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2014 Kia Sorento

For most new car shoppers, three-row crossovers are little more than a way for the family-minded to avoid succumbing to the minivan stigma. Admit it - the only things that differentiate most larger CUVs from minivans are their lack of sliding side doors and - on most of them - the option of all-wheel drive. Having blossomed into a popular segment with thicker profit margins, though, automakers have plenty of incentive to keep their offerings fresh, and that's exactly why Kia is presenting its 2014 Sorento so soon.
At first glance, the crisply styled utility vehicle seen here appears to be nothing more than a mid-cycle refresh - and not a particularly extensive one, at that. But that's not the case at all. Despite looking very similar to the second-generation vehicle that came on the scene for the 2010 model year, this is an all-new Sorento. Or, more precisely, it's about 80-percent new. Kia says less than 20 percent of the parts have been carried over from the 2013 Sorento, and that's a pretty typical amount for an 'all-new' vehicle generation.
Since we've yet to spend quality time with the "Made in the USA" Sorento for more than a short First Drive in Arizona last February, we snagged the keys to a 2014 model in the all-new SX Limited trim level for a lengthy backroad sojourn from Florida to South Carolina.

Good Samaritans rescue driver from sinking car in Florida

A pair of good Samaritans and three police detectives saved an elderly Florida man from drowning in his car after it crashed into a pond this week. According to Port Saint Lucie police, Hixford Banton was traveling westbound along Port Saint Lucie Boulevard in Port Saint Lucie when his Mercedes sedan was struck by another motorist attempting a turn on to the street from Arioso Boulevard. The collision caused Banton to lose control of his Mercedes. In his confusion, he ran off the road, drove across a lawn, and crashed into a pond in front of the town's City Hall. James "Randy" Brazier was across the street when he heard tires screeching, and turned to see Banton's Mercedes go into the pond. He rushed across the busy street, jumped into the pond, and swam to the rapidly sinking Mercedes to save the driver. Once Brazier reached the car and opened the door, it immediately capsized and sank to the bottom of the pond. "When I got to the guy, he was real scared, so I told him to calm down, " Brazier told the TCPalm newspaper. "I opened the door and got him out, he panicked, took us both under and then I hit the bottom, pushed ourselves back up." Brazier was assisted by another passerby named Charles Proulx, who waded into the pond to help the struggling men. Three Port Saint Lucie police detectives–Stephen Reuther, Peter Chunn, and Maiga Auguste–arrived soon after with a rescue ring and helped to pull the men out of the pond. Once everyone was ashore, salvage divers were brought in to locate the car and pull it out of the pond. Thanks to the murky water and the pond's surprising depth, roughly fifteen feet, it took divers nearly thirty minutes to locate the car. Later, at the police station, Banton said that he had yet to meet his rescuer. "Somebody I have yet to meet came in and helped me. He came to me and he said, 'I got you, I got you, are you ready?'" Banton said. "And he opened the door, and I just went out." Banton also stated that he could not swim, and that he would have died had Brazier not come to his aid. Soon after, the two were reintroduced under less stressful circumstances. News Source: TCPalm, Palm Beach Post, WPBF Government/Legal Weird Car News Kia Driving Safety Autoblog Minute accident

The Kia Optima is now available as a plug-in hybrid

The Kia Optima gets electrified two ways for 2017. In addition to the conventional hybrid, there's a new plug-in version as well – makes sense, since the Optima's corporate sister, the Hyundai Sonata is offered with both options. The new Kia Optima Hybrid ditches the larger 2.4-liter internal combustion engine from the previous model in favor of a smaller 2.0, good for 154 horsepower, and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that does away with the torque converter in favor of an electric clutch, with electric water and oil pumps to help optimize efficiency. Working in tandem with the 38-kW electric motor and juiced by a 1.62-kWh lithium-polymer battery pack, the powertrain delivers a total of 193 horsepower while targeting a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over the previous Optima Hybrid. Not enough? Tew Optima PHEV that uses the same 2.0-liter four, but instead of 38 kW (51 hp), the plug-in's electric motor produces 50 kW (or 67 hp), and instead of 1.62 kWh, the PHEV's lithium-ion battery pack is rated exponentially higher at 9.8 kWh. It's said to travel for 600 miles before needing to stop, or up to 27 miles on electric power alone. And of course it can be recharged directly from the socket, taking less than nine hours on 120 volts and less than three on 240. If those powertrain components sound familiar to you, that's because they're identical to those offered in the Sonata Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid from Kia's sister brand Hyundai. Only here they're packaged into a more angular, less curvy form and capped by a Kia badge and tiger-nose grille. Interested? There's plenty more to digest in the pair of press releases below. View 10 Photos ALL-NEW KIA OPTIMA HYBRID UNVEILED AT 2016 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Enhanced HEV Blends Sophisticated Design and Premium Driving Experience with Focus on Efficiency - New powertrain targets 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over outgoing Optima Hybrid - 2017 model infuses aerodynamic form and function into Optima's sleek, modern design - Gas-electric sedan touts intelligent use of technology to deliver comprehensive driver-assistance features CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2016 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid (HEV) at the Chicago Auto Show.