2011 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

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Kia planning outdoorsy concept for Chicago

If you prefer vehicles with a more rugged look, then the 2015 Chicago Auto Show has quite a bounty in store. Mitsubishi will give the GC-PHEV its North American debut; Chevrolet will show the Silverado Midnight Edition, and Honda will unveil the next-gen Pilot and Acura RDX. Kia will be right along with them with its freshly announced rough-and-tumble concept for the event. Unfortunately, the Korean automaker is keeping tight-lipped about the vehicle, even the name. The brand promises the concept is based on one of its most popular models, and styling tweaks from Kia's California design studio mean a more off-road-ready appearance. When asked if the concept is a sturdier take on one of Kia's CUVs, a brand spokesperson told Autoblog, "I don't know if I would call it a crossover." The wait to learn the vehicle's true identity isn't too long, though. A teaser image and the name arrive on January 29, according to the spokesperson. We wouldn't be too surprised if Kia might not have a more rugged take on the Soul in mind. The model already gets an optional SUV Styling Pack (pictured above and below) in Europe that could serve as inspiration for this new concept. Kia Chicago Auto Show Announcement After 20 years of growth and maturation, Kia continues to carry its momentum into 2015 following a year of record sales and the arrival of the all-new 2016 Sorento CUV. Kia will embrace its challenger spirit in Chicago with the debut of an all-new concept – conceived at Kia's California design studio – that re-imagines one of the brand's most popular vehicles. Built for city dwellers seeking an adventurous escape and intended to enable a variety outdoor activities, this concept proves that practical urban wheels can also be rugged and capable. Related Video:

2021 Kia Seltos falls short of IIHS Top Safety Pick

The 2021 Kia Seltos missed out on an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award due to under-performing headlights, the organization announced Thursday. Kia's new baby SUV aced the safety watchdog's crash safety and collision avoidance tests, but none of its available trims had headlights capable of scoring at least an "Acceptable" rating in IIHS testing.  "With at least one good or acceptable headlight rating, the Seltos would have qualified for a 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK award. Good or acceptable headlight ratings across all trim levels would have earned it the higher-tier TOP SAFETY PICK+ award," IIHS said in its announcement.  IIHS updated its testing regimen for the 2021 model year, further emphasizing the performance of exterior lighting and pedestrian safety systems. Previously, a vehicle could receive a Top Safety Pick Plus rating so long as it at least had optional headlights that performed well; this year, vehicles must have headlights rated at least "Acceptable" on all trim levels to qualify for the highest ratings. The lesser Top Safety Pick designation is more lenient, but Kia's new entry falls short of even those requirements. Kia offers three different headlight configurations on the Seltos — two halogen and one LED — and all three were rated "Poor" due to inadequate illumination in curves, says IIHS. Its other equipment, including its optional collision mitigation systems, all received high marks.  The base-model LX comes standard with all-wheel drive, but is woefully devoid of advanced safety features, coming with only a rear seat occupancy reminder and government-mandated tech such as a rearview camera and lots of airbags. Above the LX, the Seltos gets standard forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assistance, a driver inattention warning system and automatic high beams. The EX, S Turbo and SX Turbo add blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, while the SX Turbo adds adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and an enhanced automatic emergency braking system that includes cyclist detection. Related Video:    

L.A. Show Favorites and driving a custom Land Rover Defender | Autoblog Podcast #757

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by News Editor Joel Stocksdale. We recap the Los Angeles Auto Show and discuss what it was like and what our favorite reveals were. We also discuss a few of the cars we've been driving including a restomod Land Rover Defender from Osprey Custom Cars and our long-term Kia EV6 GT-Line. Plus, we discuss the GMT400 Chevy and GMC trucks starting to rise in value. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #757 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 2022 L.A. Auto Show Editors' Picks Cars we're driving Osprey Custom Cars Land Rover Defender 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line GMT400 GM Trucks 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: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.