1972 Dodge Challenger on 2040-cars

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Kia leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2022

For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148. It's common for so-called "mass market" brands to lead this particular study, according to J.D. Power, as "premium" brands "typically incorporate more technology in their vehicles, which increases the likelihood for problems to occur" and aren't necessarily built to a higher standard that less-expensive brands. The highest-rated single nameplate is the Porsche 911. It's the third time out of the past four years and the second year in a row that Porsche's quintessential sports car has taken top honors. Porsche as a brand sits in seventh place (162) just behind Lexus (159) and ahead of Dodge (166). At the very bottom of the list is Land Rover with a dismal score of 284; the SUV specialist held the same unfortunate distinction on last year's list. Ram (266), Volvo (256), Alfa Romeo (245) and Acura (244) also performed poorly. The overall industry average score sits at 192 — mass market brands average a score of 190 while premium brands sit 14 points lower at 204. While Tesla is unofficially included in some of J.D. Power's results, the agency says the sample size it has access to for this study is too small to include. As has been the case for the past several years, infotainment systems dominate the list of problems reported by owners. Popular (or unpopular, depending on your point of view) complaints include built-in voice recognition (8.3 PP100), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.4 PP100), built-in Bluetooth system (4.5 PP100), not enough power plugs/USB ports (4.2 PP100), navigation systems difficult to understand/use (3.7 PP100), touchscreen/display screen (3.6 PP100), and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.6 PP100). While problems with the car's infotainment and technology packages are indeed bothersome, it's important to remember that such issues aren't usually leaving owners stranded with an immovable vehicle like a broken transmission or blown engine would. Culling infotainment complaints from the results would reduce the average problem-per-100-vehicle score by a staggering 51.9 points. The vehicles included in this study are from the 2019 model year. That means owners have had three years to get to know their cars and trucks. It's the 33rd year that J.D.

Gas prices down, 707-hp engine production up... USA!

On Saturday, the United States of America will celebrate its 239th birthday. That means fireworks, barbecues, block parties, and, oh yeah, Hellcat engines and low fuel prices. The most American of (Mexican-built) powerplants, the big, loud, supercharged, 707-horsepower Hemi is slated for yet another production boost to match up with some serious demand, while the dino juice it runs on is cheaper than it's been in over half a decade. The Saltillo, Mexico engine factory already produces some 4,000 Hellcat engines each year – that's in addition to the Tigershark four-cylinder, the 5.7-liter Hemi, and 6.4-liter SRT Hemi V8s – and it's not entirely clear how many more might get added to that total. What we do know, though, is that Fiat Chrysler can't build the engines fast enough. "We're going to build more [Hellcats] for 2016," SRT boss Tim Kuniskis told Automotive News. "It's a small sliver of what we sell, but it really creates a halo for the rest of the lineup. For example, the next highest car, the Scat Pack Challenger, I have essentially a zero-day supply. It's sold out." This bit of good news comes on the back of something equally good – low summer gas prices. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the nationwide average for for "all formulations" of fuel in June sits at $2.885. Ignoring the remarkably low prices we saw in January and February of this year – figures that themselves hadn't been seen since May of 2009 – the national average hasn't sat that low since October 2010. So yes, it's a very a good time to be an American gearhead. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., US Energy Information AdministrationImage Credit: US EIA Green Plants/Manufacturing Dodge Fuel Efficiency Coupe Performance Sedan dodge challenger srt tim kuniskis dodge charger srt

Dodge Challenger Hellcat driver arrested hellbound at 160 mph

When fisherman catch big fish, they want the world to know about it. That's approximately how the Indiana State Police felt when they busted a 707-horsepower muscle car booking it at more than 160 miles per hour. The ISP were chuffed enough about the catch that they put out a press release titled, "160 Mile Per Hour Hellcat Tamed On The Indiana Toll Road." The Dodge Challenger Hellcat driver, J. Jesus Duran Sandoval, told the arresting officer that he was "just trying to get to Maryland." The incident began just after Trooper Dustin Eggert finished helping a stranded motorist on the toll road at about 7 p.m. Eggert was merging back into traffic when he saw the Hellcat blast past at well beyond the 70-mph speed limit, allegedly weaving through traffic and — shock! — not using a turn signal for lane changes. With a Bandit on his hands, Eggert took the role of Smokey, and just like Burt Reynolds movies, couldn't catch the offender. Seems that Indiana State Police Dodge Charger Pursuit vehicles are speed limited to 150 mph, allowing the Hellcat to pull away. Eggert radioed for officers ahead to look out for the red baron, but received an assist before other LEOs swooped in: Eggert caught up to the Hellcat 11 miles down the road when the red coupe got held up behind two semis driving next to one another on the two-lane toll road. Sandoval pulled over, admitted he was doing a little more than 160 mph, then delivered The "Maryland" Defense unfazed by the fact that Maryland was more than 500 miles from his location. Turns out that 38-year-old Sandoval, from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was also unbothered by driving on an expired license. The coppers took Sandoval to the LaPorte County Jail and booked him on reckless driving, bond set at $505, court date set for April 2. The ISP said this is the second time in two weeks they've busted someone doing more than 130 on the Indiana Toll Road. It's the second time in a year they've busted a Hellcat doing so — in April 2017, another pilot played Bat out of Hellcat at 158 mph, explaining his speed as a bit of show-and-tell for his friends in the car. View 142 Photos Related Video: