View Full Version : J.D. Power survey: Kia is tops
I kinda expected Kia to rank high in quality, but who knew Fiat was that bad?:
http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2016-us-initial-quality-study-iqs
SomeOtherGuy
06-23-16, 13:45
I'm amazed that Kia is #1. I'm not fascinated by cars like I was when younger, but 15 years ago they were absolute sludge, the icky ooze at the bottom of a barrel that's been draining upside down for hours. Here's to you, original Kia Sportage.
Times change, I guess.
That surprises me but it is the Initial Quality Survey. Based on all of the Kias I've dealt with as trade ins, a couple of years down the road they don't do very well. Resale is terrible on Kia too.
Wellll...
Fix
It
Again
Tony
That surprises me but it is the Initial Quality Survey. Based on all of the Kias I've dealt with as trade ins, a couple of years down the road they don't do very well. Resale is terrible on Kia too.
Yep. Not too hard to make something that looks good at the start. The hard part is making something that looks good 5-10 years down the road.
That surprises me but it is the Initial Quality Survey. Based on all of the Kias I've dealt with as trade ins, a couple of years down the road they don't do very well. Resale is terrible on Kia too.
I've had a few used ones and delt with some as well. A friend currently drives a used Spectra. All in all they're a great value in used cars. Mine was bought used with a bad AC compressor but it had only 3 or 4 years old, 70k at the time. I paid something like $3k for it. Power everything. Drove it to 200k without doing much more than oil changes. Definitely got my money's worth. Never even bothered to fix the AC. My friend is driving a similar one to what I had but his is a manual transmission and manual windows. It's an 05 I think? He's had it for 4 or 5 years. No issues
I tend to drive my cars till its no longer worth fixing so for me cars like this that have low resale value but are reliable are great. After that Kia I bought a used 01 Toyota Solara with 84k miles and drove it to 320k. Another very low maintenance car.
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Time changes, it's true. When the first Hyundai came out, it was a rattle tin can that's louder than a lawnmower and comfortable as one too. But now, the Sonata is giving the Japanese family sedans a run for their money, the Genesys and Equis are giving the Germans a competition.
We love our Kia Sorento 2011 made in West Point, Georgia !
Eurodriver
06-23-16, 15:12
I've had a few used ones and delt with some as well. A friend currently drives a used Spectra. All in all they're a great value in used cars. Mine was bought used with a bad AC compressor but it had only 3 or 4 years old, 70k at the time. I paid something like $3k for it. Power everything. Drove it to 200k without doing much more than oil changes. Definitely got my money's worth. Never even bothered to fix the AC. My friend is driving a similar one to what I had but his is a manual transmission and manual windows. It's an 05 I think? He's had it for 4 or 5 years. No issues
I tend to drive my cars till its no longer worth fixing so for me cars like this that have low resale value but are reliable are great. After that Kia I bought a used 01 Toyota Solara with 84k miles and drove it to 320k. Another very low maintenance car.
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Never fixed the AC? Holy crap.
Never fixed the AC? Holy crap.
Neh. Heat doesn't bother me. It was only bad when there was heavy rain and I couldn't put the windows down. Even now I don't use AC too much. Aside from when it's raining I only use it when on the highway and the wind noise gets annoying or of course when someone else is in the car. I'm fine so long as there is air circulation
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We lease cars, so the longevity isn't really something I can comment on.
My wife is on her second Hyundai Sonata, the first one didn't have a single problem the entire 3 years. Oil changes and that's it. I am super pleased with my SantaFe Sport 2.0T as well. Surprisingly good in the snow.
We are both super impressed with Hyundai initial quality for sure. #3, Ill take it.
Neh. Heat doesn't bother me. It was only bad when there was heavy rain and I couldn't put the windows down. Even now I don't use AC too much. Aside from when it's raining I only use it when on the highway and the wind noise gets annoying or of course when someone else is in the car. I'm fine so long as there is air circulation
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Holy crap dude. I run the ac like my life depends on it. I would make my car a refrigerator if I could. No AC is a deal breaker for me.
fallenromeo
06-23-16, 18:51
Im not as surprised seeing Kia at #1 as I am seeing BMW so high on the list. How did that happen? They are great to start, but as soon as they are out of warranty they turn to a giant turd! It is almost like the engineers installed a program in the ECU to make everything fall apart at 50K miles.
We have discussed this one at the office extensively. We have all come to the conclusion that if you go in EXPECTING less (lets say, having bought a brand new car for $25,000), you're quite pleased when everything works without much fuss. If you've bought a new car and are expecting perfection (another example, just spending $80,000 on a German luxury sedan), the slightest thing will annoy you and cause you to mark down the car's initial quality.
FIAT being a giant pile of flaming crap should not surprise anybody.
If Europeans ever learn about making decent electronics their cars won't suck so much. I won't hold my breath on that. Bosch can't even make a decent spark plug....
Never fixed the AC? Holy crap.
I drove a Jeep Wrangler ragtop for 13 years. It had ZERO options!!!! No AC, no radio, no cruise, etc., etc., etc. Can't believe I did that:)
John
lawusmc0844
06-23-16, 21:43
I work for one of the large rental car companies, and I get to drive many different brands of vehicles everyday. Brand new to near 50K, so Im not just driving beat up rentals that douchebags took for off roading or some Fast & Furious action lol. Its not surprising to see Kia or Hyundai high on the list, it amazes me when there are people that still think they're junk. I love the Sonata and Genesis and either one is most likely my next purchase.
The worst pieces of junk I've driven by far are made by FCA. Just last week one of my coworkers was driving a 2016 Jeep Cherokee with less than 4000 miles and the transmission just failed on him, leaving him stranded right before the left turn to the dealership we were taking it to LMAO. Had to wait there in the hot sun to get that junk towed just 300 feet haha. Out of all the 2015-16 Jeeps I've driven all have a cheap, flimsy interior and only one or two even had a backup camera (which I am a huge fan of). Weak handling and slow acceleration as well. Not surprising to see many at the turnback or mechanical line.
One of my now former coworkers rented a Chrysler 200 for his vacation last year. Less than 20000 miles the transmission failed as he was on the way home, leaving him stuck right off 101 North. Towing it back to the lot was a big hassle, took 7 hours for him to get back to our Lot and get a replacement rental. Chrysler 200s may look like nice sleek cars but I will never rent, let alone buy one. I will only drive one if I have no other choice at work lol.
Last year a whole line of new 2015 Dodge Chargers were at the lot waiting to be taken back for recall for you guessed it, transmission issues. I tried to drive a non recalled low mileage one out of the lot and didn't even make it to the gate because yes, the transmission failed LOL. The Avenger was a joke, cheaply made interior, underpowered, at least the Charger is a great car when it works.
Fiat 500s suck too, weak, underpowered, cheap interior and overall ugly cars. Good thing I rarely see them.
GM is a big step up with actually decent cars like the Impala and Tahoe. However, Malibus and Sonics with more than 30K tend to drive like crap, Sparks just suck ass. The majority of turnbacks at the lot happen to be American brand cars. GMs especially Chevys, and the North American made junk from FCA.
Im surprised to see Ford above the industry average, Found On Road Dead lol. Just about every Fusion and Focus I drive have loud, rumbling transmissions and very jerky handling. And I swear Mustangs are the unofficial car of the 1st MARDIV haha.
My employer has a 07 Kia driven by many. It currently has 198,000 miles on it and is going strong.
Say what you like but Kia does employ a lot of people here.
Eurodriver
06-23-16, 23:34
Yeah you guys are nuts without AC. It rains here every day from June to September. Big heavy rains in 95* temps.
You don't have AC and you would quite literally die of heat stroke if you don't open the windows and get soaked.
Still - sitting in traffic when the sun is blazing at 5pm and the real feel is 112? With that humidity? And the sun?
Back to Kia. I've been strongly considering one. 10 year 100,000 mile warranty? Bumper to bumper? No more premium gas and better mileage? No more $350 away bar links? $1800 AC systems? Yeah.
The only thing that surprises me is the level of surprise. Remember the crap Honda & Toyota imported for a decade or two? That was to build capitol and then... Bam! Nice cars.
I may be biased though. Rewind to 2010 when the car that Blake Griffin dunked over caught my eye. I was driving a 2007 Audi A4 that was pretty well loaded at the time and REALLY liked my car. Something about that Optima caught my eye though so I started looking into it. The stats seemed unreal. The same 2.0L turbo 4 as my Audi but 274hp stock and my chipped A4 wasn't even that powerful. In addition, the MPG was WAY higher than my A4 even though it wasn't apples to apples since my A4 was AWD which will soak up a little more gas but not that much. That being said, my curiosity was piqued enough that I had to see one in person. Contacted my local Kia dealer and was informed that one of the first in the state would be on their lot within a week or two. When I saw it in person... wow. Just wow. The design was incredible. I was like, this is a Kia?!? When I got inside I was immediately impressed. The materials, layout and fit/finish were on point and made my A4 when I climbed back into it feel like a rattle trap. What a turd! Haha. To shorten up the story I bought a loaded up Kia Optima and proceeded to change out the emblems for the Korean version which they call a 'flying K' or some chit. Most people here in the US don't recognize it but the amount of looks and compliments I've gotten ever since has been astounding. I catch people looking at it like 'What is that car?' and I'm always amazed at how often the car 'expert' of the group pops off with 'Oh, that's that new Lexus' w/o even giving it another thought. I've had some pretty flashy vehicles over the years and this one has far and away gotten the most attention and conversation. I show people the inside and they can't believe it's a Kia.
The car is paid off now and with about 90k miles on it we have had zero issues. Not one. Well, there was a couple of minor nit picks on interior pieces that were quickly remedied under warranty that really didn't affect operation at all but no major mechanical issues at all. Just change the oil regularly and fill the gas tank. Done and done. I love this car and have no plans to replace it anytime soon. It's just that good.
Never thought I'd say that my Kia is a better car than any Audi I owned but that's the case and I've owned five Audi cars over the years.
So, yeah, I'm not surprised at all. If the rest of the Kia's are as good as this one they earned it.
For all you gotta have AC guys!
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160624/c21204540dd28c40577e47a35cbc80ca.jpg
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Moose-Knuckle
06-25-16, 05:21
So what say the hive on the Sorento?
Wife needs a new car and we're looking at SUVs.
Im not as surprised seeing Kia at #1 as I am seeing BMW so high on the list. How did that happen? They are great to start, but as soon as they are out of warranty they turn to a giant turd! It is almost like the engineers installed a program in the ECU to make everything fall apart at 50K miles.
If you're still driving the same BMW at 50k, "you're doin' it wrong"
:)
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For all you gotta have AC guys!
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160624/c21204540dd28c40577e47a35cbc80ca.jpg
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Lol...I'm in the south and say what u want, but I'd take that over no a/c every time.
EVERY TIME. :)
Jer's post above I think is spot on. I've looked at that Kia many times and thought, I wonder if I could sterilize the badging so nobody knew it was a Kia? Had not thought about re-badging it with the overseas logo. Good to know.
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So what say the hive on the Sorento?
Wife needs a new car and we're looking at SUVs.
Read my post.
Lol...I'm in the south and say what u want, but I'd take that over no a/c every time.
EVERY TIME. :)
Jer's post above I think is spot on. I've looked at that Kia many times and thought, I wonder if I could sterilize the badging so nobody knew it was a Kia? Had not thought about re-badging it with the overseas logo. Good to know.
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Yep, steering wheel, front & back of car and the wheels. They sell the 'Flying K' in various kits (just had to change the wheel ones again after about 5 years as they were looking trashy) and they're not very expensive. Made to just slap them right over the factory ones.
BTW, to the a/c picture above... I got cooled seats. Greatest invention evar!!!
Just to offer my 2 cents...
I was looking for a reasonably priced, late model used car for commuting about 50 miles each way a year and a half ago.
I was initially looking at used civics. It's a Honda, gotta be the safe choice. Used civics for the price I was willing to pay ($15-18k) came with cloth seats, NO sat radio (gotta have it!) and plastic hub caps and a manual tranny. They were 2011/2012s.
I was looking at them at Carmax and I noticed a 2014 Kia Fiorte EX GDI sitting there. Looked very sharp - certainly not as plain as a civic. 17" aluminum wheels, leather, heated seats front AND back, cooled drivers seat (LOVE), sunroof, satellite, heated steering wheel with controls for everything, back up camera, Bluetooth, and it gets 36-40MPG commuting with an automatic.
Drove it around the block and bought it.
It's a 2014 that I bought used in December 2014 - $16,500
It's been great over the few miles I've driven it (28k) and I'm very happy I walked away from a plain old civic for that was 3 years older.
Time will tell but I'm very optimistichttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/7c94a848650bad489daa1f648c8aa411.jpg
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Moose-Knuckle
06-26-16, 02:11
We love our Kia Sorento 2011 made in West Point, Georgia !Read my post.
Do you have one with a V6, how about AWD?
Those are two features that I need.
Moose-Knuckle
06-26-16, 02:18
Yep, steering wheel, front & back of car and the wheels. They sell the 'Flying K' in various kits (just had to change the wheel ones again after about 5 years as they were looking trashy) and they're not very expensive. Made to just slap them right over the factory ones.
BTW, to the a/c picture above... I got cooled seats. Greatest invention evar!!!
Where is the best place to buy model specific badge sets of the Korean "flying K" logo?
I just don't want to get ripped off on ebay or the like.
Do you have one with a V6, how about AWD?
Those are two features that I need.
Ah, specific questions, good.
No, I have the 4 cyl, and front wheel drive. I'll tell you why I didn't go for the 6 and AWD:
1. We test drove the 6 and 4 cyl. Each car TWICE. We saw no benefit in paying more (I think approx. $3000, this was 5 years ago, it's blurry) for the 6 and getting a little less mileage. We drove on city streets, on ramp onto a busy interstate to see if the 4 had enough acceleration and cruising speed. While the 6 had a little more pickup, it wasn't leaps and bounds more.
We're glad we picked the 4, because a year after we bought the car, Consumer Reports came out with stories that the 6 required more maintenance and was trouble proned. We've had zero problem with our 4. BTW, actual real world gas mileage is approximately 25 MPG (combined city and highway). On long trips we've gotten approx. 27 MPG.
2. AWD - again, extra money. In the south we (I) don't feel the need for it, not much snow and rare ice occasion. We don't go off road or do wild stuff, only drive to work and commute. Three years after we bought the car we had a horrible ice storm that grid locked the city for 24 hours. My wife's usual 45 minutes commute from work to home turned into an 11 hour ordeal. Ice was all over the road surface. She didn't have any problem navigating during that ICEMAGEDDON.
We did not and have not regret one bit on our decision. We would buy another one. The car does come with heated front seats, leather seating surface, power front seats, satellite radio, bluetooth. We did not choose the sunroof or navigation package. Car has 100,000 miles drive train warranty.
Oh, and the Sorento is basically the same as the Hyundai Santa Fe, except the Kia is several thousand $$ less, and at the time of purchase, the KIA dealer was willing to talk price.
Your need may be different from ours.
Moose-Knuckle
06-27-16, 02:52
Thanks Sam for the info.
Phillygunguy
06-27-16, 11:10
Time changes, it's true. When the first Hyundai came out, it was a rattle tin can that's louder than a lawnmower and comfortable as one too. But now, the Sonata is giving the Japanese family sedans a run for their money, the Genesys and Equis are giving the Germans a competition.
We love our Kia Sorento 2011 made in West Point, Georgia !
I agree I had a 2012 Sonata Turbo keyless entry and ignition. Had to trade for a Tuscon. That sonata is an amazing car, and fast plus mileage was pretty good. However it sucks in the snow
When replacing my wife's 2003 Escape, we seriously considered the Santa Fe or Sorento. We test drove the Sorento and enjoyed it, but ended up finding a smoking deal on a certified pre-owned CR-V. We've been very happy with it so far. I was surprised to see Honda so far down on the list.
My friend and his wife have had two KIA Sorentos. They had the previous generation (a 2011 I believe) and the current a 2015 EX Premium which is the top of the line with the turbo 4. The thing is loaded with stuff that is optional in other makes as standard equipment. And that is KIA's big trick, they give you a lot of creature comforts as standard features that would be optional in other makes.
They weren't even looking to get a new KIA when the traded their first one in. They had it at the dealer for it's 60k service and the sales manager got them in the new one for less of a monthly payment than the one they had. And you can tell a big difference between the two generations as far as the level of quality in materials used in the interior. I'm impressed by the amount of vehicle you get for the money.
Also, I think the KIA Optima is one of the best looking FWD Shitboxes you could buy currently. I think I could own one and not want to suck start my Glock every time I drove it.
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