2011 Kia Sorento Ex on 2040-cars

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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 Provo Concept is the hybrid bruiser we've always wanted

Kia has taken a stab at the sport hatchback segment with its Provo Concept. Unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the machine features menacing styling that could give the Mini Cooper or Citroën DS3 something to sweat over. Kia says the concept features a hybrid drivetrain comprised of a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 201 horsepower that spins the front wheels, while a 44 hp electric motor can add extra thrust to the back rollers when necessary for simulated all-wheel drive. The setup can also provide electric-only propulsion at low speeds.
The interior serves up a carbon fiber dash adorned with analog gauges and a small digital display. Aluminum toggle switches control most of the vehicle's systems while column-mounted paddle shifters take care of swapping gears. If this all sounds too good to be true, it is. Kia says it has no plans to bring the Provo to life. Hit the press release below for a closer look at the concept.

2014 Kia Sorento

Big Changes Below, But Just A Little Off The Top
It happens all the time. Three or four years into an automobile's lifecycle, the manufacturer goes back to the drawing board, making what it hopes are vital improvements to keep its product at the top of the sales charts. It's true of the vehicle we're discussing today, the 2014 Kia Sorento, but unlike many midlife facelifts, most of what's new here can't be seen with the naked eye.
Yes, there are the normal changes to the front and rear fascias, and a few nips and tucks here and there to improve the crossover's outward appearance. But, for the first time in as long as we can remember, the big news here is that the new Sorento is actually riding atop a new platform, according to Kia.