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What do J.D. Power's quality ratings really measure?

Check these recently released J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) results. Do they raise any questions in your mind? Premium sports-car maker Porsche sits in first place for the third straight year, so are Porsches really the best-built cars in the U.S. market? Korean brands Kia and Hyundai are second and fourth, so are Korean vehicles suddenly better than their US, European, and Japanese competitors? Are workaday Chevrolets (seventh place) better than premium Buicks (11th), and Buicks better than luxury Cadillacs (21st), even though all are assembled in General Motors plants with the same processes and many shared parts? Are Japanese Acuras (26th) worse than German Volkswagens (24th)? And is "quality" really what it used to be (and what most perceive it to be), a measure of build excellence? Or has it evolved into much more a measure of likeability and ease of use? To properly analyze these widely watched results, we must first understand what IQS actually studies, and what the numerical scores really mean. First, as its name indicates, it's all about "initial" quality, measured by problems reported by new-vehicle owners in their first 90 days of ownership. If something breaks or falls off four months in, it doesn't count here. Second, the scores are problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100. So Power's 2015 IQS industry average of 112 PP100 translates to just 1.12 reported problems per vehicle. Third, no attempt is made to differentiate BIG problems from minor ones. Thus a transmission or engine failure counts the same as a squeaky glove box door, tricky phone pairing, inconsistent voice recognition, or anything else that annoys the owner. Traditionally, a high-quality vehicle is one that is well-bolted together. It doesn't leak, squeak, rattle, shed parts, show gaps between panels, or break down and leave you stranded. By this standard, there are very few poor-quality new vehicles in today's U.S. market. But what "quality" should not mean, is subjective likeability: ease of operation of the radio, climate controls, or seat adjusters, phone pairing, music downloading, sizes of touch pads on an infotainment screen, quickness of system response, or accuracy of voice-recognition. These are ergonomic "human factors" issues, not "quality" problems. Yet these kinds of pleasability issues are now dominating today's JDP "quality" ratings.

Singer Porsche, Koenigsegg, NSX: Leno's life doesn't suck

Jay Leno had quite a productive trip this year during Monterey Car Week. Not only did he get to pal around with Ian Callum and check out the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but the denim-clad comedian also headed to The Quail to talk to some prominent figures in the modern sports car scene. Capping off the fun, he got to take a drive in a Mercedes-AMG GT S, too Perhaps the highlight of this show is a nearly 10-minute interview with Christian von Koenigsegg. The founder of the Swedish hypercar company digs deep into the Agera One:1's engineering details, relating interesting facts about the aerodynamics and transmission. In addition, Leno chats with Rob Dickenson of Singer about its newly reimagined Porsche 911 Targa, and he gets the latest scoop on the Acura NSX's progress from newly promoted Acura Vice President and General Manager Jon Ikeda. If you like hearing about the nuts and bolts of sports car development, then this video can't be missed. Of course, we were there at Monterey, too, and we pointed our own cameras at some of the amazing machinery, both vintage and modern, at all the various car-focused events of the week. Take a look back at some of our own cool footage in the videos below. Related Video:

Porsche calling in two Cayennes

We regularly see recalls addressing all manner of problems (or potential problems) affecting any number of vehicles: hundreds, thousands, even millions. Some are too small to bother reporting, but once in a while one comes along that's so ridiculously small that we couldn't pass it over. Like this latest one from Porsche. "Due to a manufacturing error," says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the notice below, "the suspension alignment on the front and rear axles may not have been performed correctly and the screw connections of the camber, toe and caster may not have been tightened with the specified torque." The recall affects the 2015 Cayenne... but just how many of them, you ask? Two. Not two hundred, not two thousand, but two: one Cayenne Diesel and one Cayenne S, manufactured between November 26 and... November 27, 2014. That very well might make this the most methodically German recall in the history of recalls. If you happen to be the owner of one of those two vehicles, expect to hear from Porsche with instructions to bring your Cayenne in to have the suspension re-aligned and the screws tightened. RECALL Subject : Front and Rear Alignment may be Incorrect Report Receipt Date: DEC 29, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V824000 Component(s): SUSPENSION Potential Number of Units Affected: 2 Manufacturer: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S vehicles manufactured November 26, 2014, to November 27, 2014. Due to a manufacturing error, the suspension alignment on the front and rear axles may not have been performed correctly and the screw connections of the camber, toe and caster may not have been tightened with the specified torque. CONSEQUENCE: If the suspension alignment was incorrectly performed, vehicle handling could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will perform a front and rear suspension alignment, and check the screw connections for the proper torque, retightening as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification date. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AF04. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.