2021 Kia Forte Gt Line, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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2020 Kia Telluride crossover moves the brand upscale, and a bit off-road

Kia added its newest and largest entrant to its lineup, unveiling the designed- and made-in-America Telluride as its new flagship. It's a handsome and sporty midsize three-row SUV that seats eight, offers upscale interior perks and safety technology, plus off-road capability. The reveal brings the Telluride full circle from its origins as a concept first shown in Detroit three years ago. Kia will emphasize its rugged looks and comfortable, well-appointed interior when it goes on sale later this year as a 2020 model and takes on well-entrenched competitors like the venerable Ford Explorer (itself redesigned for 2020) and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Designed at Kia's studio in Southern California, the Telluride deliberately harkens to the boxy appearance of O.G. SUVs like the aforementioned Explorer, with a long hood and wide grille, a clean side profile and upright windshield. Nameplates adorn both the leading edge of the hood, atop the grille, and on the liftgate, with stacked headlights, inverted L-shaped taillamps and a sculpted rear skid plate with integrated twin exhaust tips. The Telluride is powered by a 3.8-liter direct-injection V6 making 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic. There's four-wheel independent suspension and stiff, torsionally rigid body structure owing to an advanced high-strength steel monocoque shell. The rear suspension is self-leveling, with the ride height automatically calibrated depending on the load to benefit control and stability. Four driving modes are offered — Smart, Eco, Sport and Comfort — plus Snow and AWD Lock settings when needed. On-demand all-wheel drive will be an option, distributing torque between the front and rear wheels depending on road conditions and the driver's input. Kia says it's based on electro-hydraulic AWD coupling and constantly redistributes power between the front and rear wheels depending on drive mode — for example, splitting it 65 percent to 35 percent between the front and rear wheels in Sport mode. Inside, there's a wide console that emphasizes the horizontal, with an available 10.25-inch color touchscreen. There's simulated brushed metal and matte-finished wood, interior hooks to hang packs and bags, ceiling-mounted climate control in the second row and reclining third-row seats.

Kia Telluride could head into luxury territory with flagship trim

Kia will expand the Telluride lineup with a range-topping trim level that will catapult the SUV into luxury-car territory, according to a recent report. The variant will arrive as one of the firm's most expensive models. Without citing sources, website AutoSpies wrote the yet-unnamed flagship Telluride will stand out from less expensive models with a two-tone paint job split below the roof line and additional interior colors, among other posh tweaks. And, somewhat surprisingly, Kia will allegedly offer buyers an off-road package that will bundle skid plates, beefier tires, and a bull bar. The off-roader described by the publication sounds a lot like the concepts Kia brought to SEMA 2018, and it could surf the ruggedization wave sweeping across the industry. There's no word yet on whether the deluxe treatment will continue in the engine bay. As of writing, the Telluride is only offered with a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive come standard, and all-wheel drive is offered at an extra cost. Kia hasn't commented on the rumor, and it hasn't announced plans to expand the Telluride's trim hierarchy. If it's accurate, the flagship version could make its debut in 2020 and arrive in showrooms during the 2021 model year. Its upmarket ambitious would push its base price toward the $50,000 mark, about $20,000 more than the entry-level model and a $10,000 premium compared to the SX currently positioned at the top of the line. While the idea of paying $50,000 for a Kia will certainly startle more than a few buyers, it's not as far-fetched as it sounds. The Stinger is already there, the most expensive GT2 trim is pegged right at that price point, so the South Korean firm has already proved it has the credibility to compete in this space. The Telluride lends itself well to an extra dose of opulence, especially considering demand for luxury SUVs continues to grow in America.

2019 Kia Stinger gets IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating

The 2019 Kia Stinger just officially received an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, which is the highest honor from the Insurance Institute. However, this award only applies to Stingers equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights. All the crashworthiness ratings returned with a "Good" rating, and that applies to every version of the Stinger sold here. The forward collision avoidance assist with pedestrian detection is an option on the Stinger, and this combined with trims sporting LED headlight projectors results in the TSP+ rating. In IIHS forward collision tests, the Stinger successfully avoided collisions at 12 mph and 25 mph. The base halogen projector headlights were rated "Poor," so watch out for those while Stinger shopping. Interestingly, the IIHS rated the static LED projectors as "Good" and the curve-adaptive LED projectors got lower marks as "Acceptable." For reference, the curve-adaptive LEDs are found on the Stinger GT2 trim. The IIHS just thinks the visibility with the adaptive LEDs is worse compared to the static units. We can't say we're surprised that the Stinger received the TSP+ award, as it shares a modified platform with the Genesis G70 that received the same rating from the IIHS. The new sport sedan and sportback from Genesis and Kia clearly crash well. That's always heartening to hear, especially as we continue with the long-term test of our Kia Stinger GT. We love the red bullet of a hatchback, and most recently compared it to a Genesis G70 with the same powertrain.