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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.

Sunday Drive: A new Rambo Lambo takes center stage

Surprise! Autoblog readers love fast cars. Doesn't matter what shape; doesn't matter what size. As long as it's got big power, wicked acceleration, and ludicrous speed, you're interested. Take, for instance, the brand-new Lamborghini Urus. It's got a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 sending 641 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque through an 8-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. It hits 62 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds, and has a top speed of 189.5 mph. Ludicrous speed? Check. And although you'd be hard pressed to draw a line straight back from the upcoming Urus to the old, off-road-ready LM002, at least you can say that Lamborghini does have a history of producing overpowered SUVs. A 5.2-liter V12 engine producing 444 horsepower and borrowed from the Countach certainly qualifies as big power, especially considering this was in the 1980s and '90s. A prime example just sold for nearly half a million bucks. Moving along to more traditional sportscars, we got a sneak peek at the next Porsche 911's interior, thanks to some intrepid spy photographers. And we spy with our little eyes some major changes to the quintessential German sportscar. Finally, we round out this Sunday Drive with two First Drive reports. Both are German, but past that, they couldn't be more different. Either way, ludicrous speed is all but guaranteed by either one. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog for all the latest automotive news that's fit to print. The 2019 Lamborghini Urus, fastest SUV in the world, has landed Rare U.S.-spec 1990 Lamborghini LM002 fetches $467,000 at auction Next Porsche 911 will get a major interior overhaul 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe/Cabriolet Review | Creamy goodness 2018 BMW M5 First Drive Review | Power meets traction

Ferrari 458 Speciale vs Porsche 911 GT3 shows what Chris Harris does best

After a brief trip behind a pay wall, British auto journalist Chris Harris is back posting videos for free online, and shorts like this one are the perfect example of why his return is so welcome. Showing up at the damp Anglesey Circuit on the Welsh coast with the Ferrari 458 Speciale and Porsche 911 GT3, Harris ostensibly aims to find the better model. However, the final result really succeeds in showcasing the fun to be had behind the wheels of both supercars, particularly when initiating huge slides around the track. As Harris presents it, the vehicles get through the circuit in somewhat different ways The Ferrari is brash and "feels alive," as he puts it as it screams around the track. Alternatively, the Porsche is a bit more restrained, while still being able to show some emotion. In the end, it comes down to trying to get a controlled lap around Anglesey from this duo, but it's pretty clear that the times don't tell the whole story. If you're in the mood to watch two of the world's premiere supercars wag their tails in the wet, then this video cannot be missed.