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2017 Kia Forte5 Quick Spin | Sporty compact, lots of bells and whistles

A few months ago, we drove the Honda Civic Sport and found it to be a surprisingly fun and frisky hatch thanks to quick steering, a snappy shifter, and a willing turbo engine. It's also somewhat unusual in being a driver-focused compact, available with a manual, but not solely concerned with performance; sort of a warm hatch as opposed to a hot hatch. Kia's own warm hatch, the Kia Forte5 SX, is a close match for the Honda in some ways, and even better in others – for a price, that is. The Forte5 SX starts on the right foot with its punchy turbocharged four-cylinder. It's the 1.6-liter unit, which you'll also find in the Elantra Sport and Veloster Turbo, and makes a healthy 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque that nearly matches the output of the sportier-than-the-Sport Civic Si. You'll never be waiting for that power either, as the turbo hardly lags, and any lag that is present is masked by how smoothly boost comes into play. The throttle is fairly responsive, and the revs don't get hung up between shifts like they do in the Civic Sport. The Kia continues in the right direction by offering a manual transmission, as our tester had. In fact, the turbo-equipped SX trim is the only way to get a shift-for-yourself transmission on the Forte5. It features reasonably short, light throws, and the gates are a breeze to find. It's a tad rubbery at times, and isn't quite as precise as the Civic Sport's lever, but you won't be disappointed by it. The responsive engine also makes it easy to rev-match downshifts, but the pedals could be a bit closer together for heel-and-toeing. This drivetrain is packaged in the crisp, clean hatchback body of the Forte5. It's refreshingly free of extraneous vents and badging, leaving the body tasteful and classy. It's a body that is happy to change directions, too. It turns in quickly and neutrally, with only mild body roll. The steering itself is also quick and accurate with virtually no dead zone. There are a couple of handling gripes, though. The helm feels a bit overboosted and fairly numb, the ride somewhat unrefined. The body feels less controlled than it should over bumps, and the tires aren't very grippy. Inside the Forte5, things are a bit dour. The only color on the dash aside from black are the modest number of chrome appointments strewn about. Some of the plastic has a faux carbon fiber texture, but it almost makes the dash look cheaper, or cheesier, than it could be with better material finishes.

Kia Stinger GT | Autoblog Minute

Kia debuted the new hatchback grand tourer at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. Kia Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video autos kia stinger gt

2021 Kia Telluride Review | What's new, prices, safety and pictures

It's a rare thing when a three-row family conveyance can be deemed cool, but we're pretty sure the 2021 Kia Telluride manages to pull it off. Credit almost entirely goes to its refined, tastefully adorned and classically proportioned styling. There's a little Volvo here and a little Range Rover there, but those are certainly good muses to have. The aesthetic appeal carries inside as well. However, there's more than just good looks here. The Telluride also manages to check off nearly every functional box as well. It's one of the most spacious three-row crossovers, has plenty of family-friendly storage solutions, boasts user-friendly technology and comes standard with an abundance of well-executed safety features (plus its upgrade blind-spot warning system was named Autoblog's Tech of the Year). The driving experience is admittedly a bit forgettable, but it's also free from bad habits. In short, no other three-row family crossover does a better job of both fashion and function. It's a must drive. What's new for 2021? The Telluride gains a new Nightfall Edition following an industry trend of special trim levels or packages slathered in blacked-out body trim. Unlike many of those other examples, however, the Telluride Nightfall Edition (pictured here) is available in eight colors, including its exclusive new-for-2021 Wolf Gray. Other updates include the addition of standard remote ignition, an upgraded trailer harness and LED headlamps added to the EX Premium package. Prices increase between $400 and $850 depending on trim level, including the destination charge that also goes up a bit for 2021 to $1,170. Apparently, it costs a little more to ship the thing from Georgia this year. What are the Telluride interior and in-car technology like? Admittedly, we've only had contact with the ritziest, range-topping Telluride SX model that boasts soft, interestingly stitched leather, convincing faux wood trim, and a generally luxurious ambience that trumps nearly everything else in the segment (it's a coin flip between it and the mechanically related Hyundai Palisade). It also costs less than range-topping rivals that actually have less equipment. Now, will an LX and EX be as swank? No, but the general quality of plastics, switchgear and other materials should still be above average. Every Telluride is also extremely well equipped.