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2018 Kia Stinger GT Long-Term Update | It's a hatch!

Our long-term 2018 Kia Stinger GT is a lovely sedan. We've talked a bit about what it's like to live with day-to-day and just how well the GT badge fits on a car like this. It's racked up more than 10,000 miles in the few months it's been in our fleet. I'm personally hoping we can crest 20,000 miles before its year with us is up. The sleek design (both inside and out), sharp handling and peppy 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 might get all the attention, but people tend to forget it's practical, too. Just look at that cargo area! I sometimes forget that most people don't spend all day and night thinking about cars, poring over photos and spec sheets like we do. When I posted a photo on Twitter last month, one commenter seemed quite surprised to realize that the Stinger had a hatch rather than a trunk. It's one of my favorite things about this car, but it seems it's not common knowledge. If we can't get a true wagon, hatches like the Stinger, the Porsche Panamera and Audi A5/S5/RS5 Sportback are great alternatives. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Stinger has 23.3 cubic feet of space with the seats up, though Kia doesn't list the area with the seats down. For reference, the Kia Optima has 15.9 cubic-feet in its trunk. Winter in Detroit sucks, and the Stinger GT's standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires aren't ideal for sub-freezing temperatures. Nokian Tyres was kind enough to donate a set of Hakkapeliitta studless winter tires for the Stinger (more on those in another post soon). When the tires arrived, I put the seats down and threw all four in the back of the car and took it to the tire shop. I had to remove the sun shade, but that was the only real fitment issue. About a week later, just before Christmas, Amazon dropped the price on a 55-inch TV I've had my eye on for months. I placed my order and had it shipped to our office lest package thieves steal it from my porch. I wasn't sure it would fit in the Stinger, but it was just about perfect. Another half inch and I would have needed our long-term Honda Ridgeline. Related Video:

Kia Sportage crossover is feeling 'Sporty' with 2020 refresh

The 2020 Kia Sportage crossover, which has been spied testing on the Nurburgring of all places, gets unveiled this week at the Chicago Auto Show. The 2020 model year marks a light visual refresh for the 2017-on Sportage generation, and among other details, it's recognizable from updated bumpers front and rear. The headlights have been discreetly redone, offering available LED technology, and they also incorporate LED turn signals on select trim levels. In addition, the fog lights are also available with LED. The taillights also have new trim, and there's a redesigned skid plate on both bumpers. You can also spot the 2020 Sportage from a new selection of alloy wheels in 17-, 18- and 19-inch sizes. Inside, the 8-inch touchscreen is standard, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. Modem-enabled telematics and navigation are optional, as is a wireless smartphone charging tray. The steering wheel is a new design, and "Sofino" leather trim is a new option. For 2020, the optional driver assists have been updated to include attention warning, lane keeping assist, high beam assist, adaptive cruise, start-stop and a forward collision assist with pedestrian detection. The cruise control radar is visible in the middle of the tiger-nose grille, below the Kia emblem. The powertrain continues as previously, with a naturally aspirated, 181-hp 2.4 and a 2.0-liter, 240-hp turbo four on offer, and a choice of FWD or AWD to go with the standard six-speed automatic. No mild hybrid has yet been announced, but we're expecting it to appear later on — sans diesel power. As for the trim levels, there's a new S level joining previous LX, EX and SX trims, and according to Kia, S stands for "Sporty"; it features sporty trim both inside and outside. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Kia Rio hatchback facelift in Europe brings lots of new tech

Earlier this year, Kia put a fleet of Rio hatchback prototypes on the road in Europe wearing near full-body camouflage, which was a lot of secrecy for what was expected to be a minor facelift. The South Korean automaker has revealed the final product in Europe with an unforeseen bounty of changes to increase efficiency and bolster technology. The cosmetic formula doesn't deviate much, a narrower tiger grille sitting over a thicker bumper with reshaped fog light housings. At the corners, all Rios will come with full LED lighting. The color palette grows with the addition of Perennial Grey and Sporty Blue, the latter hue seeping into the cabin with a blue color pack that brightens up the dashboard, seat bolsters, arm rests, and contrast stitching. The GT-Line goes monochrome with a black interior offset by white piping and stitching, and a carbon-fiber-effect dashboard. Every model comes with a height-adjustable driver's seat, which is an optional upgrade for the passenger's seat. New 16-inch, eight-spoke wheels will also be available. Under the hood, Kia debuts an EcoDynamics+ powertrain with new 1.0-liter Smartstream mild hybrid gas engines in two outputs that replace the 1.0-liter Kappa engines. The Rio marks Kia's first application of a 48-volt mild hybrid system, the belt-driven integrated starter generator programmed to extend its shutdown time to increase fuel economy. The 99- and 118-horsepower outputs match the previous engines, but in the 118-hp version torque rises from 127 pound-feet to 148. Both mills will offer three drive modes, Normal, Eco, and Sport. Squeezing out more efficiency for buyers who stick with the standard manual transmissions, Kia engineers developed a clutch-by-wire. Instead of a mechanical linkage, electronics control the clutch actuation. Combined with an update to make the engine start/stop system dependent on pressing the brake and the clutch instead of just the clutch, manual-equipped Rios expand the time the engine is shut off when coasting to a stop. The other two engines in the lineup will be new versions of the 1.0-liter with 99 hp that will come with a six-speed manual transmission as standard instead of the five-speeder, and naturally-aspirated 1.2-liter with 83-hp. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be optional.  Inside, the dash cluster fits a 4.2-info screen with higher resolution.