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Autoblog Podcast #344

Doug DeMuro from Plays With Cars, Infiniti Q50, Subaru BRZ STI, Porsche Macan
Episode #344 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Executive Editor Chris Paukert are joined by Doug DeMuro, author of Plays With Cars and prolific internet autowriting presence. Topics include the latest spy shots of the Porsche Macan, the 2014 Infiniti Q50, and the teaser images we've recently seen of a Subaru BRZ wearing STI badges. As always, we start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #344:

The 2021 Kia Seltos and Kia Sportage are nearly the same size inside

The 2021 Kia Seltos unveiled here at the L.A. Auto Show slots between the Soul and Sportage in Kia's crossover lineup, but it's much closer to the latter in terms of size. In fact, the interior dimensions of the two are awfully similar. Take a look at the chart below. Second-row legroom is basically the same, which I can confirm, having sat in both Seltos and Sportage back-to-back. Headroom, however, is indeed better in the Seltos. Shoulder room is even quite similar. Taking a look in the cargo area, the Sportage's advantage seems to come from being deeper. It makes up for the Seltos being boxier, which should explain why it actually has greater maximum capacity.  So, if the two crossovers provide similar interior space (even if the Sportage is bigger outside), what's the point between the two. Why pay the extra $2,000 for a Sportage? For starters, take a look at those engine specs. The base Sportage engine has more horsepower than the Seltos' turbocharged upgrade, while blowing away the base offering.  Moving away from specs, the Sportage (above right) has a higher-quality cabin. The door sills and much of the dash consist of soft, low-sheen rubbery materials. The Seltos has hard plastic in those spots with some rubbery stuff stitched and applied to the dash. And while both Kia interiors have plenty of hard plastic, the stuff in the Seltos has a higher sheen and seems more prone to scratching. It looks and feels cheaper.  Frankly, this pair is awfully reminiscent of the Jeep Compass and Cherokee. They too have similar interior space, but differ in terms of performance, capability and refinement. After the Cherokee's recent facelift, though, at least these two Kias offer more greatly differentiated styling.    Here are photos of both the Seltos and Sportage for further comparison. 2021 Seltos View 29 Photos 2020 Kia Sportage View 2 Photos

Trump encouraged by talk of 'a level playing field' on trade with South Korea

South Korea is a longstanding American ally, but President Donald Trump has spoken harshly about U.S. trade imbalances and threatened to tear up the bilateral trade pact. "We will do more to remove barriers to reciprocal trade and market access," Trump said, adding that the two leaders had talked about the thorny trade areas of steel and autos. Trump said he was encouraged by South Korea's President Moon Jae-in's assurances that he would seek a level playing field for American workers and businesses, particularly automakers. A joint statement said the two sides had agreed to work together to reduce over supply of basic materials such as steel and non-tariff barriers. It also said Trump had accepted an invitation from Moon to visit South Korea this year. Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said it was unwise for Trump to air the trade issue so publicly. "Public complaints by Trump about unfair trade and inadequate defense spending provide opportunities for China and North Korea to drive a wedge between the allies," she said. The U.S. goods trade deficit with South Korea has more than doubled since the U.S.-Korea free trade pact known as KORUS took effect in 2012. The agreement was forecast to boost U.S. exports by $10 billion a year, but in 2016 they were $3 billion lower than in 2011. At the start of Friday's talks, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the largest component of the deficit was automotive trade and many non-tariff barriers to U.S. auto exports to South Korea remained. "I think the way to address it is to deal product by product with what we can do to change the export side and what we can do to reduce the bad imports side," he said. Ross said later on Friday that some progress had been made in the talks. The current pact was agreed to despite protests by supporters of Moon, who was then in opposition. But analysts have suggested that given the need to preserve a unified front in the face of a hostile North Korea, there could be compromise on both sides to resolve issues. (By David Brunnstrom and Lisa Lambert. Additional reporting by Fatima Bhojani, Roberta Rampton, Tim Ahmann, David Chance, David Lawder and Eric Beech; Editing by Bill Trott and Andrew Hay) Related Video: Image Credit: Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters Government/Legal Genesis Hyundai Kia trade