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Kia Leads J.D. Power Initial Quality Study Once More

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Guillaume Rivard
You better start taking Kia very seriously now

When the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study came out last year, it marked the first time in 27 years that a mainstream brand appeared at the top. Well, guess what? Kia has done it again, securing the No. 1 spot in 2017.

The small Korean company indeed recorded the fewest problems per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership (72), followed by Genesis (77), Porsche (78), Ford and Ram (86). MINI, which ranked in the bottom five a year ago, is the most improved brand in 2017 (94), slightly better than the industry average (97).

Who had the most problems per 100 vehicles this year? The IQS identifies Fiat (163), Jaguar (148), Volvo (134), Land Rover and Mitsubishi (131).

Overall, new-vehicle quality is at its highest level ever, improving a significant 8% from last year, according to the J.D. Power.

J.D. Power also published a list of vehicles with the highest quality score in each category:

  • Small car: Chevrolet Sonic
  • Small premium car: BMW 2 Series
  • Compact car: Kia Forte
  • Compact sporty car: MINI Cooper
  • Compact MPV: Kia Soul
  • Compact premium car: BMW 4 Series
  • Midsize car: Toyota Camry
  • Midsize sporty car: Ford Mustang
  • Midsize premium car: Lexus GS
  • Midsize sporty premium car: Porsche 911
  • Large car: Kia Cadenza
  • Minivan: Chrysler Pacifica
  • Small SUV: Kia Niro
  • Small premium SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLA
  • Compact SUV: GMC Terrain
  • Compact premium SUV: Porsche Macan
  • Midsize SUV: Kia Sorento
  • Midsize premium SUV: BMW X6
  • Midsize pickup: Nissan Frontier
  • Large SUV: Ford Expedition
  • Large premium SUV: INFINITI QX80
  • Large light-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado
  • Large heavy-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD
Guillaume Rivard
Guillaume Rivard
Automotive expert
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