Top Viral News Stories of the Week: March 22-29, 2015

Top Viral News Stories of the Week: March 22-29, 2015
Most Watched Videos of the Week: March 22-29, 2015
Most Read Car Reviews of the Week: March 22 – 29
Top 10 Least Dependable Automakers
2015 Dodge Durango R/T Adds Red Nappa Leather
2016 Chevrolet Malibu Targets 250K Annual Sales

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A new possible bill targeting coal rollers was the top viral automotive news story for the past week.

Shared over 27,000 times across Facebook, Twitter and Google+, a report on a new bill that would fine $5,000 for rolling coal made its way through the Internet like a large plume of black soot. A preview of the LM2 Streamliner, which will make its debut at the 2015 New York Auto Show was also popular while pricing on the 2016 Jaguar F-Type got luxury sports car buyers interested.

New Bill Seeks $5,000 Fine for Rolling Coal

If passed, a new bill will see drivers who are "rolling coal" fined up to $5,000.

America's Newest Supercar Makes 1,700 Hideous HP

A working concept version of the car shown in illustrations here is scheduled to debut next week during the New York Auto Show.

2016 Jaguar F-Type Priced With a Third Pedal

Jaguar just announced pricing for its newly expanded lineup of F-Type sports cars.

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Most Watched Videos of the Week: March 22-29, 2015

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Are the changes Ford made to its Edge crossover a noticeable improvement?

Crossover shoppers are interested to see how the 2015 Ford Edge stacks up to the competition, in a segment that is becoming more crowded. Other popular videos from this past week include the latest entry to The Short List with Craig Cole exploring the top 10 most expensive cars in the world. The third most popular video also involves a redesigned crossover, the 2015 Nissan Murano.

Watch the videos below and subscribe to AutoGuide.com's YouTube channel here.

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Most Read Car Reviews of the Week: March 22 – 29

Posted:

Our review of the updated 2015 Nissan Murano proved popular last week.

With new eye-catching style, is the Murano a contender for best-in-segment? We take a look.

We had our general consumer drive the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander to get a second opinion. She liked the V6 power but found some of the infotainment controls a little outdated.

Our review of the 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe hits the third spot on the list. This hatchback offers coupe style for a best of both worlds experience.

Fourth this week is a comparison between the BMW X3 xDrive28d and Lexus NX 300h. These two luxury crossovers take two different approaches to sipping fuel, but which one works best?

Finally, we have the latest entry in our 2015 GMC Canyon long-term review. We drove the truck back-to-back with its larger half-ton sibling to really compare the two. Read the entire series right here.

If you're shopping for a new car, don't miss our new cars buying section.

2015 Nissan Murano Review – Video

2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Review

2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe Review

2015 BMW X3 xDrive28d vs. Lexus NX300h – Video

2015 GMC Canyon long-term review: Side-by-side with the GMC Sierra

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Top 10 Least Dependable Automakers

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J.D. Power just released the results of its 2015 Vehicle Dependability Study. Plenty of automakers deserve praise, but others, well, not so much…

This closely watched and highly anticipated report is full of useful information. Aside from highlighting the most reliable models in different market segments it also ranks car companies based on problems per 100 vehicles.

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Most Reliable Car Brands

Their survey monitors dependability after three years of service, meaning cars and trucks from the 2012 model year are highlighted in this report, which is comprised of responses from some 34,000 original owners.

We've already shared the best brands on this list, now it's time to dredge the bottom. Here are the worst-performing automakers in J.D. Power's latest VDS.

10. Volkswagen

VW is the least worst on this list of under-performing automakers. The people's car brand averaged 165 problems per 100 vehicles. That score exceeds the industry average of 147 by a fair amount. This is a slight degradation compared to last year's performance, which measured a more respectable 158.

9. Chrysler

Historically Chrysler has NOT been known for quality and this unfortunate tradition continues. The Pentastar brand posted a score of 173, appreciably worse than the 155 is earned last year. What's going on in Auburn Hills? The company's Ram brand did the best of all Fiat-Chrysler divisions, beating the industry average with a score of 134. Apparently they're unable to spread that success across the company.

8. Volvo

Falling behind Chrysler by one point is Volvo, everyone's favorite Swedish/Chinese car company. The brand averaged 174 problems per 100 vehicles, worse than its score of 152 from last year's survey.

7. Ford

Ford posted a disappointing score of 188 problems per 100 vehicles, which means it's fallen behind the industry average by 41. Especially troubling is that it's doing even worse than it did last year. In 2014 the blue-oval brand measured 140.

6. Hyundai

Remember, that's Hyundai like depression … sorry, Hyundai like Sunday. This South Korean automaker tied Ford, eking out a final tally of 188 problems per 100 vehicles. In last year's Vehicle Dependability Study it scored 169.

5. Dodge

Another Chrysler brand with substandard quality? Say it ain't so! Dodge drove away with a rating 192, worse than it did last year when it got a 181 from J.D. Power, though its decline is not as bad as those posted by some rivals.

4. MINI

Trailing Dodge by just one point is MINI. In J.D. Power's 2015 dependability study they earned a score of 193 problems per 100 vehicles. Aside from being perilously close to the 200 mark this performance also means that just three brands did worse. How is it that BMW, their parent company, did better than average yet MINI is in the basement? Do these separate divisions talk to each other? Apparently not.

3. Jeep

Without question Jeep is one of the most fashionable automotive brands in the America right now. It seems like every month this division's sales grow by greater and greater amounts. Regrettably, in spite of this building momentum their reliability is quite lacking. In this latest Vehicle Dependability Study Jeep posted a score of 197 problems per 100 vehicles. It didn't do well last year, either, earning a score of 178.

2. Land Rover

Jeep's performance may have been disappointing but at least they kept things south of 200. The same can't be said of Land Rover, which posted a whopping score of 258! That's a jump of 61 compared to Jeep, but it's not the worst automotive brand in the 2015 Vehicle Dependability Study, oh no.

1. Fiat

That honor, rather dishonor, goes to Fiat, which posted a score of 273. That's like saying every new car they sell has three defects that require attention! That figure is also almost double the industry average. Clearly this Italian brand has work to do.

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2015 Dodge Durango R/T Adds Red Nappa Leather

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The Dodge Durango R/T is getting a little bit of interior spice.

The 2015 Dodge Durango R/T is adding new optionally available "Radar Red" Nappa leather upholstery for $1,195. Previously available only on the Charger and Challenger models in the Dodge lineup, the American automaker has added it to the Durango, complementing the sporty attitude of the R/T model. The Radar Red Nappa leather option is in addition to the black Nappa leather seating already available.

In addition, Dodge announced that the 2015 Durango R/T will now come standard with an all-new 20-inch wheel design finished in a high-gloss "Granite Crystal" finish. The Durango R/T also features a unique sport-tuned suspension, 20-inch performance tires, a 20 millimeter lower ride height, sporty monochromatic exterior appearance with black headlight bezels and LED daytime running lights, R/T-embroidered leather seating with contrast stitching, 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen, premium audio with nine speakers and a subwoofer, power liftgate and HID low-beam headlights. Powering the Durango R/T is the company's 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque.

Discuss this story at our Dodge Durango forum

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2016 Chevrolet Malibu Targets 250K Annual Sales

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GM expects to sell 250,000 Malibus per year when its new generation arrives.

The American automaker will debut the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu next week at the 2015 New York Auto Show and is anticipating it to be a success. So much so, that Reuters is reporting that GM executives have told suppliers to prepare for 250,000 units per year, marking a 33 percent increase over the 188,519 it sold in 2014. The American automaker is also telling suppliers to have the ability to go as high as 300,000 units a year. Last fall, GM told analysts it was targeting sales of 225,000 Malibus for 2016.

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is also expected to bring $1,500 more profit per vehicle than its predecessors, creating a projection for GM of at least $450 million in additional profit from the new model. For years, the Malibu has competed against the Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, Chrysler 200 and Volkswagen Passat, but even the Chevrolet will admit that it sits near the bottom of the list. "Let's be realistic," Chevrolet director of car marketing Steve Majoros told Reuters. "We're sitting here in seventh or eighth place. We have tremendous opportunity to grow."

[Source: Reuters]

Discuss this story at our Chevrolet Malibu forum

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Car Reviews

Sunday, 29 March 2015