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Consumer Reports says infotainment systems 'growing first-year reliability plague'

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (right) is out, and the top two spots look much the same as last year's list with Lexus and Toyota in first and second place, respectively. However, there are some major shakeups for 2014, with Acura plunging eight spots from third in 2013 to 11th this year, and Mazda replaces it on the lowest step of the podium. Honda and Audi round out the top five. This year's list includes six Japanese brands in the top 10, two Europeans, one America and one Korean.
Acura isn't the only one taking a tumble, though. Infiniti is the biggest loser this year by dropping 14 spots to 20th place. Other big losses come from Mercedes-Benz with an 11-place fall to 24th, and GMC, which declines 10 positions to 19th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not traditional mechanical bugs hauling down these automaker's reliability scores. Instead, pesky problems with infotainment systems are taking a series toll on the rankings. According to Consumer Reports, complaints about "in-car electronics" were the most grumbled about element in new cars. Problem areas included things like unresponsive touchscreens, issues pairing phones and multi-use controllers that refused to work right.

Honda squeezes in 9 Fit customs at SEMA

Honda is displaying a heap of customized Fit hatchbacks at this week's SEMA in Las Vegas. Nine of the modded little econoboxes are on the floor showing off wildly divergent takes on the Japanese automaker's most affordable offering. The company has reason to celebrate the new vehicle, too, because it's been dubbed this year's "Hottest Sport Compact" award at the event.
Six of the custom Fits come from a contest that Honda ran online challenging various tuners to come up with their own take on the new model. People could then follow along online as Tjin Edition, Bisimoto Engineering, Kontrabrands, MAD Industries, Spoon Sports USA and Kenny Vinces worked on the cars. In the end, the version from Tjin (pictured above) with its subdued green paint, huge fender flares and ground-hugging stance was named the fan favorite.
In addition to those cars, Honda also has three other modded Fits on display. Honda Performance Development is showing off one in full B-spec racer trim, Honda Genuine Accessories has an example displaying all of its dealer-installed parts, and there's another model tuned by Bisimoto, as well.

Petrolicious profiles the Triple Nickel, a 1968 Honda CB160

Petrolicious often puts as much of a focus on the owners as it does on their machines in its videos, but the latest one goes even further as a short documentary that tells the story of a woman getting back into vintage motorcycle racing after an accident. Stacie B. London bought her first bike in 2009, but she jumped into the hobby with both feet. Not too long after getting her cycle, she started competing on two wheels. Fantastic cinematography is always one of the great strengths of Petrolicious' clips, but it absolutely nails the audio here, too. If you enjoy the sound of vintage bikes revving for all they can, then this is a must see. Of course, the story of someone getting into vintage motorcycle racing is also fascinating. London's 1968 Honda CB160 wears the 555 number when on the circuit, hence the nickname Triple Nickel. Not only do we get to see her open up the bike up on the salt flats, but we get to watch part of her first competition on track after recovering from a serious crash. For a relative newcomer not only just to riding a motorcycle but also racing one, London already seems to be hooked.