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2017 Kia Cadenza First Drive

"Garbanzo? Costanza? Credenza?" I can't tell if the guy at the bakery is trying to be funny or if he's genuinely forgetting the name of the car – I've told him twice; it's the 2017 Kia Cadenza. But you know, maybe the miscommunication is just fine. Like the Cadenza itself. It's fine. You shouldn't read that negatively. Every now and then in this job, you drive a car and simply come away thinking, "it was fine." And if you're building a car in this particular segment, that's practically the response you hope to elicit. A comfortable jack-of-all-trades at a price that isn't going to bankrupt the owner. Consider the Cadenza's competition: Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima, Chevrolet Impala, Buick LaCrosse. These aren't groundbreaking luxury vehicles, masters of utility or fuel economy, or Nurburgring-smashing sports sedans; they're... fine. You almost feel bad saying it – from a very reasonable angle it's a great segment, populated with cars offering a lot of the same equipment and a little more bang for the buck than a full-on luxury sedan, and tending to be roomier, too. And yet it's that dilution of dedicated purpose that keeps these models stagnant in showrooms compared to the more luxurious – and certainly to the more economical. It's hard to raise an eyebrow here. So it goes with the Cadenza. Despite looking a heck of a lot like the previous car, the new Cadenza has been reworked significantly – the use of high-strength steel has doubled, to over 50 percent; the use of hot-stamped steel has tripled; the doors are 16 percent more dent-resistant; the chassis has 35 percent greater torsional rigidity; there's a new subframe (similar to that of the Optima); the front windows are now laminated and there's 13 percent more sound insulation in the A-pillars; there's a full underbody cover and wheel air curtains; it has a new eight-speed transmission – developed in-house; there are 40 fewer pounds of unsprung weight thanks to aluminum parts; the brakes are bigger; and there's a bevy of upscale tech features – but we lost you halfway through that paragraph. The styling is a little sharper than the outgoing model's – it's not going to blow your pants off, but it's hardly a bad-looking car. The updated design features Kia's now-trademark quad-LED setup within the lower front grilles, and the main grille is a concave affair – base models get a "Diamond Butterfly" insert you know from other Kia models, and higher-end Cadenzas get "Intaglio" vertical slats.

Kia reveals sketches of its millennial-bait compact crossover

Kia has made the splash we had expected back during the New York Auto Show, just now releasing sketches of its coming compact crossover. This will be the production offering based on the SP Signature concept shown at the 2018 Auto Expo in India. It has been specifically "created for the millennial generation" with a "wide range of features and technologies suited to younger buyers," and is somehow promised to offer "the space and capabilities of a traditional SUV in a compact package." The sketches look like artistic versions of the actual concept, given the usual inflations of broad beam and giant wheels. Design traits left untouched from the SP concept include narrow, LED headlights that slide into a reworked "tiger nose" grille. An LED DRL runs almost the entire width of the front fascia, interrupted only by the pinch in the center of the grille. Three-lamp fog lights replace the vertical lights on the concept. In back, LED taillights grasp a chrome accent bar with caliper-like extensions. They further accentuate the already-exaggerated width of the sketch. We have a feeling the production car's plan view will be more in line with the concept, but there will be a touch of sleekness in the raked rear glass. The carmaker also says some of the design cues will show up on other products like the Sorento and Sportage. The compact crossover will launch in South Korea and supposedly India later this year, with other markets to follow. It's won't go on sale in Europe, but a U.S.-market launch should happen with the global rollout, perhaps early next year.

2018 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid revealed, boasts 26 miles of electric range

The 2018 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid was introduced Thursday at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, adding a considerably larger battery pack to the existing Niro Hybrid crossover. With an estimated 26 miles of all-electric range, the Niro Plug-in is in the same ballpark as most other plug-in hybrid models like the Toyota Prius Prime (25 miles), Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in (29 miles) and Kia's own Optima Plug-in (29 miles). The Chevrolet Volt is the king of the castle at 53 miles. When the all-electric range is exhausted, it'll get 48 mpg city, 44 mpg highway and 46 mpg combined. That's actually a bit worse than the regular Niro (51 city/46 highway/49 combined), though that difference isn't as great it might seem given actual gas burned and the all-electric range. The estimated mile-per-gallon-equivalent rating is 105 MPGe. That's actually about the same as the Volt (106) and Optima (103), but less than the Prius Prime (133) and Ioniq (119). This is all achieved by the addition of a 8.9-kWh lithium-polymer battery pack and a 60-horsepower (44.5-kw) electric motor. This compares to the regular Niro Hybrid's 1.56-kWh battery pack and 43-hp motor. Despite its greater capacity, the battery doesn't take up any extra interior space, still fitting under the back seat and cargo area. It can be recharged in approximately 2.5 hours using a 240V charger, or in less than 9 hours using a regular household 120V outlet. Besides the powertrain, the Niro Plug-in is essentially the same beyond a few minor styling updates. There is a slightly different "grille" insert and some blue trim accents. It can also be equipped with LED headlamps. Related Video: