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2021 Kia Stinger engine details revealed, and it's getting more power

Powertrain details on the updated Kia Stinger are out, and the theme is more power. We got to see the revised looks a couple of weeks ago, but the information out of Korea today completes the picture of what the Stinger will soon look like. Kia is adding a new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder to the lineup that makes more power than the old 2.0-liter turbo. The 2.5-liter engine is also exclusive to the North American market. Kia didn’t explicitly say it was dropping the smaller four-cylinder here, but itÂ’s no stretch to assume the less powerful engine will disappear once the new cars begin to ship. This 2.5-liter makes 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, which is a big step up from the 255 horses and 260 pound-feet of torque produced by the 2.0-liter. The new engine produces peak torque between 1,650 and 4,000 rpm. Kia doesnÂ’t brag about better acceleration numbers, but itÂ’s surely quicker than before. Next up is the V6 in the Stinger GT. Kia stays the course with the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 in this case, but itÂ’s added a new electronic exhaust valve system that unlocks more noise and three extra horsepower. This leaves the final figures at 368 horsepower and 367 (unchanged) pound-feet of torque. Kia says thereÂ’s a small butterfly valve in the exhaust that opens in Sport driving modes, but remains closed in Comfort and Eco. A better exhaust note is one thing we badly wanted out of our long-term Kia Stinger GT. Finally, Kia has an answer — we canÂ’t wait to hear it. ThereÂ’s no change in transmission for the Stinger. All models will continue to come standard with an eight-speed automatic. Both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive will be available for both the four-cylinder and GT models, too. In addition to the powertrain news, Kia has detailed new driver assistance systems available on the updated Stinger. Kia added its Highway Driving Assist tech, which weÂ’ve found to be extremely capable of tracing lines around corners on the highway in other Kias. The Blind-Spot Monitor that debuted in the Telluride is also onboard this year — it displays a video feed of your blind spot in the digital instrument cluster when you put your turn signal on. Other new systems include Lane Following Assist, Rear Occupant Alert and Safe Exit Warning. Several other systems are updated with enhanced functionality, too. WeÂ’re unsure of when this Stinger will make it to our shores, but sales are scheduled to commence in Korea sometime in the third quarter.

Hyundai And Kia To Pay US $100M For Overstating MPG

Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia will pay the U.S. government a $100 million penalty to end a two-year investigation into overstated gas mileage claims on about one-third of their models. The government says the civil penalty is the largest for a Clean Air Act violation in U.S. history. The discrepancy was discovered after the EPA got complaints about lower-than-advertised mileage on Hyundai's Elantra compact. Audits discovered overstated mileage on the Elantra and other models from 2011 into 2013. Hyundai says it made honest mistakes in interpreting complex EPA mileage test requirements. Neither company admitted liability and both maintain they complied with the law. Generally mileage was overstated by one or two miles per gallon on 13 vehicles. But one vehicle's highway mileage was 6 mpg higher than the EPA tested. Auto News Hyundai Kia mpg

2018 Kia Niro PHEV Review | More MPG than an SUV, less weird than a hybrid

PORTLAND, Ore. — It seems like such a no-brainer. The 2018 Kia Niro PHEV has the body of a little SUV, which is just the thing that everyone, their mother, brother, and friend named Phil are clamoring for at the moment. The rest of the plug-in hybrid segment is dominated by slug-shaped eco mobiles that ape the Toyota Prius or that are literally a Toyota Prius. Personally, I don't want to drive a slug. I also don't want to deal with weird interior controls, weirder interior design or four-person back seats. The Niro is very normal by comparison. Get in, press start, slide completely normal PRNDL shifter into D, and go. Better still, the PHEV doesn't suffer from the laggardly throttle response of the regular hybrid Niro that hampers drivability and makes its EPA-estimated 49 mpg combined a bit of a mirage. You'll either get that mpg and live with an accelerator pedal seemingly unattached to the powertrain, or slot the shifter into Sport and live with fuel economy in the low 40's. That's far superior to the 20-something you'd get in comparably sized SUVs, but still short of the 50-something-mpg in the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight or the Niro's mechanically related Hyundai Ioniq cousin. Compared to a typical, disconnected-feeling PHEV throttle, the Niro PHEV's throttle is perfectly normal, leaving Sport to those moments when you want a little extra zest from your plug-in hybrid (such a moment never seemed to arise). One can assume this is due to the larger battery that allows for greater electric input even when the plug-in battery range is depleted. When filled to the brim, it offers an EPA-estimated all-electric range of 26 miles, a figure I bettered by 1 mile during my evaluation route. That's nearly half of what you can get out of a Chevy Volt or Honda Clarity PHEV, but is similar to the Toyota Prius Prime and Ioniq PHEV. And really, how much you drive in all-electric mode makes the biggest difference. If your daily commute is in the 20-mile range, it doesn't really matter which of the above-mentioned plug-ins you choose. If it's more, though, the others will make more sense. The Volt and Clarity can run on electricity longer, and the Prius Prime and Ioniq are more efficient once their plug-in range is depleted. In the end, though, isn't this really just splitting hairs?