2014 Kia Soul + on 2040-cars

Auto blog

EPA says it will more closely monitor fuel economy claims from automakers

The unintended acceleration brouhaha at Toyota led to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration tightening the vise on recall procedures. Likewise, the fuel economy kerfuffle that blew up with Hyundai and Kia's admission of overstated fuel mileage claims could lead to the Environmental Protection Agency policing automaker assertions by performing more audits.
At least, that's what a senior engineer with the government agency said while in Michigan giving a talk, according to a report in Automotive News. What that actually means, however, is still in question. Just ten to 15 percent of new vehicles - something like 150 to 200 cars per year - are rested by the EPA to verify automaker numbers. The EPA's own tests include a "fudge factor" to adjust lab mileage for real-world mileage, and the agency still relies on automakers to submit data for tests that it doesn't have the facilities to perform. How much more auditing can the EPA really expect to do, or perhaps a more relevant question would be how much more accurate could the EPA's audits become?
The price of gasoline, the psychological importance of 40 miles per gallon to a frugal car buyer, an automaker wanting to further justify the price premium of a hybrid, all of these things contribute to fuel economy numbers that insist on creeping upward. Perhaps the senior engineer encapsulated the whole situation best when he said, "Everybody wants a label that tells you exactly what you're going to get, but obviously that's not possible. A good general rule of thumb is that real-world fuel economy is about 20 percent lower than the lab numbers." If the lesson isn't exactly 'buyer beware,' it's at least 'buyer be wary.'

2018 Kia Stinger GT Drivers' Notes Review | Punching above its weight

The 2018 Kia Stinger GT is a breath of fresh air in the Korean automaker's lineup. After years of building cheap and mostly forgettable appliances, Kia (and Hyundai) finally started to build truly solid products that no longer needed to be marketed as just a value proposition. Once the company finally got reliability, build quality and styling down, it really needed to focus on performance if it had any plans to be a fully-rounded automaker. Hyundai is doing very much the same thing with cars like the new Veloster N. On paper, we should be comparing the Stinger GT to cars like the Dodge Charger. Size, pricing and power are all about the same, but that's not really where we're at. Kia is talking more about cars like the Audi A5, BMW 3 Series and other luxury sedans — and that's how we're seeing it too. It shows just where Kia is aiming with this car. The car we have this week is the base GT, the lowest-spec model available with the 365 horsepower twin-turbo V6. This is the same engine that's available in the Genesis G80 Sport. While the GT1 trim doesn't get things like a moonroof or a 720-watt stereo system, it's still pretty well-equipped. You get heated leather seats, power front seats, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and dual-zone climate control. Performance upgrades include Brembo brakes and 19-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires (our car was wearing all-seasons thanks to old man winter). Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: Ever since I attended the Stinger's debut in Detroit last year, I've been eager to drive one. On paper, it sounds bang on. It has aggressive, muscular styling inside and out, is only available in rear- or all-wheel-drive, and has a pair of potent turbo engines, either a 255-horsepower four-cylinder or a 365-horsepower V6. Finally, this past week, I had the chance to drive a rear-drive GT with the twin-turbo V6, and it absolutely lived up to expectations. One of the first things that delighted me was the steering and handling. The helm is very quick and accurate, and the chassis feels light, communicative, and easy to manage. This was particularly helpful since, although I drove it on the one warm day in Detroit this winter, it was still wet and slippery outside. The engine is a charmer, too.

Automakers can, and do, use your private information however they want

The first paragraph of Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included" buyerÂ’s guide about car privacy issues is worth repeating here: “Ah, the wind in your hair, the open road ahead, and not a care in the world Â… except all the trackers, cameras, microphones, and sensors capturing your every move. Ugh. Modern cars are a privacy nightmare.” “Ugh” may be an understatement. The crux of the matter is control: The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation has found that vehicle manufacturers have collected tons of “private” data from vehicle operators, thanks to the proliferation of sensors and cameras and smartphones connected in and to cars. In its report, Mozilla found that 25 car brands all failed the consumer privacy tests it carried out. Its research found that 84 percent of car companies review, share or sell data collected from car owners, and that the information was used for reasons unrelated to the operation of a vehicle or to a car brandÂ’s relationship with its owners. And beyond that, the report says that many companies — more than half — “say they can share your information with the government or law enforcement in response to a 'request.' Not a high bar court order, but something as easy as an 'informal request.'” Some other points made by the foundation: — Six car companies can collect intimate information, including a driverÂ’s medical information and genetic information. Plus info about how fast a person drives and the songs he listens to in the car. — Nissan earned its second-to-last spot (Tesla, not surprisingly, was worst) “for collecting some of the creepiest categories of data we have ever seen": In an apparent attack of full disclosure, Nissan said that it can share “inferences” drawn from the data to create profiles “reflecting the consumerÂ’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes.” It also collects information about “sexual activity.” It's not clear how they can do that, but in their privacy notice they say they could. Not to be outdone, the report says, “Kia also mentions they can collect information about your 'sex life' in their privacy policy.” — Only two of the 25 brands reviewed, Renault and Dacia, stated that drivers had the right to delete their personal data. The brands are headquartered in Europe, where consumers are protected by General Data Protection Regulation privacy laws.