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Sunday Drive: The future looks bright, and the present ain't bad, either

A look at the week that just passed proves that Autoblog readers love looking into the future. Spy photos of the next Porsche 911 and a mysterious Dodge Demon prototype led the way last week as some of our most popular stories. A teaser from Subaru has our appetites whetted for the next WRX, and we're intrigued by the value proposition offered by the rear-wheel-drive Kia Stinger. Long-distance motorcycle tourers went gaga over leaked images of the next Honda Gold Wing. Such intense interest comes as no surprise considering that it's the standard by which all its competitors are judged, and it looks to be getting some serious new technology in its next iteration. And finally, we can't help tooting our own horn a bit. Autoblog just launched a brand-new Car Finder tool, which, after getting a few data points to work with, offers up a perfect list of vehicles for new-car buyers. As always, tune in to Autoblog next week for a front-row seat to all the happenings worth following in the automotive industry. 2019 Porsche 911 to get digital interior — only the tach will be analog Spy Shots: What the devil is Dodge up to with this narrow-body Challenger Demon? Subaru previews Viziv Performance Concept and 2 tuned STIs for Tokyo Leaked 2018 Honda Gold Wing shows off new suspension, hints at DCT 2018 Kia Stinger will start at $32,795 Dodge Honda Kia Porsche Subaru Coupe Hatchback Motorcycle Future Vehicles Luxury Performance Sedan recap sunday drive

2018 Kia Stinger GT First Drive Review | Sleeper of the year

MOJAVE, Calif. — The sunbaked sign at the Hyundai/Kia Proving Grounds clearly indicates the speed limit on the banked oval: 120 miles per hour. But after a few perfunctory triple-digit parade laps, the Kia representative in the passenger seat isn't having any of it. With a wink and nudge, he discreetly permits us a few extra, unrestricted goes around the big course. Never one to turn down track time, we push the 2018 Kia Stinger down the 6.4-mile oval until I see an indicated 164 mph on the straight — the fastest we've ever driven anything built in Korea, let alone many of the contenders in the Stinger's crosshairs. Game on, Kia. The early days of Kia's attempt to conquer the American car market were dominated with an appliance-like sense of economy, one reflecting a scrappy catch-up mentality opposed to the disruptive, luxury challenging tactics du jour. Subsequent attempts to globalize the brand have taken on a definitively more inspired, international flair, and the new Stinger is the strongest harbinger of that direction to date. The movement originated when Hyundai/Kia plucked design boss Peter Schreyer from Audi, eventually moving him up in an unprecedented promotion to one of manufacturer's three group presidents. Not only did Schreyer inject a sleek, contemporary look to the lineup, his promotion proved the brand was dead serious about creating striking designs. The Stinger's styling does not disappoint. Apart from the familiar Tiger Nose grille and the letdown of non-functional (ie, ornamental) "hood vents," the five-seater's proportions and surface treatments feel sharp and fresh, purposeful and clean. Measured from bow to stern, the Stinger is roughly mid-class among its competitive set, while offering the practicality of a sportback design that enables decent rear legroom and 23.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity. But its considerable 114.4-inch wheelbase is among the lengthiest in its class, edged out only by the Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, and BMW 6 Series Grand Coupe. That said, the upper end of Kia's self-ascribed competition might be a bit of a stretch (sorry, pun intended) considering the unlikelihood of Porsche die-hards cross-shopping the $85,000 Panamera against this new kid on the block. The other side of Kia's modern story involves the snagging of performance whisperer Albert Biermann from BMW's M performance division.

2021 Kia K5 fuel economy tops out at 32 mpg combined

In May, the EPA's FuelEconomy.Gov site listed three sets of initial fuel economy figures for the 2021 Kia K5, a move that helped confirm the end of the Optima name. The EPA has fiddled with the data set since then — the site doesn't list an all-wheel drive K5 anymore, for instance — but Kia has done us the favor of providing complete mpg numbers for every K5 trim except the flagship GT. The entry-level K5 LX with front-wheel drive gets 29 miles per gallon in the city, 38 on the highway, and 32 combined. This lines up with a model on the EPA site that's listed with stop/start on the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Most notably, the K5 LX sips a lot less fuel than the entry-level 2020 Kia Optima LX. The Optima LX houses a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque — five horses up but 12 lb-ft down on the K5 — and gets 24 city, 32 highway, 27 combined. And the K5 only costs $100 more than the Optima. Among the competitive set, the in-house rival Hyundai Sonata in entry-level SE trim gives up one mile per gallon in the city to the LX, otherwise the two are equal. The Sonata SE, though, gets motivated by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 191 hp and 181 lb-ft. The Sonata SEL Plus with the same 1.6-liter as the Kia but costing $4,000 more returns 27 city, 36 highway, 31 combined. Outside the fold, the Toyota Camry ultimately evens out the fuel economy score in delivering 28 mpg city, 39 highway, 32 combined. The Honda Accord edges all comers with 30 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, and 33 combined thanks to its continuously variable transmission; the other three shift through eight-speed automatics. The front-wheel drive K5 LXS, EX, and GT-Line all return 27 mpg city, 37 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined. The figures match a K5 model on the EPA site that omits the stop/start system on the 1.6-liter, but we can't see where Kia has mentioned a stop/start system in its K5 release materials. About 100 pounds difference in curb weight covers all four trims that we have info on so far. This would appear to indicate the lack of the fuel-saving tech on the three trims causing slightly lower fuel economy as opposed to extra luxuries weighing matters down. Only two trims for now come with the option of all-wheel drive, the LXS and GT-Line. When the K5 GT arrives, it will only come with all-wheel drive. Check the box to send power to all the wheels, and both variants deliver 26 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, 29 mpg combined.