2006 Kia Optima Ex Sedan 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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2018 Kia Stinger GT Long-Term Review Update | A romp in the snow

After driving a slew of family sedans and crossovers, I was excited to take home our hard-charging, corner-craving 2018 Kia Stinger long-term car for a weekend of some sports car fun. Then Saturday came, bearing between three and four inches of snow and single digit temperatures. Lovely. But, the weather did offer an opportunity to put the Stinger through its first serious snow of the season, as well as the snow tires Nokian generously donated to us. And the big sedan hatchback did fine in the snow, but not exceptionally well. I appreciated the extra traction from the front wheels, which helped make crawling out of the deep snow in my driveway and accelerating through corners and at intersections easier. I didn't have much trouble breaking the rear wheels loose, either, confirming that the Stinger does indeed have a rear-wheel bias. Fortunately, it was pretty easy to control when the car would break traction, but it was easy enough that it felt as though the all-wheel-drive and traction control weren't doing much to optimize traction until the car really got loose. Then the traction control would quickly bring the car to a crawl to stabilize it. Cornering and braking were just OK, and it seemed to mostly be hampered by the Stinger's roughly 4,000-pound curb weight. I could feel that the car really wanted to keep forging straight ahead, and if I turned too fast or braked too late, it would take its opportunity to do so. Naturally this applies with any large vehicle, but it still feels surprising considering how agile the Stinger is on dry pavement. I hate to think what it would have been like driving the Stinger without the snow tires. On the low-profile all-seasons, I'm sure the traction control would be having conniptions, and I'd be crawling through corners and up to stops. Leaving my driveway probably would have taken a few forward and back attempts, too. Aside from the driving experience I was immensely grateful for the heated seats and steering wheel, both of which seemed to warm up quickly. Boy, though, I sure wish the Stinger had remote start. I'm sure it's not great for the environment, but oh how I wish I could have stepped out the door to an already toasty cabin this weekend. So there you have it. The Stinger GT definitely loses a lot of its fun character in the snow, but it will get you through it. And when things clear up, you'll be happy to have something sporty on hand.

Next-gen Kia Optima previewed for New York Auto Show

To say the Optima is a vital product for Kia would be an understatement. In fact, the Korean automaker reports that the sedan has been its best-selling model in America for three years running. Replacing it with an all-new model, then, would be a big move for Kia, and that's exactly what it's gearing up to do. The all-new Optima is previewed here in a pair of teaser renderings, and the car is set to debut at the New York Auto Show. Though Kia has given us little in the way of information to accompany the drawings, it's clear that the design has borrowed heavily from the Sportspace concept that debuted in Geneva earlier this month – albeit in production form, and with a trunk instead of an extended roofline. The outgoing Optima was introduced five years ago and is built at plants around the world for local consumption, including in Georgia for the North American market. This will be the fourth iteration of the breed. KIA TO UNVEIL ALL-NEW OPTIMA AT NEW YORK AUTO SHOW Following its 2010 debut at the New York International Auto Show, the Optima became a catalyst for Kia Motors' tremendous growth and has been the brand's best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for three years running. Now, five years later, Kia will return to New York on Wednesday, April 1, for the world debut of the passionately designed and obsessively crafted all-new version of its popular midsize sedan. Related Video:

Redesigned Kia Sorento lineup to include hybrid, plug-in models

The next generation of Kia's mid-size crossover will be electrified, a company executive confirmed Friday. The redesigned Kia Sorento, due in 2020 as a 2021 model, will be offered in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants. Kia's European COO, Emilio Herrera, confirmed the new green models in an interview with Automotive News Europe. They will join the Niro (which is offered both as a PHEV and a pure EV) and the delayed 2021 Soul EV in Kia's stable of electrified crossovers.  Details are still slim, and while the U.S. is the largest potential market for the Sorento, American buyers have been hesitant to jump on larger hybrid models. At this point, it's not clear whether the two hybrid models will be included in the variants available with the new Sorento launches, or whether they will be added to the lineup later in the crossover's product cycle.  Autoblog has reached out to Kia for clarification on timing and availability and we will update this story if we learn any pertinent information.  We do know that the new Sorento is due in 2020, and will share its fundamental architecture with sister brand Hyundai's new Santa Fe. Hyundai has not announced formal plans to offer hybrid variants of the Santa Fe here in the states, but electrified powertrains were hinted at for Europe when the crossover was originally unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2018.  Like Hyundai, Kia has been working hard to overhaul its crossover and SUV lineup here in the United States, where customers are migrating to taller vehicles in droves. The introduction of the larger Telluride has made some room for the stretched Sorento to shrink back into its primary role as a two-row mid-sizer. Related Video