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2018 Kia Stinger GT Quick Spin Review | Running the diaper-to-racetrack gamut

Considering I'm about to throw a bunch of caveats, small gripes, and unflattering anecdotes about this car at you, I want to preface this by saying the rear-wheel-drive Stinger GT does enough well that I actually spent some time with the configurator building one to, perhaps, serve as a family car that can haul ass as well as a bunch of stuff. And people, too, in five-person comfort, with an infant child seat in the mix. There's a lot of bargain-basement Audi S7 appeal to the thing, and it feels even quicker than its 0-60 number of 4.7 seconds would indicate. Another highlight: the Brembo brakes, 13.8 inches up front clamped by four-piston calipers, and 13.4 inches in the rear. They are superb. The liftback is a nice touch, adding some extra capacity without a wagon profile that would make it allergic to sales. I put it through a daunting real-world test: a big stroller, a giant box of diapers, two backpacks, two rolling suitcases, and a couple armfuls of baby toys. With a little creative stacking it all went in without causing passenger compartment intrusion. With further rearrangement, there was even room to deal with a truly distressing diaper crisis — the GT dealt elegantly with this inelegant situation. The Ceramic Silver paint (one of a frustratingly slim selection of exterior colors) didn't dull the Stinger GT's impact much. It's one of the most handsome and understated colors available, and even so, it drew a lot of attention. Fresh from baby-carrying (and changing) duties, I took it to a SCCA Track Night in America event at the Ridge circuit near Shelton, Wash., where the liftback cargo area swallowed a tub full of tools and a racing helmet with plenty of room to spare. Hell, a set of four rims with track tires could've fit, too. Despite a strong field of interesting cars in attendance, everyone wanted to ask about the Stinger. I feel this color dampens some of the car's over-styling — it would look just as aggressive with fewer faux vents — and displays the unconventional taillights well. Speaking of Track Night, after about an hour of track time spread over three individual sessions (not bad for just $150), the Stinger GT never felt fully comfortable in its dynamic skin. It had the scoot to top 130 mph on the front straight, and the brakes to haul it down before a super fun series of uphill S-curves immediately afterwards. However, certain situations caught the Stinger out.

Super Bowl commercials: Steven Tyler, Emerson Fittipaldi, Keanu Reeves and more

Sunday is Super Bowl LII, which means America will immerse itself in high-calorie potluck fare, garish halftime-show entertainment (Justin Timberlake, bringing sexy back, but not that kind), the most expensive and over-the-top TV ads of the year, and — oh yeah — a football game between two teams connected by Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line. What else you gonna do on the first Sunday of February? As usual, automakers plan big, splashy TV spots to reach all those gajillions of eyeballs glued to the teevee, though the list may be shorter than in previous years. Here's a roundup of what we know is coming. Hyundai Hyundai will test the football/futbol divide with a 60-second spot starring a youth-soccer ref who arrives for the game dramatically and just in time in his 2018 Kona. Only it's Super Bowl Sunday, so he — along with the two coaches, and apparently most of the parents — are eager to get on with their game-day plans. Advantage: football, being the message, we guess. The ad does make a quick plug for Hyundai's BlueLink nav system, but this is only nominally about the car. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Hyundai also plans a 60-second ad that recognizes people fighting pediatric cancers and highlights its own nonprofit organization that focuses on the cause, according to Reuters. Kia This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Korean automaker will put Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler behind the wheel of its new Stinger on an abandoned racetrack. The former " American Idol" host promptly puts it into reverse, going back to his '70s heyday, courtesy of some CGI, to the strains of "Dream On" played backwards. Trotting out an almost-70-year-old to relive some classic rock glory fits the Super Bowl template to a T. Two-time Formula One and Indianapolis 500 champ Emerson Fittipaldi also makes a cameo. It airs in the third quarter. Lexus This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lexus teams with Marvel Studios to preview its forthcoming movie "Black Panther," which arrives in theaters Feb. 16. In "Long Live The King," the Black Panther, a.k.a. King T'Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman, dispatches some bad guys to recover stolen Vibranium after clinging to the roof of a speeding 2018 LS 500 F Sport, driven by co-star Danai Gurira.

2018 Nissan Kicks vs other tiny crossovers: How they compare on paper

Update: As we now have now driven the 2018 Nissan Kicks and have all the specs and figures available, we thought it was time to update this comparison post. The data chart has been updated with final Kicks information as well as changes to competitors made for 2019. Anyone else have "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People stuck in their heads? Well, you do now. I couldn't be the only one. Anyway, the 2018 Nissan Kicks is a thing. It replaces the Nissan Juke, which Mr. Stocksdale thought was a bad idea and Mr. Myself thought was a smart idea. Nevertheless, neither of us were especially pumped up by the Kicks. However, the majority of car buyers are all about SUVs, and this littlest segment of them has been multiplying like Tribbles in the past few years. The Juke was one of the first of these subcompact crossovers, but it was probably too oddball for a mainstream audience (not to mention inefficient) and never really caught on. Newer competitors certainly didn't help. Well, to see how the Kicks compares to those very competitors, lets fire up the Autoblog Comparo Generator 3000 (TM). Specifically, we'll be looking at those subcompact crossovers with similarly small dimensions, especially low prices and/or a disinclination to offering all-wheel drive. We're talking about the Nissan Kicks vs the Toyota C-HR, Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul, Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade. Now, if you're interested in literally the exact opposite SUV segment, check out our recent Mercedes G-Class comparo. Otherwise, on to the spreadsheet: Dimensions and passenger space In terms of exterior dimensions, the new Kicks is right smack in the middle of the segment. It's virtually the same as the Honda HR-V, yet manages to eek out a few extra cubic feet of cargo space behind its raised back seat. The Honda and its "Magic Seat" still beats it in terms of maximum capacity, but it sure is close. The Kia Soul has the biggest maximum number, but that's largely the result of being a box. Its small behind-the-back-seat cargo number is likely a better indicator of how much you'll be dealing with on a day-to-day basis. And in that day-to-day way, the Kicks is excellent. Backseat legroom seems to be a Kicks downside, as all but the C-HR surpass it. (Seriously, it's almost impressive how large the C-HR is on the outside but cramped inside.) However, the Kicks' tall greenhouse not only allows for ample headroom, but seats that are mounted high off the ground.