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BMW, Hyundai score big in JD Power's first Tech Experience Index

While automakers are quick to brag about winning a JD Power Initial Quality Study award, the reality, as we've pointed out before, is that these ratings are somewhat misleading, since IQS doesn't necessarily distinguish genuine quality issues. JD Power's new Tech Experience Index aims to solve that problem. The new metric takes the same 90-day approach as IQS but focuses exclusively on technology – collision protection, comfort and convenience, driving assistance, entertainment and connectivity, navigation, and smartphone mirroring. It splits the industry up into just seven segments, based loosely on size, which is why the Chevrolet Camaro is in the same division (mid-size) as Kia Sorento and the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class is in the same segment as the Hyundai Genesis (mid-size premium). It makes for some screwy bedfellows, to be sure. Still, splitting tech experience away from initial quality should allow customers to make more informed and intelligent decisions when buying new vehicles. In the inaugural study, respondents listed BMW and Hyundai as the big winners, with two segment awards – the 2 Series for small premium and the 4 Series for compact premium, and the Genesis for mid-size premium and Tucson for small segment. The Chevrolet Camaro (midsize), Kia Forte (compact), and Nissan Maxima (large) scored individual wins. Ford also had a surprising hit with the Lincoln MKC, which ranked third in the compact premium segment behind the 4 Series and Lexus IS. This is a coup for the Blue Oval, whose woeful MyFord Touch systems made the brand a victim of the IQS' flaws in the early 2010s. But Ford and other automakers might not want to celebrate just yet. According to JD Power, there's still a lot of room for improvement – navigation systems were the lowest-rated piece of tech in the study. Instead, customers repeatedly saluted collision-avoidance and safety systems, giving the category the best marks of the study and listing blind-spot monitoring and backup cameras as two must-have features – 96 percent of respondents said they wanted those two systems in their next vehicle. But this isn't really a surprise. Implementation of safety systems from brand to brand is similar, and they don't require any input from users, unlike navigation and infotainment systems which are frustratingly deep.

Sunday Drive: From a mid-engine 'Vette to a restomod RV

Automotive enthusiasts are a diverse bunch. As proof, we present last week's top posts on Autoblog, starting with some really good spy photos of the upcoming mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette. Will it be sold alongside a classic front-engine 'Vette? We have no idea, but we can't wait to find out. Up next is a pickup truck. Can't get much further from a supercar, right? At least both the Corvette and the 2019 Ram 1500 – which will debut a radical new design that appears to eschew the mini big-rig look of past Rams in favor of something more refined – are both American. Decidedly not American? The Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV. The boxy off-road 'ute looks a heck of a lot like the old one, which is probably a good thing, but we know it'll be fancier and more luxurious than ever before. Check out the leaked images below. Also hailing from Germany, but sharing absolutely nothing else in common at all, is the Audi A4 Allroad. We've been driving this all-wheel-drive wagon for a while now, and we like it quite a bit. And, last but not least, is a 1959 bus that's been converted into an RV. Like we said, y'all certainly are a diverse bunch. Mid-engine Corvette — our clearest pictures yet 2019 Ram 1500 shows its full face 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class revealed in leaked photos 2018 Audi A4 Allroad Drivers' Notes Review | Wagons still rule This Mercedes O 319 restomod camper van shames your VW Microbus Audi Chevrolet Mercedes-Benz RAM Truck Coupe Minivan/Van SUV Future Vehicles Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars mid-engine corvette recap sunday drive

Recharge Wrap-up: meet the Luka EV project, VisibleTesla allows Model S hacking

Select Registry is partnering with Tesla to install chargers at many of its lodgings. More than 170 hotels, inns and bed & breakfasts will install Tesla High Power Wall Connectors for their guests to use. So far, 63 properties have installed the chargers. Eventually, Select Registry members in 34 states as well as Nova Scotia will offer charging on-site. Tesla's wall charger provides the Model S with 58 miles of range per hour. The hotels will rent you a room for the full night, as well. Read more in the press release below. Tesla Model S owners can hack their car with the VisibleTesla app. The free, open source app allows users to check on and control the status of the car and its subsystems, similar to Tesla's official apps. VisibleTesla can also be used to schedule certain automated commands. For example, its creator, Joe Pasqua, has his car send him a text message reminding him to bring his bags with him when he enters the grocery store parking lot. Other users have the car remind them if the car is not charging at a certain time, or schedule the car to turn on the heat before departure. Read more at TechWorm, or learn more at the VisibleTesla website. Georgia Power has added 32 Chevrolet Volts to its fleet. Employees, particularly the utility's energy efficiency experts, will use the cars to travel to customers' homes and businesses to conduct energy audits. "We are leading by example and demonstrating to our customers, and other Georgia businesses, that electric transportation works for all drivers," says Georgia Power Chairman, President & CEO Paul Bowers. Georgia Power also offers charger rebates and special rates for EV customers. Read more at Domestic Fuel. The Luka EV is a project to build an affordable, lightweight, retro-looking, road-legal electric car in one year. The team wants to get the car certified for use on EU roads by September 2015. They have goals of achieving a driving range of 300 kilometers (about 186 miles), keeping the cost under ˆ20,000 (about $22,280 US at current rates) and the weight under 750 kilograms (about 1,650 pounds). The builders recently completed their first range test of the working vehicle, which uses in-hub motors for propulsion. Learn more at the Luka EV project page on Hackaday. Select Registry Teams with Tesla Motors Both Tesla owners and their vehicles can recharge at more than 170 B&Bs, inns, and hotels throughout the U.S.