"There are basically two schools of thought among consumers in determining which new-vehicle model to buy," Chance Parker, executive director of product research and analysis for Power, said in an announcement. "Many consumers are looking for a painless, trouble-free ownership experience, which, as we find in [the Initial Quality survey], is certainly important. However, there is a large group of buyers who are most interested in things like comfort, style and performance."

Nissan had the most segment-leading vehicles in the APEAL survey. They were the Nissan Murano and Armada SUVs and the Titan pickup. Nissan's Infiniti luxury division received awards for the QX45 SUV and M-series sedan.

Porsche was the top-ranking brand in the APEAL survey. Porsche also ranked at the top of the quality survey.

All-new and redesigned models did best in the survey, J.D. Power said.

Survey results were based on responses from 63,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2006 model-year cars and trucks. Model-year 2007 vehicles, even if they were released early in 2006, were not included in the survey.

APEAL survey top-ranked 2006 model-year vehicles

Source: J.D. Power and Assoc.

Sub-compact car: Suzuki Aerio