2014 Kia Cadenza on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche tops J.D. Power quality index as Korean brands soar

While complaints about infotainment systems remain a thorn in the side of automakers for J.D. Power's annual Initial Quality Study, there's a lot to celebrate this year. The average number of problems reported per 100 vehicles fell to 112 in 2015 – a three-percent improvement compared to 116 in 2014. The results of this year's survey are based on the responses of over 84,000 people about problems within the first 90 days of buying or leasing a 2015 model-year vehicle. For the third consecutive year, Porsche tops the rankings with an average of 80 problems per 100 vehicles. Although, that's slightly more than the 74 the German sportscar maker scored in 2014. "While the Japanese automakers continue to make improvements, we're seeing other brands, most notably Korean makes, really accelerating the rate of improvement," Renee Stephens, vice president of US automotive quality at J.D. Power, said in the study's release. In fact, Kia ranks as one of the biggest movers in this year's list. The Korean brand jumped to second place from seventh last year. The company had an average of 86 problems per 100 vehicles, a 20-point improvement. Third place went to Jaguar with an average of 93 problems reported, versus last year's second-place finish with 87 of them. Fourth place was Hyundai, and fifth-place Infiniti also earned a gold star for improvement with 97 issues per 100 vehicles – 31-points better than last year. Fiat still anchored the bottom of the list. However, its 161 problems this year is a lot better than the 206 in 2014. Ranked by nationality, Korean brands (Hyundai and Kia) are now leading the industry in initial quality with an average of 90 problems reported per 100 vehicles. According to J.D. Power, this is the first time Europe's figure beat Japan with 113 and 114 issues, respectively. The American brands also averaged 114. Whereas General Motors dominated last year, the segment awards are spread out in 2015. GM, Hyundai, Nissan, and Volkswagen Group are all tied with four models each earning prizes. For more information, you can also see all of the graphs, here. J.D.

Kia teases handsome 2021 Sorento interior with design sketches

True, we've seen the fourth-gen, 2021 Kia Sorento uncovered on a commercial shoot, answering the biggest question we had about one of Kia's bestsellers. On top of that, an Instagram post revealed a couple of low-res interior shots. Kia's carried on with the tease campaign, serving up interior sketches that tell us more about the cabin than the photos. As with with exterior, the revamped passenger space leaves benign curves of the third-gen Sorento behind. Strong horizontal layering is broken up by vertically oriented vents. A 12.3-inch digital cluster lives behind the steering wheel, the screen blending almost seamlessly into a 10.25-inch infotainment display. Another screen for climate control sits dead center on the console, with a few buttons and toggles to improve ease-of-use. A large knurled knob stands atop the center tunnel, it being the rotary shifter that supplants the current gear lever. Behind that, another knurled dial could control the choice of driving modes. That smaller unit is accompanied by a number of buttons for features like auto stop/start, a parking sensor, and the electronic parking brake. The stitched leather upper on the instrument panel should be joined by upgraded fabrics, materials, and finishes throughout. There's also talk of a hidden rear wiper, but we need to wait for the reveal to understand what that's about. The Korean Car Blog happened upon an Excel spreadsheet with engines listed for the crossover internally codenamed MQ4. Globally, the coming Sorento's full complement of powertrain options will cover possibly four four-cylinder gasoline engines, Kia's new R diesels, an eight-speed automatic transmission, a six-speed auto, and — if we can believe our eyes — a four-speed manual. TKCB says the gas engines for the U.S. market should include a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four, and a 2.5-liter turbo four. Since we know the new Sorento will come in a hybrid flavor, expect the 1.6-liter turbo four this way as well. That seems like a lot of choice, though, what with the current Sorento offering only a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 3.3-liter V6. And on the spreadsheet, the eight-speed dual-clutch is only paired with the diesel engine; the gassers get the six-speed auto or the manual. The 2021 Sorento debuts in a little more than two weeks at the Geneva Motor Show on March 3. American audiences could greet it as soon as the New York Auto Show in April.

Kia Proceed wagon teased, could be sign of things to come for other Kias

One of our favorite cars from the Frankfurt Motor Show last year was the Kia Proceed concept (shown below). It was a rakish, sleek wagon that looked a bit like a smaller, more practically-minded Kia Stinger GT. One of the key questions, though, was whether a production version could look as good, as well as when that production version would arrive. To partially answer those questions, Kia has released a teaser image of the final product. The teaser shows us the rear of the car, and it does hint that this wagon will have a low roofline and an almost fastback rear hatch. This is evident by the small glass opening relative to the rest of the car. There are of course compromises for production. It doesn't look like the rearward side glass wraps around to the hatch glass, and the spoiler is reshaped. The taillights aren't just a single wide bar, either. Now they take a shape closer to that of the Kia Sportage or Stinger. We do like the looks of the wide haunches at the base of the glass, though. Between that and the low roof, this should be a very stylish hatch. The subtle high-mount brake light is a slick touch, too. Kia also announced that the car will be revealed in September and also be shown at the Paris Motor Show in October. We're excited to see the final product. We're less excited about the fact we probably won't get the car in the U.S. The Ceed line of cars has historically been European, and since wagons still aren't popular here, there's not much hope for this to have an American rendition. Stranger things have happened, of course. Hyundai has continued to sell the American Elantra sedan alongside the European i30 under the Elantra GT name. Kia could possibly do something similar. At the very least, there's a good chance that the Proceed's design will influence other Kia models, possibly even some of its crossovers, so that's a plus. View 5 Photos Related Video: