2012 Kia Optima 4dr Sdn 2.4l Auto Ex Abs Alloy Wheels Bluetooth Sirius Mp3 on 2040-cars

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Wonder Woman Kia Sportage is anything but invisible

The spectacular partnering of Kia and DC Entertainment (the company we grew up loving as DC Comics) continues here at the New York Auto Show, with this Wonder Woman-inspired 2013 Kia Sportage. Ardent Autoblog readers will undoubtedly remember the fruits of earlier Kia/DC efforts: Batman Optima, Flash Forte Koup, Green Lantern Soul, Cyborg Forte, Aquaman Rio and Superman Optima Hybrid. (We're still trying to figure out who Cyborg is, too.)
The Wonder Woman Sportage, sporting the Amazing Amazon's particularly patriotic livery, is perhaps the most, eh, eye-catching super-Kia to date. (Actually, no, none of the superhero rides seared our eyeballs like Supe's hybrid.) Red, white and blue paint with spangled sides, an aggressively low body kit and a WW logo grille really sell the theme. Of course, The Lasso of Truth is represented too, showing up in the design as a subtle gold line that wraps around the bodywork.
As with the earlier DC concept cars, the Wonder Woman Sportage's real goal - aside from entertaining the kid-contingent of auto show goers - is to raise awareness for the We Can Be Heroes charity. The DC charitable program seeks to raise money and awareness about the hunger crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Get a better look at Wonder Woman's crossover in our attached galleries and find the Kia press release below.

Kia Telluride SUV rated at up to 23 mpg combined

On paper, the 2020 Kia Telluride looks like it will compete well with the rest of the three-row SUV challengers. It offers unique looks, available all-wheel drive, an upscale interior, and affordable pricing. It's fuel economy numbers, however, pretty much fall in line with the Kia's main competitors. The Telluride will have two orientations at launch. The 3.8-liter V6, which makes 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, and eight-speed automatic transition will work together with either front-wheel drive or AWD setups. The EPA estimates that the FWD model will get 20 mpg city, 26 highway, and 23 combined. The EPA rates the AWD model at 19 mpg city, 24 highway, and 21 combined. That falls in line with most other mainstream V6-powered three-row SUVs. Although the rear-wheel-drive 2020 Ford Explorer has not yet been rated, the Honda Pilot with a 9-speed automatic gets 23 mpg combined, the 9-speed Chevrolet Traverse is rated at 21 mpg combined, the 6-speed Hyundai Santa Fe is rated at 21 mpg combined, and the 8-speed Toyota Highlander is rated at 23 mpg combined. The 8-speed Volkswagen Atlas brings up the rear of the pack with a rating of 19 mpg combined. For further comparison, the Mazda CX-9 has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that's rated at 24 mpg combined, and the Subaru Ascent, which also has a turbocharged four but comes standard with all-wheel drive, gets 23 mpg combined.

Almost Jeffersonian | 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid Second Drive

On a drive of Kia's new Optima Plug-In Hybrid (in showrooms since April), we visited Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, our third president's sprawling estate in central Virginia. Even in the absence of Twitter, Jefferson enjoyed a restless curiosity about an array of subjects. While his day gigs – declaring independence and consummating the Louisiana Purchase – occupied much of his life, he always made time for intellectual pursuits and making daily life better, so we think he'd grasp the rightness of the Optima. In the science of the plug-in hybrid, there's little new. The combination of gas and electric motors is intended to reduce the carbon footprint of a conventional drivetrain. Add a motor, install more battery capacity and enable that battery to be recharged over a long lunch or overnight, and you have a plug-in hybrid with up to 29 miles of electric-only operation. With the gas tank included, you get roughly 600 miles of combined driving range. (That's DC to Atlanta, had Jefferson wanted to visit Atlanta.) Visually, there's little to distinguish this PHEV from a conventional Optima. Its alloy wheels are aerodynamically cleaner and front fascia less disruptive - and includes an active air flap, no less. The exterior design, though dated, still impresses. A spacious interior is what you'd expect from Kia. And so, regrettably, are some hard plastic surfaces. That plastic is appropriate in a $20,000 Soul, less so in a $40,000 Optima Plug-In. Nothing here is completely off-putting, and we've always liked Kia's integration of audio and A/C controls. But so much is good about the Optima that you expect something nicer as you slide behind the wheel. The front seats are both supportive and accessible. Our test vehicle, equipped with $5,250 of EX Technology, offered a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, a power front passenger seat with adjustable lumbar, and heated outboard rear seats. That same package also includes a bundle of safety technology, including a forward collision warning system, advanced smart cruise control, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, and rear cross traffic alert. A modern hybrid generates a lot of info, and learning to access it all will require more than the few hours we had in the car. Your economy – the Optima's innate efficiency and your driving style – is available at the push (or two) of a button. And you can choose from all-electric EV or hybrid mode by using Kia's Mode Select control.