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2018 Kia Rio is the only subcompact car to earn IIHS highest safety rating

If you're looking for a new subcompact car, and safety is your priority, there is one clear choice now: the 2018 Kia Rio. The littlest Kia has been awarded the highest safety rating from the IIHS, the Top Safety Pick +, and it is the only car in the subcompact segment to earn the score. In addition, only two other models earn the second highest rating Top Safety Pick, sans plus, the Hyundai Accent and the Mini Cooper. The Rio's rating is an increase from the sans plus version because Kia updated and improved the headlights for the 2018 model. There is a caveat, though. Only the optional LED projector headlights, available as an option on the midlevel S trim, are rated "Good," the highest IIHS rating. The standard halogen headlights are still rated "Poor." The Rio's forward collision prevention system that earned full marks is also only available as standard equipment on the top-level EX trim. Still, even lower-trim Rios with the less capable headlights and no automatic emergency braking boast strong crash test scores. Every test except for the passenger-side small overlap test resulted in Good ratings. The passenger-side small overlap test garnered the second-highest rating of "Acceptable." And on top of that, it's a car that has impressed us every time we've driven it. Related Video:

Next-gen Kia Sedona drops more camo, shows KV7 cues

It was just two weeks ago that we saw our first glimpse of the 2015 Kia Sedona testing in full camouflage, but now Kia has stripped away some of the heavy cladding to give us an even better idea what its new minivan will look like. As we pointed out before, the next Sedona doesn't use as many design cues from the 2012 Kia KV7 as we initially hoped, but it should be interesting enough to stand out from the current crop of minivans.
Even though most of the body is still covered with the black and white pattern and the side doors still have cladding, these spy shots show off plenty of details about the new Sedona. Starting up front, Kia gave its minivan a more upright shape that we've seen a lot of on current Kia designs, while the reduced camo also makes the van's new side window shape more obvious. This pinched daylight opening (DLO) along the side is the same as what we saw on the KV7, and the window line dips back down again for the liftgate glass. While we're focused on the rear of the Sedona, that liftgate spoiler looks a lot like what we're used to seeing on the back of a Porsche Cayenne.
Kia has still yet to announce when its new minivan will be unveiled, but as things seem to be pretty far along in development, we'd expect to see something on the 2015 Sedona fairly soon.

Next-gen Kia Soul EV spied

Our spy shooters recently caught the next-generation Kia Soul wearing camouflage and showing bits and pieces of its new design. Now, we've got spy shots of the next Kia Soul EV, and it's testing at the Nurburgring. Our shooter points out the spot on the grille for the charging port, as well as the "E" on the license plate, that point to this being the electric version of the Soul. And, of course, we don't see any tailpipes hanging off the back. Similar to the last shots we saw of the regular Soul, the EV gets new lighting front and rear. We see what looks like signature LED lighting strips below the actual headlights — and if the previous spy shots are any clue, this strip could extend across the entire nose. One other feature we notice is the sensor placed low in the front fascia, which could mean the new Soul EV will be equipped with adaptive cruise control, along with other active safety features. In back, the lighting starts high and curves inward like a big boomerang. It looks like Kia is trying very hard to keep the rear of the car under heavy garb, so we might expect there to be other major design changes back there. We can't see from photos any other clues about the electric powertrain, but there's a good chance the Soul EV will use a version of the Hyundai Kona Electric's running gear. For the U.S. the EPA just announced driving range of 258 miles in that vehicle, though other markets also get an entry-level version with a smaller battery. We're happy to see progress being made on the Soul EV, and are looking forward to some of that camo coming off. Loading up the suspension on the Nurburgring looks like a riot, and probably indicates testing of thermal management and the resulting performance (and losses thereof). Related Video: