2014 Kia Sorento Limited on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kia using quality and technology to increase sales and brand prestige

Kia is a long way from hawking the anonymous lozenge known as the Sephia on our shores. That was only 1994, though, and in less than 20 years the company has gone from judging its aspirations against Japanese budget competition to walking auto show floors checking out the German standard-bearers for tips on how to increase sales and brand prestige. In an interview with Automotive News, Kia executives laid out their plan for carving out a Volkswagen-like niche for the company whereby they could be viewed as the premium pick in a volume segment. Concepts like the Kia Cub, above, would seem to point in this direction.
Kia is keen to make sure its sales targets don't impinge on its quest for better and better quality.
Kia's prime directive is "an unrelenting focus on quality." The Japanese brands earned a reputation for bulletproof reliability, and Kia is keen to make sure its sales targets don't impinge on its quest for better and better quality - neither in-house nor for its suppliers, a trade-off we've seen go wrong before. It has a Pilot Center that studies each new model for potential production problems before being given the approval for manufacture, and it isn't until the quality control department gives the okay that manufacture can begin.

Kia brings four jump-ready Tellurides and a modified Stinger to SEMA

Kia dropped the curtain on the Forte GT today at SEMA, but the Korean automaker also has a full plate of modified cars it will be showing there too. Four heavily modified Telluride SUVs, a Stinger, Forte and K900 are all making appearances in Las Vegas. All of the Tellurides look a bit different, but they share the same suspension modifications. It starts with KW Motorsports long-travel shocks with remote reservoirs and three-way adjustable damping. Then Kia fabricated new heavy-duty lower control arms, widened the track by three inches and added King hydraulic bump stops. Why did Kia add such an awesome suspension setup? Well, it plans on jumping these Tellurides all week long at a demonstration track outside of the SEMA show. We think that's a good enough reason. All the Tellurides are also sporting Black Rhino wheels shod with 32-inch Milestar Patagonia mud terrain tires. A straight pipe exhaust has also been fitted. Telluride Horizon Roamer This Telluride has a snorkel for deep-water fording and a large LED light bar on the roof. Kia says this one was designed for conquering the Rubicon trail. The orange paint ensures you won't be missing this big SUV on the rocks either. Telluride Cadet Leader Kia says this one was aimed more toward the trailblazing kind of off-roading. It has flat military style green and black paint and Rotopaks for gasoline on the rear quarter panels. Telluride Desert Drifter Painted to blend in with the desert, this Telluride might be our favorite looking of the bunch. The front LEDs actually blend in nicely with the paint, giving this tough looking off-roader a sense of style. Telluride Baja Glider Here's the only Telluride of the bunch without a massive brush guard. Instead, it gets a front tube bumper to go along with its skid plate. The black paint gives it a much more subdued appearance as well. 2019 DUB Kia Stinger GT DUB certainly went all-in on this Stinger, mounting massive 22-inch wheels and a wide body kit. There's a custom exhaust and intake for extra noise, and the engine bay gets a full dress-up kit. Air-ride suspension brings it all closer to the ground, while the brushed steel and carbon fiber wraps give it an even flashier appearance. A completely custom red/black leather and suede interior make the Stinger unique on the inside too. 2019 DUB Kia K900 The K900 seems like more of a DUB-style car to customize, and this example here is not lacking in the glam department.

Compact SUV Comparison: Specs, pics and reviews of every brand's crossover

Honda CR-V vs Toyota RAV4. Chevy Equinox vs Ford Escape. Mazda CX-5 vs Subaru Forester. Whichever combinations of compact crossover SUV you're considering, there's probably a comparison test or chart out there to read. Heck, you can even create a three-car comparison yourself here at Autoblog. However, if you want a bunch of that information all in one convenient place, well, here it is. Our mega comparison of specs, features and photos of compact SUV entries from every mainstream manufacturer that sells them. That includes the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 2018 Ford Escape, 2018 GMC Terrain, 2018 Honda CR-V, 2018 Hyundai Tucson, 2019 Jeep Cherokee (it's already on sale with notable changes from 2018), 2018 Jeep Compass, 2018 Kia Sportage, 2018 Mazda CX-5, 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (none of Mitsu's SUVs are perfect fits for this segment, so we deemed the MEC the most competitive fit), 2018 Nissan Rogue, 2018 Subaru Forester, 2018 Toyota RAV4 and 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. We can update this comparison as more information about 2019 models is released, most notably the Forester and RAV4. Now, there are certainly some models that are smaller (Nissan Rogue Sport) or larger (Kia Sorento) that could also be considered, but we figured it was wise to stick with those in this sweet spot of comparable size and price. We also included links to Autoblog reviews, buying guides and smaller comparisons. Engines and Transmissions With rare exception, this segment features four-cylinder power. Sometimes it's turbocharged, often its not, but standard engine outputs are generally in the same ballpark. Therefore, we'd recommend focusing on torque output, as it's what will make a difference around town or when passing, and weighing that versus fuel economy (the Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 make particularly strong cases in this regard). Many drivers aren't too fond of continuously variable transmissions (CVT), either, so that's another thing to consider and note during a test drive. As you can see, several models are available with performance upgrades. Besides the Jeep Cherokee's available V6, all are more powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The exception to this would be the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape, as their 1.5-liter turbo engines don't prioritize performance. Instead, they serve as overall upgrades to the base naturally aspirated engines standard on only their base trim levels (CR-V LX and Escape S).