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Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

Driving the Kia K5 and Mini Cooper JCW GP, plus an interview with Jimmy Chin | Autoblog Podcast #637

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They veer off right away into talking about their dream project garages. Next up is news, including some info on the next Nissan Z car, the Honda Fit being discontinued in the U.S., new Mercedes-Benz EQS details, and some talk about the new, electric GMC Hummer being adapted for the military. Then they talk about driving the new Kia K5 sedan and the Mini Cooper JCW GP, before they opine about the 1966 Pontiac GTO. Autoblog Senior Producer Chris McGraw interviews Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin about his collaboration with Ford for the Bronco reveal, and more. Finally, our editors help a listener in the U.K. pick a used vehicle in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #637 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Some thoughts on project cars News Nissan suggests the next-generation Z won't be electrified at launch Fit Is Gone! Honda drops subcompact hatch in U.S. Mercedes-Benz announces the electric EQS will offer over 435 miles of range GMC's electric Hummer could someday serve alongside the Humvee in the U.S. Army Driving the 2021 Kia K5 Driving the 2020 Mini Cooper JCW GP 1966 Pontiac GTO: Love it or hate it? We talk Ford Bronco and other adventures with Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Kia Sedona shows off new 'comfortable and futuristic' interior

Last month Kia coined a new, fourth-generation minivan and the term "Grand Utility Vehicle" to go with it. Known as the Carnival in its home market of South Korea, and as the Sedona here, Kia's given us a look at the "comfortable and futuristic" interior we can expect when the model goes on sale. We like the current Sedona, but the imminent upgrade is immediately clear and comprehensive even in photos. The automaker calls the interior design theme "Spatial Talents," which sounds like a superpower your home mover or the guy at U-haul has, but it refers to the how designers made the most of a slightly larger body and roomier interior. The minivan's wheelbase grows 1.2 inches, overall length extends by 1.6 inches, 1.2 of that being rear overhang, and width gets an extra pip of 0.4 inches. Depending on market, seating arrangements for seven, nine or 11 people will provide more room for every occupant in every row. The star draw is the instrument panel, where Kia placed the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment screen in a cohesive enclosure under a single pane of glass. A full-width horizontal band separates the upper and lower areas of the instrument panel, vents tucked discreetly into the contrasting divider. Below that, dedicated buttons and another screen offer radio and climate controls, a shift-by-wire rotary knob set atop the transmission tunnel where a bulkier shift lever currently sits. More upscale materials are laid throughout the cabin. Second-row passengers benefit from new USB outlets on the front seatbacks, nets to hold electronic devices, and a storage drawer at the base of the rear console.     The only engine available in our Sedona is a 3.3-liter V6 with 276 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. The next-gen Sedona will likely follow the powertrain lead of the new Sorento. That means a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder putting out around 277 horsepower and 310 pound-feet, and a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid with 227 hp and 259 lb-ft.   The Carnival goes on in South Korea in the third quarter of this year, with rollout to global market following that. Related Video: