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2018 Kia Stinger GT Drivers' Notes Review | Punching above its weight

The 2018 Kia Stinger GT is a breath of fresh air in the Korean automaker's lineup. After years of building cheap and mostly forgettable appliances, Kia (and Hyundai) finally started to build truly solid products that no longer needed to be marketed as just a value proposition. Once the company finally got reliability, build quality and styling down, it really needed to focus on performance if it had any plans to be a fully-rounded automaker. Hyundai is doing very much the same thing with cars like the new Veloster N. On paper, we should be comparing the Stinger GT to cars like the Dodge Charger. Size, pricing and power are all about the same, but that's not really where we're at. Kia is talking more about cars like the Audi A5, BMW 3 Series and other luxury sedans — and that's how we're seeing it too. It shows just where Kia is aiming with this car. The car we have this week is the base GT, the lowest-spec model available with the 365 horsepower twin-turbo V6. This is the same engine that's available in the Genesis G80 Sport. While the GT1 trim doesn't get things like a moonroof or a 720-watt stereo system, it's still pretty well-equipped. You get heated leather seats, power front seats, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and dual-zone climate control. Performance upgrades include Brembo brakes and 19-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires (our car was wearing all-seasons thanks to old man winter). Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: Ever since I attended the Stinger's debut in Detroit last year, I've been eager to drive one. On paper, it sounds bang on. It has aggressive, muscular styling inside and out, is only available in rear- or all-wheel-drive, and has a pair of potent turbo engines, either a 255-horsepower four-cylinder or a 365-horsepower V6. Finally, this past week, I had the chance to drive a rear-drive GT with the twin-turbo V6, and it absolutely lived up to expectations. One of the first things that delighted me was the steering and handling. The helm is very quick and accurate, and the chassis feels light, communicative, and easy to manage. This was particularly helpful since, although I drove it on the one warm day in Detroit this winter, it was still wet and slippery outside. The engine is a charmer, too.

Rumored Kia Soul EV spied for the first time

Up until now, we've only heard rumors about an all-electric version of the second-generation Kia Soul, but these spy shots seem to confirm that the Korean automaker is developing a zero-emission version of its quirky little box-back. Our most recent report has the Kia EV showing up in the first half of next year (likely for MY 2015) with a starting price of around $35,000 (presumably before tax credits) and a range of about 120 miles.
While the front and rear of this prototype remains heavily camouflaged, we can see some differences between this car and the 2014 Soul we saw earlier in the year at the New York Auto Show. For starters, the entire front end seems to be changed, including the hood, headlights and fascia, and we would expect Kia's so-called Tiger Nose grille to be blocked off for improved aerodynamics. Further supporting our shooter's claims that this is an electric vehicle is the fact that the Soul's exhaust pipe is missing from beneath the rear fascia.
Previous reports have indicated that the Soul EV will become "the very-first electic vehicle to be sold in the global market, including the US, Europe and China." It would appear that claim may be validated by technicality only - Nissan sells its Leaf in the US and Europe, and it will reportedly be sold as the Dongfeng Fengshen E30 in China.

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid vs other hybrid crossovers | How they compare on paper

The long-anticipated 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid was announced yesterday, and although we don't have every spec available (including the all-important official fuel economy figures), Honda provided enough that we can piece together a comparison of powertrain specs and dimensions. The same can be said of the 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, which we just drove for the first time.  Together, they represent a significant increase in the number of compact crossover hybrids, as the current total is one: the 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The old Nissan Rogue Hybrid has been discontinued, leaving the subcompact Kia Niro Hybrid as the only other vehicle in the ballpark. As you'll see below, its size and performance are much different than the others, but its fuel economy and price are superior.  Performance The RAV4 Hybrid is the performance champ of the group, but both it and the new CR-V Hybrid are actually more powerful than their respective gas-only siblings. Although the added weight of its battery pack negates much of that horsepower advantage, the RAV4 Hybrid's subsequent acceleration is indeed a smidge quicker than the gas-only version. It will be interesting to see if that's the case with the CR-V. By contrast, the Ford Escape offers a 250-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo engine, meaning the hybrid variation is most definitely not the Escape's highest-performance offering. Nevertheless, the Hybrid does produce more power than the base 181-horsepower 1.5-liter three-cylinder. The Niro, meanwhile, brings up the rear in terms of performance, but Kia estimates a perfectly acceptable 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds. The others are likely in the mid-7-second range. Fuel economy This is ultimately an open question since we don't have official figures for the CR-V and Escape. Based on Honda's estimate of the CR-V Hybrid being 50% more efficient in the city than the gas-only version, our calculators say it should get 43 mpg in the city. Then, based on information provided on the Escape Hybrid first drive and some more calculation, our best guestimate for it is 40 mpg. Either way, given how mpg is calculated, any potential differences between them in terms of actual fuel burned should be negligible.  On the other hand, most Kia Niros sold get 51 mpg in the city and 49 mpg combined. According to the EPA, that translates to an annual average fuel cost of $750. The RAV4 Hybrid, by contrast, is $900.  FWD vs AWD Note that the CR-V and RAV4 come standard with all-wheel drive.