2019 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

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Did Lexus make a BMW? Or did BMW make a Lexus? This and other 2017 surprises

It's that time of year again. The calendar is about to reach its end, Star Trek Cats 2018 is about to take its place, and I'm reflecting about all the cars that graced my driveway this year or summoned me to exotic places. You know, like Stuttgart or Phoenix. In 2017, I drove at least 57, and as I perused the list of them, I started to notice a common refrain: "This car surprised me." Most were pleasant surprises, but there were a few head scratchers and facepalms for good measure. In both cases, it was generally the result of car companies seemingly trying to break out of an existing mold. Nowhere was that more apparent than the pair of Lexuses slathered in Infrared paint: The LS 500 that left me this week and the LC 500 that was my favorite car of 2017. Though Lexus has been trying to shake its crusty, gold-packaged reputation for some time now, its efforts always seemed like an old man choosing Hollister to redo his wardrobe after realizing it hasn't been updated since 1987. I fell in love with the LC, genuinely floored by its near-perfect take on the GT. It's characterful in sound, appearance and tactility. It was at home in the city, in the mountain and on the open road. It was both comfortable and thrilling, and after driving the mechanically related LS 500, I can report that the LC's talents aren't an outlier. The LS 500's turbo V6 may make different noises than the LC's naturally aspirated V8, but it nevertheless invigorates the cabin when the car is placed in Sport+ mode. The steering is truly communicative, body motions are kept in miraculous check, and I absolutely forgot I was in an enormous luxury limo ... and a Lexus one at that. It was everything that the BMW 530e was not. I drove that on the exact same roads and was utterly bored the entire time. Generally doughy, lifeless steering, more distant than Planet 9. And no, the plug-in hybrid powertrain had nothing to do with that. At least it shouldn't. The Porsche Panamera S e-Hybrid I also drove this year proves that, as do the Hyundai Ioniqs, which are surprisingly adept and fun little cars regardless of what powers their wheels (Hyundai + hybrid = fun really blew me away). I would drive that Lexus LS F Sport over the BMW 5 Series any day of the week, which seems like a shocking thing to say in relation to either car. While Lexus is seemingly breaking out of its old crusty mold, BMW seems to be climbing into one.

2020 Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade will see price increases

New year, new MSRP. CarsDirect got hold of a "recent pricing guide" and discovered Hyundai and Kia chanted that mantra over the Palisade and the Telluride, respectively. The Palisade has been on sale since June of last year, and already received a $50 price increase before the turn of the year. As of this month, Hyundai has goosed the MSRP by another $225 to $31,775, and the destination charge by $25 to $1,120. The $250 bump takes the starting price for a front-wheel drive Palisade SE to $31,775. The premium is applied throughout the range, making the top-tier Limited AWD model $47,745. The Telluride was first priced at $32,735 after destination. It, too, received a visit from the surcharge fairy last year to the tune of $50, boosting the cost to $32,785. This month, Kia tweaked the MSRP by $250 to $31,890, and the destination charge by $25 to $1,170. That comes to a $275 increase, meaning a front-wheel drive Telluride LX is now starting at $33,060. Whereas the Telluride had been $140 more expensive than the Palisade, the three-row Kia now stands $165 beyond the three-row Hyundai.  None of this should affect sales, both models already having won numerous awards, the Palisade receiving a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Telluride capping its excellent reviews with victory in the North American 2020 Utility of the Year competition. Kia is moving more than 6,000 Tellurides per month in the U.S., and a carmaker rep said the vehicle "is still on deep backorder." The Palisade looks on track to join it, and both sell for more than MSRP in many parts of the country, according to TrueCar. Based on recent reports, things might get even more varied on the Kia side, in fact. One rumor said there could be flagship luxury and off-road trims on the way. This week, Motor1 heard from "an anonymous Kia employee" with details on a potential X-Line appearance package. The possible cosmetic suite would install a satin black grille, body-colored door handles, bright bumper and lower door garnish, front and rear skid plates, and a unique 20-inch wheel for $1,695. And it's said that Kia is investigating consumer interest in a long-wheelbase Telluride.

Kia's second Super Bowl commercial lets booth professionals have their revenge

This is more like it, Kia. After last year's highly successful Adriana Lima-infused Super Bowl commercial for the Optima, we weren't that impressed with this year's Super Bowl ad for the new Sorento called Space Babies that Kia showed us earlier in the week. Its second spot for this year's big game, however, gave us a chuckle.
Called Hotbots and starring Miss USA Alyssa Campanella as a futuristic robot, the ad plays out a fantasy that we know for certain has crossed the minds of many booth professionals. These are the attractive set of women and men who plant themselves next to new cars at auto shows. More than just eye candy, they're usually extremely well educated on the product's specs and features. Despite that fact, they have to put up with constant oogling and questions like, "Do you come with the car?" What this T-1000 won't put up with is fingerprints on her shiny new 2014 Kia Forte, and she does something about it. Watch for yourself below.