Kia Forte and the Ford Focus

I've become a big fan of Kia styling since the new Optima came out in 2011.  So it isn't surprising that I like the looks of the new Kia Forte.  I think they nailed it on the front end, it's the back end that is uninspiring.  As soon as I saw it I couldn't help but think of the current generation Ford Focus.  So I started googling some pictures for this post to show the similarities and conveniently found a photo of the two of them right next to each other.  Come on Kia, you can do better than that! 

Extra: Kia just released photos of the upcoming Kia Forte 5-Door today.  Now I'm not sure I like the front! (see above photo)  I'm never satisfied.  Oh wait, actually I am.  It's spelled CLA. 

The Awful State of Infotainment Systems: Part 2

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on the awful state of infotainment systems.   This morning I saw THIS article on Autoblog about the "laggy CUE infotainment system."  My favorite line of the whole article, "Cadillac hasn't provided a date for when the CUE update will be issued, but it has indicated that the service will be performed by dealers, not sent wirelessly."  Here is a line from the article I wrote in December regarding updates, "The update process is also confusing, with most updates (if there ever are updates) requiring an inconvenient trip to the dealership."  Looks like I was spot on.  With no industry disruption on the radar, looks like the best option left is installing an iPad Mini in your dash.

Note: The original article is actually from Wired, and can be found HERE.