2011 Kia Optima Sx Sedan 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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2014 Kia Soul totally redesigned, now bigger and more refined

The 2014 Kia Soul has been unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show, and the all-new five-door box-on-wheels offers up nearly an extra inch of wheelbase and a track that's wider by .6 inches. The changes offer up a bit more space indoors, and since overall height has remained the same, the Soul now looks a bit less top heavy than before. A wider rear hatch opening also makes loading and unloading cargo easier. Indoors, the 2014 Soul offers a substantially revised cabin with more soft-touch materials, and leather seats are now on the option sheet. Designers borrowed inspiration from the Kia Track'ster Concept indoors, using organic lines throughout.
An available eight-inch touch screen takes care of infotainment duties on the center stack, and now features the ability to scroll through content by flicking a finger, just like a smartphone, instead of paging through multiple screens. Buyers can also fit their 2014 Soul with a larger TFT LCD color screen in the instrument cluster, which now displays turn-by-turn directions on vehicles equipped with navigation.
Engineers managed to create a chassis that's also 29-percent stiffer, with 66 percent of the shell using ultra-high-strength steel for safety and rigidity. Under the hood, base models bow with a 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine with 130 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque, while Plus and Exclaim trims get a more potent direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder. That engine develops 164 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, and both mills can be bolted to either a six-speed manual or automatic depending on trim. Check out the full press release below for more information.

Did a US automaker blow the whistle on Hyundai, Kia fuel economy issue?

In all of the most hotly contested mainstream segments of the motoring universe, the difference of one mile per gallon averaged on a widow sticker can mean the difference between a sale and a walk-off - to say nothing of two or three mpg. So, when Hyundai and Kia were forced to reveal that many of their 40-mpg ratings were actually 38s and 37s, well, it made for big news.
It also, conceivably, made for a competitive disadvantage immediately, when the Korean automakers' products were being shopped versus the guys down the block. And it's that disadvantage that makes a recent story from Automotive News so juicy.
AN is reporting that Margo Oge, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, got a tip in 2010 that Hyundai/Kia were "cheating" to get its impressive fuel economy numbers. The tip, said Oge (who retired from the EPA this past September), came from a senior vice president from a domestic automaker. The source was credible enough for Oge to launch an audit of the Hyundai figures, which ultimately lead to the debacle that we reported on a few months ago, and that the Korean company has been trying to bounce back from ever since.

Minivan Comparison | Sienna vs Odyssey vs Pacifica vs Sedona

The minivan segment is fresher than it's been in years, possibly decades. The 2021 Toyota Sienna is a completely redesigned model with a bold new look and standard hybrid powertrain. Both the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica were refreshed for 2021 with updated styling, upgraded tech, and in the case of the Pacifica, newly optional all-wheel drive. Only the 2021 Kia Sedona soldiers on without changes; it's still a solid van despite its advanced age and relatively few people buying it.  Usually when we put a comparison like this together, we have to pick and choose which vehicles to include (mostly because we can't do some 15-car spreadsheet without utilizing 4-point font). In the case of minivans, there are only four. That certainly makes it easier to research and cross-shop in person without worrying that you might be missing out on something. It also makes it a bit easier to go beyond the usual spreadsheet and dig a little deeper than normal into the competitors. Let's take a brief look at each. 2021 Toyota Sienna The Sienna is completely new for '21 after going a decade with only updates. Its exterior style is more expressive than before, but it's the new cabin that really impresses — it's far more car-like in appearance, but still offers the expected amount of abundant storage and functionality. Mechanically, the big news is that every Sienna is now a hybrid. Though down a bit on power compared to everything else, its 36 mpg combined (or 35 mpg with all-wheel drive) crushes everything but the Pacifica plug-in hybrid. This exceptional fuel economy and its far-sliding, big-kid-friendly second-row seats are its main selling points, but in every other respect, it's fully competitive.  Read our full 2021 Sienna Review 2021 Toyota Sienna View 41 Photos 2021 Chrysler Pacifica The Pacifica gets its first comprehensive set of upgrades since it was all-new for '17. The front end has been restyled, all-wheel drive is now an option and there's a new Pinnacle range-topping trim. The big news, however, is its technology offerings. Every Pacifica now comes standard, as the Odyssey and Sienna do, with a comprehensive array of driver assistance technologies. Every trim also gets Chrysler's latest UConnect infotainment system with a larger, 10.1-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.