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Consumer Reports ranks the Kia Sorento third among small, midsize SUVs

The 2011 Kia Sorento EX V6 now ranks third in the Consumer Reports ratings for small and midsize SUVs. Having earned an “excellent” overall score of 82 in recent tests, the Sorento trails only the Subaru Forester 2.5XT and the Toyota RAV4 V6. The magazine notes that the Sorento has a very firm ride and that the six-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly.

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

More Power! Get the details on the potent Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0

Porsche has ramped up the already heady performance of the 911 GT3 RS through the adoption of a new, naturally aspirated 4.0-liter version of the company's sturdy, horizontally opposed flat six-cylinder engine. The unit kicks out 50 hp more than the 3.8-liter six-cylinder used in the existing 911 GT3 RS. This mill claims 500 hp at 8,250 rpm, a figure which makes the speedster the most powerful naturally aspirated road-going version of the 911 ever.