2012 Kia Optima Sx Turbo Gdi Leather Sunroof Nav 22k Mi Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Polestar 3 and 5 updates, and a compact Toyota pickup? | Autoblog Podcast #733

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. First, they discuss the news, including the possibility of a compact Toyota pickup, new details about the Polestar 3 and Polestar 5, whether Tesla needs a PR department and fresh info about the 2023 Honda HR-V. They also review the GMC Sierra, Kia EV6, Hyundai Kona Electric and Buick Enclave Avenir. Next, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski reports from the ground at the first drive of the Ford Bronco Raptor, and Multimedia Producer Erik Maier joins in to talk about Autoblog's Father's Day gift guide and other deals. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #733 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Toyota looking hard at compact pickup market Polestar 3 shows itself and looks good Polestar 5 electric sedan outed in EU patent images (and now we have spy shots) Does Tesla need a PR department? (via Automotive News) 2023 Honda HR-V pricing and specs revealed Cars we're driving: 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate 2022 Kia EV6 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric 2022 Buick Enclave Avenir Dispatch: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor Father's Day gift ideas straight from the Autoblog staff Five excellent Father's Day deals for dads Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video:

2015 Kia K900

Let's be honest, Rich America. When you drive your fullsize luxury sedans, you don't clock any laps of the Nürburgring. You don't view your car as an alternative to air travel, ready to wheel between countries at triple-digit Autobahn speeds. Heck, you don't even take the long way home. Instead, you commute in fender-to-fender gridlock looking to be assuaged by sybaritic luxuries, your ride serving as a four-wheeled extension of your living room. Yet when it comes time to vote with your pocketbooks, you overwhelmingly skew toward European driving values - German ones, more specifically. You favor the firm rides, firmer seats and quick steering of cars like the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8. What gives? That's what Kia is clandestinely asking with its new 2015 K900.
According to Kia PR director Scott McKee, this 200.6-inch bruiser of a sedan is all about "at-ease luxury." That's a notion that was once very much synonymous with American automakers' approach to big high-end sedans - effortless comfort above all other considerations. Sprawling room in every direction. Fine materials no matter where the hand falls. The automobile as an isolative cocoon. Once upon a time, Cadillac and Lincoln owned the Comfort First game, but these days, there's almost nobody playing - the Lexus LS and Hyundai Equus are the only cars in this end of the market, everyone else is busy aping German values.
Kia planners could claim that the K900 has been intentionally targeted at a different sort of customer - and indeed, during the press conference ahead of our first drive in Santa Barbara, there was some discussion of "a different kind of luxury" and seeking "confident individualist" buyers. But the truth is, the Korean premium car shoppers that this car was primarily designed for crave exactly the sort of plush luxury experience the K900 dispenses. In other words, Kia is hoping that there are a few thousand like-minded Americans willing to overlook the badge on its nose and give this car a chance.

Kia and Amazon team up to sell at-home electric charging stations

Amazon really wants to be the one-and-only destination you go to for online shopping, and it's edging a little further into the car world with its latest partnership. Kia is teaming with the online retail giant to sell and install Level 2 chargers for your home. To buy the chargers on offer, you'll need to own/lease an electric or plug-in Kia, or at least have one on order. That includes the Niro EV, Soul EV, Niro PHEV and Optima PHEV. Amazon has previously partnered with Audi to offer installation services is preparation for the E-Tron rollout, but this version of the program is framed differently and meant for Kia owners. This is being done in an attempt to make buying and installing these kind of chargers easier. Most folks know and understand Amazon, so buying everything you might need to get an electric car charger up and running from them could be a comforting process. The benefit to this way of acquiring a 240-volt charger is that Amazon sets up the whole installation process. It'll call out an electrician to inspect your house to see if any changes need to be made to support it, then install the charger. A choice of three Level 2 car chargers are being sold through this partnership. The brands include Bosch, ChargePoint and JuiceBox, ranging from most to least expensive respectively. Access to a Level 2 electric car charger will make your life with an electric car all the better. The 2020 Soul EV (shown below) and 2019 Niro EV both get to a full charge in a little more than nine hours on a Level 2 plug versus a long 59-hour wait from a Level 1 charger. You can get by with Level 1 sometimes, but getting home on a depleted battery late at night then leaving early in the morning doesn't work. In these situations, juice at a faster rate is deeply needed. The chargers are available for purchase now. 2020 Kia Soul EV View 11 Photos