Kia Motors tops consumer quality survey

Kia Motors has topped the JD Power Quality Study of new vehicles sold in the US, based on owner responses, for the second year in a row. Hyundai Motors’ Genesis marque came second in the survey, followed by Porsche. The RAM nameplate and the Ford brand shared fourth place. At the bottom were Fiat, Jaguar and Volvo. The most improved brand was the British-made MINI, with fewer problems reported by owners than in 2016. The survey also included ranking of vehicles by category. The Kia Sorento took out best midsize SUV, the Kia Niro best small SUV, the Toyota Camry best midsized car, the Chevrolet Sonic best small car, and the MINI Cooper was ranked best compact sporty car. The survey was conducted by consulting firm JD Power and questioned 80,000 US owners of 2017 vehicle models about the problems they had in the first 90 days of ownership. Vehicles across 32 different makes were ranked on nine quality factors, including body and mechanical, powertrain, design, and features and accessories.