Say “KIA NIRO” three times quickly and it can sound like “Canyonero,” that fantastically flawed 35-seat sport-utility vehicle from The Simpsons, a vehicular ode to glorious excess gone awry. The new Niro is essentially the polar opposite of that—a lean, frugal wagonoid, albeit with a twist of the upright and rugged.
Kia gave us plenty of warning that it would eventually build a car like this. Back in 2011, Kia’s Frankfurt show stand featured a rear-drive GT concept, and then, three years ago, Kia unveiled the rear-drive Stinger GT4 two-door concept in Detroit.
Kia has released a set of sketches that preview the new Picanto hatchback. A rival to cars like the Ford Figo and the Hyundai Grand i10, the new Kia will be revealed in its latest avatar at the Geneva Motor Show in March, before sales commence internationally.
Kia plugs in to the current vogue for, err, plugging in, by giving the new Optima a hybrid drivetrain With KIA’s ongoing seven-year warranty charm offensive set to be bolstered by a fairly hefty product barrage, the presence of two new models per launch may become something of a norm over the next few years. … [Read more…]
Good looks and performance allow it to mingle with the best of the bunch In the past few years, Kia vehicles have been a delight to drive, thanks to their top-notch quality and much-improved engineering. Because the last Sportage had left quite an impression, I’ve been looking forward to the new model. It’s a pity … [Read more…]
Kia’s subcompact moves up in both looks and quality It started life as a quirky, odd-looking conveyance that allowed its owner to getaround and nothing more. This was pretty much the story of the Rio. The first two generations of this Kia subcompact, which shares its genes with the Hyundai Accent,were no-frills and nondescript. All … [Read more…]
Kia Optima Sportswagon Model tested: Kia Optima Sportswagon GT-Line S 1.7 CRDi DCT Price: £30,595 Engine: 1.7-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 139bhp There’s only one engine available in the Optima Sportswagon, with the firm’s 1.7-litre CRDi diesel fitted to 2, 3 and GT-Line S models. It’s the latter we test here, which gets Kia’s DCT dual-clutch automatic … [Read more…]
Kia has announced a round of updates for its Soul crossover, with the highlight a new 201bhp 1.6-litre turbo engine. Also joining the range in the 134bhp 1.6 T-GDI engine from the Cee’d hatchback. Visually, the entire Soul line-up has been updated, too, with new front and rear bumpers and a revised tiger nose grille, … [Read more…]