10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Kia Niro, Soul, Sportage and Telluride Short Out Nissan Rogue
If you drive a model-year 2023 Kia Niro, Niro PHEV, Soul, Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV or Telluride SUV, you’re gonna wanna check out Cars.com’s most popular news article of the past week. Nearly 109,000 of these Kia vehicles — all equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2-inch screen — are under a federal safety recall due to an electrical malfunction that could cause the display to go blank, preventing the driver from seeing important vehicle health alerts and increasing the risk of a crash.
Owners can expect to start receiving notification of the recall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration around Memorial Day weekend. NHTSA advises owners to take their affected Kia vehicle to the dealer to have the instrument cluster software updated. In the meantime, find out how to contact both the automaker and federal safety authorities for questions by following the link below to the No. 1 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles.
Also popular with readers in the past week — to no one’s surprise given the perpetually white-hot automotive segment to which it pertains — was a comprehensive rundown on how Cars.com’s expert reviewers selected the official Best Compact SUV for 2023. Spoiler: The honor went to the 2023 Nissan Rogue in its Platinum trim, beating out select versions of the 2022 Hyundai Tucson, 2023 Honda CR-V, 2023 Mazda CX-50, 2023 Ford Escape and, yes, the 2023 Kia Sportage.
To clinch its victory, the Rogue had to rise above rivals in the final results of intensive testing that included a standard driving loop, a real-world fuel-economy drive, a cargo-room comparo, child-safety seat accommodation, safety and driver-assist tech, and overall value. The Nissan wooed judges with its user-friendly infotainment, cabin storage, visibility, front- and rear-seat comfort, well-appointed interior, near-best gas mileage, and backseat-passenger comfort features. Liabilities came in the form of a harsh ride, handling that favors comfort over sportiness, a low-rent electronic gear selector and the lack of wireless Android Auto smartphone mirroring.
“The key to the Rogue’s win was consistently strong performance across our various tests, with no serious stumbles to speak of,” our editors concluded. “Regardless of whether it was a judges’ assessment or a features-based score, the Rogue did well.”
For the exhaustive rundown on how each of the six contenders fared in Cars.com’s 2023 compact SUV comparison, follow the link below to the No. 4 news story of the week.
Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Chevrolet Colorado, Volvo C40 Recharge, Toyota Highlander Hybrid and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. Kia Recalls 108,000-Plus Vehicles Over Blank Instrument Cluster Display
2. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy
3. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
4. What’s the Best Compact SUV of 2023?
5. Is the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado a Good Pickup Truck? 5 Pros and 3 Cons
6. Electric Cars With the Longest Range
7. 2024 Volvo C40 Recharge, XC40 Recharge Get More Range, New Powertrains
8. 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Review: Long on Efficiency, Short on Space
9. Full-Size Pickup Truck Inventory Returns With a Vengeance, But at What Cost?
10. Which SUVs, Minivans and Sedans Have the Most Cargo Space?
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
