2002 Kia Rio 5 Door Hatch Automatic on 2040-cars

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Kia Soul getting turbocharged variant, say hamsters

Last week, we reported on the return of Kia's Soul-promoting hamster mascots. They took on "Dueling Banjos," and it was adorable and entertaining and everything we expect from our favorite spokesrodents. But that same spot also hinted at something strange on the end slide – a Soul Turbo, coming this winter. One Autoblog staffer said I must have been so overcome by the return of my favorite spokeshamsters that I missed the end slide the first time around, and that might be true. Instead of debating that, let's focus on just what Kia revealed here. The company has long hinted that a higher-performance Soul was in the works, embodied by the Track'ster and Trail'ster concepts from 2012 and 2015. Both cars used a version of Hyundai/Kia's 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, tuned to 250 hp in the Track'ster and 185 hp in the Trail'ster, which had the added bonus of a hybrid assist. Both added all-wheel-drive systems to the front-drive Soul package. A production Soul Turbo will likely fall between the hot-hatchback-like Track'ster and the off-road-focused Trail'ster. Expect Kia to pluck the corporate 1.6-liter turbo four for duty, with anywhere from 175 to 201 hp – we can hope for more, but that power spread covers Hyundai/Kia's current production trims for this engine. All-wheel drive seems like a given, based on Hyundai's approach to the Tucson, Kia's past few concepts, and the Soul's positioning as a sub-compact CUV. We've reached out to Kia for confirmation that the Soul Turbo is coming. As soon as we hear back, we'll update this post. And if you need a refresher on the video, we've embedded it below. The text in question pops up at 1:46. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Hyundai and Kia to update EV brake lights; our tests show how they currently may not come on

Update: This article has been updated to reflect Kia's own service campaign announcement.  Hyundai will be launching a "field service campaign to update the EV brake light logic" on its Ioniq 5 as well as the Genesis GV60, Electrified GV70 and Electrified GV80. According to Hyundai's director of communications, Michael Stewart, the change will be make to new production vehicles and as part of free-of-charge service campaign that will launch in July for approximately 56,000 vehicles already on the road.  "Regardless of the accelerator pedal input, the brake lights will now turn on when the deceleration rate exceeds approximately 0.13 G," Stewart wrote in an e-mail to Autoblog. Since this article was originally published, Kia has announced it will be performing the same update to its EV6 and Niro EV. Kia is also part of the Hyundai Group. This change would seem to be in keeping with the behavior we have experienced in the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the firm's most recently introduced EV. We go into that behavior lower in this article.  This announcement comes in the wake of owner complaints as well as a test by Consumer Reports that found that most Hyundai, Genesis and Kia electric vehicles can come to a stop without their brake lights illuminating. This occurred when using those vehicles' most aggressive "i-Pedal" function that allows for so-called "one-pedal driving" where the driver can mostly rely upon the car's regenerative braking system (which is used to replenish the battery pack) to stop the car.  We tested this for ourselves this week as we are currently testing a Genesis Electrified GV70, and I personally own a 2023 Kia Niro EV Wave. I almost exclusively drive in i-Pedal mode. News Editor Joel Stocksdale tested the Hyundai Ioniq 6 in Michigan, and again, we will address his findings after the Genesis and Kia as they are completely different. I attached an action camera to the rear of each car and conducted the same test in both: Accelerate to 40 mph and come to a stop without touching the brake and, crucially, without lifting my foot fully off the throttle. The result as you can see below with the Niro is that the brake lights do not come on until around 3 mph when I fully lifted off the throttle and bring the car to a full stop. I could not bring the car to a full stop without fully lifting off the throttle.

2014 Kia Soul gets new 'Totally Transformed' hamster commercial

The lovable, anthropomorphic hamsters from Kia are known for electronic dance music, head bopping, and of course, a certain funktastic Korean box-on-wheels. With a new Soul on the way, the adorable rodents need to be ready to appear alongside the resculpted crossover. Only one thing could get them ready in time - cue the training montage.
The commercial, called Totally Transformed, features Lady Gaga playing in the background, along with gratuitous footage of the hamsters shedding some weight. The Kia designers also get some attention, as they're hard at work designing the hamsters' new ride. Take a look below for the full, 91-second spot.