2001 911 Porshe Cabriolet on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai, Porsche top J.D. Power APEAL study

Just as they did in the Initial Quality Study, Porsche and Hyundai have taken the premium and non-premium crown, respectively, for the 2014 J.D. Power APEAL study. This is the tenth consecutive year for that Porsche has been rated the best premium make in the APEAL study, which attempts to figure out how pleased owners are with their purchases. For 2014, it asked 86,000 owners of MY2014 cars to rate their vehicles in 77 different categories 90 days after their initial purchase. The resulting figures were plugged in deliver the APEAL score, which is rated on a 1,000-point scale.
The industry average sits at 794 points for 2014, although that's a one-percent decline over last year's rating. In this year's study, premium brands averaged 840 out of 1,000, while non-premium makes average 785. For their part, Porsche netted an impressive 882 points, while Hyundai earned an 804. Interestingly, only four non-premium brands (Hyundai, Ram, Volkswagen and Mini) finished above the industry average for 2014.
It's also interesting to see the clear delineation between premium and non-premium brands, with an eight-point gap between the non-premium champ, Hyundai, and the lowest-rated premium brand, Volvo.

Porsche Taycan is here, Lamborghini Sian is near | Autoblog Podcast #594

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. They start the conversation with the cars they've been driving, including the Subaru Forester, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-AMG C 43 and Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. Then they talk about the biggest news of the week: the reveal of the all-electric Porsche Taycan. After that, they sweep up other news, like the Lamborghini Sian, new Nissan Juke and the Aston Martin Vanquish 25 by Ian Callum. Next, Autoblog's Erik Meier, who both produces this very podcast and also hosts our Twitch livestream, joins the chat with his impressions of the latest racing game, "WRC 8." Finally, our editors try to provide some helpful guidance in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #594 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 Cars we're driving 2019 Subaru Forester 2019 Lincoln Navigator 2019 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Coupe 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Porsche unveils 2020 Taycan Turbo and Turbo S 2020 Lamborghini Sian Next-generation Nissan Juke Aston Martin Vanquish 25 by Ian Callum Autoblog plays "WRC 8" Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:     Green Podcasts Toys/Games Aston Martin Lamborghini Lincoln Mercedes-Benz Nissan Porsche Subaru Used Car Buying Coupe Crossover SUV Electric Hybrid Performance

Prosecutors in Argentina wants Top Gear to stand trial

Jeremy Clarkson may have left Top Gear behind, but some of his actions on the show may come back to haunt him. Prosecutors in Argentina reopened a criminal case against Clarkson last week, which may result in a prison sentence, over last year's now infamous insulting license plate incident, the Telegraph reported. Top Gear, and Clarkson in particular, had a reputation for going out of their way to insult other cultures. Clarkson was already on notice for racist remarks and social media posts when he punched a producer, ending his career at the BBC. So it was not a huge surprise when the team ran into trouble in Argentina while filming a 1,400-mile road trip for the show's 2014 Christmas special. Now for the history; Argentina and England have a long running disagreement that goes all the way back to the age of empire. At various times, a small set of islands off the coast of Argentina, called the Falklands, have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain claimed for their own in 1833. In 1982, Argentina and Britain fought a short, bloody war over the islands. Britain emerged victorious and still holds the islands to this day, though Argentina still claims them. Enter the Top Gear lads and their cars. Clarkson was driving a Porsche 928 with a license plate reading H982 FLK. Producers for the show deny up and down that the plates were not intended to cause such ire. Intentional or no, residents took the plate as a jab at the country's defeat in 1982. First, Clarkson was banned from the city where the road trip was supposed to wrap up. Then, angry Argentines threw stones at the hosts, forcing Top Gear to abandon filming and flee the country. In April, a judge deemed the plates intentionally disrespectful and blamed the show for causing a riot. Now the case is being reopened in Argentine courts, partly at the urging of veterans from the Falklands War. Prosecutors are saying that Top Gear changed the Porsche's plates with full knowledge that such actions were illegal. The case could take years to wind its way through the court system and drag all three Top Gear presenters in front of a judge. At the end, if found guilty, Clarkson could face three years in an Argentine prison.