Kia
Kia Announces Niro Concept Ahead Of Frankfurt Debut
On September 10, Kia will unveil the Niro concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it has announced. The B-segment concept will be used to gauge interest in a possible production model.
Blog: DeltaWing Is The New Can-Am
Recent experience suggests the DeltaWing, despite some cries to contrary, should be a part of the future of racing. Not DeltaWing the car, but DeltaWing the idea. That’s because DeltaWing shows us the new Can-Am, and Can-Am is the series most often referred to as the soul of the golden age of American racing.
Kia Teases New B-Segment Concept
We’ve got another concept being teased prior to next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. This one’s a B-segment car from Kia.
Update: 2014 Kia Forte 5-Door Arrives In Chicago
Hyundai built a hot hatch. It’s called the Veloster Turbo, and it has 3.5 doors and a 201-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood. Now, bitter rival/sister company Kia has done its take on the hot hatch, offering up a stylish, five-door Forte with the same 201-horsepower engine. Verdict? Well, the Forte wins on looks.
Update: 2013 Kia Rio — Transmission
Overall, the inclusion of a manual gearbox on the Rio SX is a win for enthusiasts who are looking for cheap, well-equipped, economical, and fun-to-drive transportation.
Driven: 2013 Buick Encore
The 2013 Buick Encore is unlike anything the GM subsidiary has produced before. It’s tiny. Really tiny. It’s so tiny that you need to see it in person to appreciate the size of its footprint. Since it won’t be on sale for some time, this is the best we can say: its 100.6-inch wheelbase is shorter than a Mini Countryman (102.2 inches).
First Look: 2014 Kia Sorento
At the LA Auto Show, Kia has taken the wraps off its new 2014 Sorento crossover.
First Look: 2014 Kia Forte Sedan
Kia has unveiled a significantly updated version of its four-door Forte at the LA Auto Show. The new compact will do battle with the likes of the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, and Chevrolet Cruze.
Driven: 2012 Kia Soul !
Since its inception, Kia’s Soul has been near the forefront of a movement toward what might be called “hip, utility vehicles” (HUVs). Other examples would include Nissan’s Cube or Scion’s xB, to name just two. Not surprisingly, hipness is an essential ingredient in any HUV, meaning they’ve got to have plenty of attitude and style, tempered by underlying practicality.
Driven: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 2.0T
Until now, Chevy only offered its Malibu as a mild-hybrid Eco and a rather tepid 2.5-liter four-pot. The arrival of the 2.0T delivers a healthy power boost to the Bowtie’s bread-and-butter sedan.
Driven: 2012 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon
We love wagons. We’d like to see more of them on American roads. We love their utility, their unassuming looks, and the sense of nostalgia the evoke from us. We also love Mercedes-Benz’s performance department, AMG. The sheer power and sporty luxury they combine are things we don’t think we could ever get sick of. It’s no surprise, then, that we were very excited to take loan of the new E63 AMG Wagon for a week.
Quick Drive: 2013 Kia Optima SXL
The Kia Optima SXL is a handsome vehicle, both inside and out. Our Snow White Pearl tester looked especially classy, and the black and chrome accents didn’t make it look too gaudy. Even with the eighteen-inch chrome wheels—a part of the Limited Package that comes with the SXL—it didn’t look at all offensive, and actually appeared to be a tasteful use of the shiny stuff. Even the housings for the (power folding) side mirrors look nice on this car. Plus, the Limited gets a set of LED daytime running lights and red brake calipers to help set it apart form the rest of the crowd in a subtle yet fashionable way.
Driven: 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe SE
The dynamic performance of the Elantra Coupe never really came together. The steering, while decently weighted, lacked a real sense of feedback. Although things felt okay on-center, it was difficult to garner feedback through the steering wheel in the bends. To be frank, we found ourselves guessing as to what the front tires were doing as we zipped through the Irish Hills.
Quick Drive: 2012 Nissan Cube 1.8S
The Nissan Cube isn’t a car one buys for flogging down your favorite back roads. It’s not very involving, nor very fast. Instead, it offers a unique physical space that is at once useful and interesting. Its distinctive boxy shape and asymmetrical exterior design might turn some customers off, but others are drawn to its useful shape and modern styling. This is definitely a car that feels (and looks) more at home on busy city streets than on a rural highway or canyon road. It resembles a small building given its unique structure, and it looks at home among the architecture of a cosmopolitan downtown.
Quick Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic
This is the perfect Mercedes-Benz.
Driven: 2012 Kia Sorento EX AWD Seven-Passenger
While it’s not what we’d call fun to drive, the Kia Sorento is a seriously comfortable family hauler, with good looks, decent fuel economy, and an unbelievably reasonable price tag.
Comfort/Involvement Index: 2012 Kia Rio
Slow and noisy engine and lifeless steering hurt the Rio’s involvement. Great small car if you don’t want to have any fun on your commute. The ride is decidedly soft for a small car, and this is reflected in the level of lateral movement during hard cornering. Might not be so bad if there weren’t so many more competent alternatives.
Comfort/Involvement Index: 2012 Kia Sportage SX Turbo
Sportage is a good name for this CUV. Its turbo motor feels very peppy, and it responds crisply to inputs. A little more steering feedback would be good. The ride is firm, but compliant, marking a nice balance between the average crossover and something more.
List: Top Ten April Fools’ Pranks Of 2012
Every year around the first of April, automotive manufacturers and publications love to unleash April Fools’ pranks on unwitting journalists and readers. Sometimes they’re pretty clever, other times they’re very obvious, but either way, they’re inevitable. 2012 was no different, as many of these jokes rolled out on or in advance of April 1.
Geneva Preview: Kia Reveals Rear-Drive Sedan, Needs Name
Based on the same platform as corporate partner Hyundai’s Genesis and Equus, Kia’s first rear-wheel-drive product should be compatible with the same 5.0-liter V-8s we’ve tested in the Equus and Genesis.
Quick Drive: 2012 Toyota Camry XLE 3.5
Now, make no mistake, this Camry is no sports sedan. The car is “all motor,” by which I mean the only really fun/dynamically distinguishing feature of the vehicle is the power it offers, and the quickness with which it lays that power down. The rest of the package is very subdued, soft, and quiet in terms of driver feedback.
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