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The Kia Rio has never looked this good

The word "Rio" immediately conjures images of the Olympics, which ended just days ago. But recalibrate your brain. It's Kia's best-selling model around the world and it will be revealed in September at the Paris Motor Show. The fourth-generation Rio gets a fresh look inside and out. It has a longer wheelbase with a longer hood and front overhang, which Kia says is meant to convey confidence. The sketches released today look similar to the current generation – as we'd expect – but Kia designers dressed it up with a fancier front end and "straight lines and smooth surfacing" which is evident on the sides. Kia also touts the new Rio's safety, connectivity, and improved handling, though it didn't specify the features. You can compare the sketches with the spy shots of a Rio caught running around this week. Rumors also suggest a hotter Rio GT hatch could arrive for 2018. The sketches show the hatchback variant. Kia also sells the Rio as a sedan in the US market. Globally, the Korean automaker moved more than 473,000 Rios last year, and the new model will launch production near the end of this year for Europe. Timing for launches in other markets was not announced. Despite low fuel prices and consumer demand for crossovers, Rio sales have inched up slightly this year to 18,699 units, 1,637 ahead of last year's pace through July. Much of those gains came last month, when Kia sold 1,104 more Rios than it did in July 2015. The Rio was last updated in the US market for the 2016 model year. Related Video:

Kia Telluride three-row SUV pricing revealed

Kia has got a certified looker on the way in the 2020 Telluride, and now the mid-sized, three-row SUV has a price. The base, two-wheel drive LX starts at $31,690, plus $1,045 for destination, totaling $32,735. That's $5,400 more than the three-row Sorento, which is noticeably smaller. In relation to competitors, the Telluride's price is $310 more than the 2019 Toyota Highlander, $240 more than the 2019 Honda Pilot, $155 less than the Subaru Ascent. As is Kia's wont, there's a lot of standard equipment in that base spec. The LX comes with eight-row seating done up in Sofino synthetic leather, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment and USB charge ports for all three rows, smart key with pushbutton start, park distance warning in reverse, and 18-inch wheels. Standard safety features include forward and rear-cross-traffic collision avoidance, blind spot monitoring, smart cruise control with stop and go, rear occupant alert, and second-row safe exit assist. The S trim level starts at $35,035. It swaps eight-row seating for seven seats thanks to the second-row captain's chairs, and rides on 20-inch wheels. The driver gets a 10-way power seat, both front passengers get heated front seats and a power sunroof, and everyone gets "upgraded interior trims." The EX brings genuine leather, but goes back to eight-passenger seating and 18-inch wheels. The infotainment screen grows to 10.25 inches, both front seats get heating and cooling, the passenger gets eight-way adjustability, and there's a power liftgate in back. The top-model SX starts at $42,535, and hops back over to seven-passenger seating and 20-inch black wheels. Premium touches include LED headlights, dual sunroofs, a digital instrument cluster, Harman/Kardon audio, and a 360-degree outside-view camera. A $4,000 Prestige Package for the SX adds all-wheel drive, Nappa leather with premium headliner and trim, a head-up display and heated steering wheel, and climate-controlled second-row captain's chairs. Before the obligatory minor options and accessories, a loaded Telluride will cost $46,935. Every trim gets the 3.8-liter V6 with 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, shifting through an eight-speed automatic transmission. When equipped with all-wheel drive and a trailer hitch, the Telluride can pull 5,000 pounds. Since the Sorento offers all-wheel drive on the LX and EX models as well, we expect the Telluride to do the same. On the Sorento, AWD comes as a standalone option for $1,800.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.