Kia Family Cars

Hyundai and Kia are two peas in a pod. As sister companies, they share technology, drivetrains, and platforms, among other things. So, when we broke down Hyundai’s Intelligent Manual Transmission – you know, the one with no clutch pedal – we figured Kia would be quick to follow suit. And, it has, but only to a certain extent. We’ve now learned that the mild-hybrid versions of the Kia Ceed Hatch, Xceed crossover, and the facelifted Rio will all be available with an iMT. But Kia’s version is a little different compared to Hyundai in that it still has a clutch pedal. This is getting interesting, huh?

It’s been almost a decade since Kia introduced the 2011 Optima in the U.S. and the time has come for a generation swap. Call it a model swap, actually, as the new 2021 Kia K5 mid-size saloon is here to take over from where the Optima left off.

Kia will assemble the K5 next to the crisp-looking Telluride SUV at its plant in West Point, Georgia. Before the first cars roll off the production line, let’s look at what customers will be getting from the 2021 K5 sedan.

The subcompact crossover class has so much potential. Best-selling “compact” models like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, and Chevrolet Equinox have gotten fantastically spacious, refined — and expensive. A modern CR-V or RAV4 is just as big, fancy, and costly as midsize models used to be. For lots of people, they’re still a great deal: for as little as $25,000, you get ample space for four or even five adults and their stuff, all the latest advanced safety features, a fully featured touchscreen infotainment system, and great gas mileage. But lots of people don’t need or even want something this big, or at least aren’t eager to pay for it. So most automakers now offer a subcompact model that’s smaller and less expensive than their compact.

What’s puzzling, though, is how flawed most of these subcompact crossovers have proven to be. Many of them are polarizing styling statements, sometimes with looks that compromise their utility even more than their scaled-down dimensions do. A surprising number of them offer no all-wheel-drive. Some suffer from execution flaws like underpowered yet inefficient engines, compromised interior layouts, or clumsy driving dynamics. Each model that gets a lot right has also had at least one serious flaw — whether it’s the fun-to-drive but cramped Hyundai Kona and Mazda CX-3 and CX-30; the spacious but slow, noisy Honda HR-V; the pleasant but overpriced Nissan Rogue Sport; the off-road-ready, on-road-jerky Jeep Renegade and Subaru Crosstrek; or a host of other would-be contenders. That’s to say nothing of the ones that, well, don’t get a lot right. Why, oh why, couldn’t someone just take everything that people love about a compact crossover and simply make it a little smaller and less expensive?

At long last, that call has been answered. The all-new 2021 Kia Seltos is a mechanical cousin to the Hyundai Kona, but it’s taller and longer. And that’s just what was needed to address the Kona’s lower, more car-like seating position and its tight rear seating. This makes the Seltos the first truly well-rounded subcompact crossover, delivering all-around competence with no disastrous downsides. It’s handsome, functional, fun to drive, fuel-efficient, and affordable. While no car is perfect — certain buyers will gravitate toward the specific advantages of some Seltos competitors — this is the only subcompact crossover that has something for just about everyone.

Back in 2019, Kia announced that it will enter the pickup market with a mid-size truck. The truck is still a few years away, but that doesn’t mean rendering artists won’t let their creative juices flow to imagine what it could look like.

This rendering by SRK designs is based on the Kia Mohave SUV, and we must admit, it looks pretty tough for a compact truck. But we’re not complaining.

In less than one month, we’ve gone from telling you that much better Kia Stinger is coming in 2021 to reporting that the Stinger is in trouble and may disappear entirely in the next few years. Now, a recent conversation between Top Gear and Kia’s Design Boss, Karim Habib, has taught us that the Stinger will be facelifted for 2021 but what happens after that could change your view on the Stinger forever.

About a week ago, in the middle of April 2020, we told you that you should hold off on buying a new Kia Stinger because the next-gen 2021 Stinger was going to be so much better. The highlights of the next-gen model were said to include a larger, more powerful four-cylinder in the base model with the high-end model expected to see some tweaks, power upgrades, and improved technology. Now, a new report out of South Korea has cast shade on the previous report in the very worst way. As it turns out, the Kia Stinger might not be long for this world….at least not in the short term.

When I witnessed Kia pull the sheet off the 2018 Stinger, I was both shocked and confused. Two questions hit me like a kick to the teeth: How did the decision to built a sports sedan pass the higher-ups when SUVs seem to be the big focus right now, and secondly, how the hell is Kia expecting to compete with the Germans? Well, an hour or so later, I sat down inside the Stinger and immediately I realized it was significantly more comfortable that the new BMW 5 Series I had just sat in. Then a few months later, I got behind the wheel of one, and sure enough, the Stinger was a BMW, Mercedes, and Audi Fighter through and through. Kia did it. The company managed to put itself in a position to compete with other luxury and performance brands. However, the Stinger hasn’t exactly lived up to sales expectations, and new reports are indicating that Kia is about to do something about it. Something big, as a matter of fact.

Kia is set to introduce 11 new electric models in the next five years, most of which will probably be based on current models, but the next one that’s coming will pack quite a punch. Its next EV is due to arrive in 2021 (probably as a 2022 model) and should be based on the Imagine Concept. So, you can expect a coupe-SUV of sorts, but one that’s probably not quite as ugly as the BMW X4 or X6 or their Mercedes-branded counterparts. There’s a twist, though: Kia is dedicated to making it a high-performance halo car.

The Telluride joined Kia’s lineup for the 2020 model year as its biggest SUV yet. It’s positioned in the midsize class, despite the fact that it’s not much larger than the Kia Sorento. As is the usual case, it shares a lot of core DNA with a Hyundai product – in this case, the Hyundai Palisade – but it still features its own distinct styling. It’s only available with a V-6, but it does provide ample power, towing up to 5,000 pounds, and it comes at a price that gives it a competitive edge over models like the Honda Pilot and Volkswagen Atlas.

As Kia’s newst SUV, we’ve been itching to see what it’s like to live with the new Telluride, and we finally got out chance. This is what we’ve learned after a week of driving the Hyundai Telluride.

Kia has brought the 2020 Cadenza on stage at the 2020 Chicago Motor Show and we’ve got to say, the aesthetic tweaks have worked wonders on the sedan, which goes on sale this year in two trims: Technology and Limited, as Premium has been discontinued.

Kia is always an active participant during the Super Bowl, and this year is no different. The Korean automaker has launched a 30-second teaser of its new commercial earmarked for Super Bowl LIV on February 2, 2020. Just like its previous Super Bowl commercials, Kia is taking a serious approach with this year’s ad, establishing a theme of “overcoming adversity to achieve the impossible dream.” The all-new Kia Stelvos is the star of the commercial, though the 30-second teaser made no mention of the new crossover. All shall be revealed, though, when the 60-second commercial airs sometime in the third quarter of the title game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

If you didn’t realize that there was a gap between the Kia Soul and the Kia Sportage, well, don’t feel bad because we didn’t either. But, it’s all good, because Kia has managed to fill that gap with a model known as the Seltos. It celebrated its U.S. launch at the 2019 Los Angels Auto Show after being introduced a couple of months before that in India. Naturally, there are some minor changes to make it meet U.S. regulations, but for the most part, we’re looking at a compact SUV with some Telluride-inspired design cues and enough ground clearance that you could actually take it off the beaten path if you really wanted to.

The real highlight of the Seltos is its cargo capacity. In relation to its size, the capacity is rather respectable at 26.6 cubic-feet with the rear seats in place and 62.8 cubic-feet with the rear seats folded down. It also comes with a decent list of technology, including a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system that looks like it came out of yesteryear’s BMW parts bin, and there’s even an 8-speaker Bose audio system. The latter is actually a first for a Kia, so it has that going for it.

The Seltos is available with your choice of two different engines. The base engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. The smaller, but turbocharged 1.6-liter mill delivers 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s also a small model, so it should be adequate. Kia is promising an impressive starting point of “below $22,000,” so expect it to start out around $21,990 and climb closer to the $30,000 range in top trim.

Labor Day Weekend is here and for some of us that means its time to go car shopping. So, what kind of deals can you get on a brand-new car during Labor Day Weekend 2019? Well, some automakers are offering model-specific deals that can earn you some really steep discounts. Others have simply dropped interest rates on financing or offer a little bit of cash back. Either way, we’ve put together a short guide to get you in the spirit and prepared for your shopping expenditures this weekend!

For those who want the Ceed hatchback, but wrapped in a higher-riding, crossover-like package and with a hint of extra sportiness to its design, then the Kia XCeed is what you’re looking for. Its underpinnings are pretty much identical to those of the regular Ceed, but for some buyers, the fact that you sit higher off the ground in combination with the more rakish design will make it an irresistible proposition.

Kia markets it as “a sporty alternative to traditional SUVs” and while it’s certainly sportier than typical, tall SUVs, it’s not actually a sporty car. I will grant Kia this, though - this is the best looking member of the current Ceed family, which to my eyes is even more handsome than the Proceed wagon, thanks to its unique fascias and that very well executed fastback-style hatch.

And if at first glance you’re thinking “this looks quite different to all other Ceed models,” you are actually right. The only body panels the XCeed shares with the rest of the Ceed lineup are the front door panels - everything else is bespoke and really quite distinctive. The automaker has also tried to spruce up the interior, although here it only changed a few bits of trim to match the car’s more lively exterior - the dashboard, controls, seats and, well, pretty much everything is identical to what you see in the Ceed hatch.

Kia South Korea has unveiled the Mohave a few weeks after the SUV’s official release in its motherland. The production model’s looming arrival comes a few months after the Korean automaker unveiled the Masterpiece, the concept SUV from which the Mohave is based on. There are striking similarities between the Masterpiece and the Mohave, though, more importantly, the new SUV’s design is a massive departure from the outgoing model, which is on its last legs after an exhausting 11-year run. The most significant upgrade, however, can be found inside the SUV. The changes are significant, to say the least. That bodes well for future owners of the Mohave in South Korea, though not so much for us here in the U.S. because the likelihood of the Mohave returning to the American market — it had an uneventful one-year stint in ‘Murica as the Borrego in 2009 — isn’t something that we’d bet on.

Like most automakers out there, Kia took the SUV market by storm and launched a handful of vehicles in recent years. But even though it already has nine crossovers spread over various markets, the Korean brand isn’t ready to stop just yet. According to Kia Europe’s head of product planning, the firm could add yet another SUV in the near future.