2016 Kia Soul Redline Special Edition on 2040-cars

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New Kia Soul Turbo gets futuristic full-width headlight treatment

When we last saw a prototype of the next-generation Kia Soul, it looked like it wouldn't look all that different from the old one, except for having trendy split headlights. As it turns out, those split headlights are more interesting than we thought. The example of the new compact hatchback shown above reveals that it will have a futuristic-looking full-width headlight treatment, something we haven't really seen since the early Mercury Sable. It's clear from these photos that the full-width lights are not the actual headlights that provide forward illumination. They're just accent lights, but the effect is still impressive. It appears the turn signals are integrated into each end of the big light. The center section also eliminates the old Soul's center grille. Below the lighting unit is an expanded lower grille and large lighting elements on either side. These are real forward-illuminating lights. In the bottom of the lower grille are a pair of foglights much like on the current model. The Soul's profile looks almost unchanged from the current model, leading us to wonder if this is a major update to the existing car, or if it is a new platform that just looks mostly like the old one. The tail end receives some major changes, though. The taillights are now almost completely visible, and although they still run up the rear pillars, they now descend lower and into the hatch area. They appear much more shapely and aren't form fitted to the body. This particular prototype also has a sporty dual exhaust tip in the center. This seems to indicate this is a Kia Soul Turbo model, as does the fact it's parked next to a Hyundai Veloster N. Not much is known about the new Kia Soul. We expect it to be roughly the same size as the current model, and we wouldn't be surprised if Kia offers all-wheel drive to keep it competitive with other tiny crossovers. As for the Kia Soul Turbo, we predict it will use the same turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that the current model and the new Hyundai Veloster Turbo use. We do hope that Kia will offer it with a manual transmission this time around. Related Video:

2018 Kia Stinger GT Long-Term Review Update | Do we like the seats?

We've had our long-term 2018 Kia Stinger GT for over six months, which means we've all had a lot of seat time in the sports sedan. And those seats we've become so familiar with have stirred up some mixed opinions among the staff, which I discovered after voicing my personal dissatisfaction with the shape of the seats. In my experience, I've found the seats to offer too little lumbar support, and with short, flat bottom cushions that aren't angled to support my thighs. Managing Editor Greg Rasa and Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski agreed the seat bottom would be better if it was angled up more, but otherwise didn't have complaints about the shape. Korzeniewski also mentioned he doesn't care for aggressive lumbar support, so the Stinger seat felt fine in that regard. Editors both lighter and shorter than the aforementioned folks didn't have any complaints. Road Test Editor Reese Counts felt they were supportive enough with good adjustability. "I've got a bad back, but I was feeling fine when I got home," Counts said, referring to a road trip to St. Louis in the car. "They're not the best seats I've ever tested, but the fact that I don't think about them very much speaks for itself." Senior Producer Chris McGraw said: "I'm 5'7" and weigh 150 pounds on a good day, so I wasn't really pushing these seats to their limits. They were comfortable for long highway stretches and offered enough support when I decided to push the twin-turbo V6 while driving around some of West Michigan's curvy roads." There is something about the seats that drew near universal derision, though: the combination of interior and exterior colors. Our Stinger GT is red with a red interior, and Counts, Korzeniewski and Rasa were annoyed that the reds don't quite match. McGraw felt it was "a bit too much The Shining to me," a reference to the vivid red bathroom in the movie. I like lots of color, and wasn't put off by the mismatch, so was perfectly fine with the color scheme. No one actually disliked the red leather itself, though, and Rasa offered a solution we all could agree on, "Just don't get that combo." We all agreed the red interior would look excellent with contrasting exterior colors such as white, black and blue. And it seems that even Kia agrees, since it appears that the red-on-red combo is no longer offered on the Stinger. Related Video:

2018 Kia Stinger vs. other luxury hatchbacks compared by the numbers

Ten years ago, if you had told us that one of the many new luxury segments to develop would be sedan-style hatchbacks, we'd have said you'd lost your mind. And yet, here we are today with not one, but four cars competing in just such a niche upscale segment: The Kia Stinger, Buick Regal Sportback, BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo and Audi A5. That's just in one size and price bracket. Two of the manufacturers listed here make larger versions of each luxury hatchback. We aren't entirely sure how it happened, but we're not going to complain, because we love the idea of a car with almost no compromise: luxury features, sporty performance, and plenty of practicality. Try Autoblog' s Car Finder to search for your next new vehicle. One of the reasons we're taking a look at these cars right now is that Kia has recently released pricing for its entry in the segment, the Stinger and Stinger GT. Buick wasn't far behind with the Regal Sportback and Regal GS, nor was Audi with the A5 and S5. So it seemed like an appropriate moment to look at the numbers and see which come out ahead or behind, with victors in each category highlighted with bold and underlined text. What we found when comparing these cars' statistics is that each one has a clear area of expertise. For performance, it's hard to beat the four-cylinder Kia Stinger and the V6 Stinger GT. The four-banger has the most horsepower of the four cars, and is just behind on torque. The V6 has the most power and torque among the six-cylinder versions. The Stingers are also the second lightest of the group when equipped with rear-wheel drive, though they fall to third with all-wheel drive. Space is a split between the Buick Regals and BMW 3 Series Gran Turismos. The Buicks have the most cargo space with the rear seats up or folded by a significant margin. The BMW on the other hand generally offers more space for passengers. It's up to you what's most important. Compare these and other potential new vehicle purchases using our tool. When it comes to cost, nothing can beat the four-cylinder Regal's base price of under $26,000. But if a V6 is what you're after, the Stinger GT is the cheapest. Neither matches the Audi A5 and S5 for fuel economy, though. Both Audis have the highest numbers for city, highway, and combined EPA estimates. Related Video: