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2019 Kia Niro EV First Drive Review | How to have fun in a practical EV

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Kia Niro EV rounds out the Niro trio, and is the most impressive on paper. With the same 64-kWh battery and 201-horsepower electric motor as the Hyundai Kona Electric, it's rated at 239 miles of driving range between charges. Granted, 239 miles is less than the 258 miles the Kona EV gets on paper, so we were eager to see what the differences were between the similar EVs. After spending an icy, frigid weekend driving (and falling in love with) the Hyundai Kona Electric around Michigan we hopped on a plane, and headed to Santa Cruz to try out the 2019 Kia Niro EV (and to escape the cold). With a longer wheelbase and greater overall length than the Kona, the Niro EV offers a little more rear legroom — about three inches extra. As a 6-footer, I didn't find it uncomfortable to squeeze in behind an even taller driver. This bodes well for those of us with car seats we need to install in the back of our EVs. The Niro EV also boasts more luggage space than the Kona, with 18.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats, and 53 cubic feet with the seats folded down. We were impressed by the large rear opening and the spaciousness of the cargo area. The driver's seating position took a lot of adjustment to get comfortable in, a problem we didn't have in the Kona. No matter what we did, we felt like we were sitting too high up in the vehicle, but eventually it began to feel natural as our focus shifted from the interior around us to the road in front of us. Still, every time we got back in the car, we felt the need to try to improve the seating position. At least the seats were comfortable and supportive. Thankfully, Kia didn't go overboard with the styling of the Niro EV, and that goes for the interior, too. The oddest thing is the big rotary gear selector. While it looks like it would be in the way of the cupholder, it didn't interfere with grabbing our coffee, and it's more intuitive to use than the Kona Electric's separate PRDN buttons. The rest of the interior is about what you'd expect. There's a lot of plastic, a center stack that's maybe just a little too busy with buttons and controls, a well-incorporated touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster. It's quiet when you turn it on and begin to drive away, as you would expect. Listen carefully and you'll hear the spacey hum of its pedestrian warning system at low speeds, which shuts off as you approach 20 miles per hour.

Driving a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle, and the 2021 Kia K5 arrives | Autoblog Podcast #634

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They start with what they've been driving this week, including the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 diesel, 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle. They move on to the news, covering the 2021 Kia K5, Geneva Motor Show (canceled again), Maserati's new engine and a new extended reality experience here at Autoblog. Finally, the guys spend some money for a listener who just had twins. Autoblog Podcast #634 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 diesel 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 1964 Volkswagen Beetle 2021 Kia K5 Geneva Motor Show cancelled Maserati engine Extended Reality with the Mustang Mach-E Spend your money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

2018 Kia Stinger GT AWD Review: A 1,400-mile grand tour in Kia's grand tourer

They call the 2018 Kia Stinger a GT. It's powerful and sleek with a low-slung seating position, quick steering and, even with all-wheel drive, a tail-happy nature. It looks killer in red. And with its V6-powered engine, the letters GT are even festooned upon its liftgate. Well, that's nice, but how does it actually deliver on the grand-tourer formula of rapid, comfortable and stylish transportation? Well, to find out, I put the Stinger GT to a grand-touring test. Starting in the western Rockies and the remote ski town of Crested Butte, Colo., my destination would be home in Portland, Ore. The Google-suggested way is 18 hours on mostly Interstates 70, 15 and 84. However, interstates are boring and are better suited to a perfectly capable but utterly soulless family transportation appliance. A proper grand tour should include two-lane highways and scenic detours, so that's exactly what I'd do. It would add hours and miles, but also, most hopefully, a vastly more memorable experience. Well, as my photos will attest, the scenery didn't disappoint. And, as you'll see in the videos, neither did the Stinger. Episode 1: Setting Off Episode 2: It's a hatchback! Crested Butte, Colo., to Moab, Utah Crested Butte is way off the beaten path, a charming mountain village deep in the western Colorado Rockies mostly free from the usual uber-commercial, Disney-like feel of ritzier, easier-accessed ski towns. Its main street thoroughfare, authentically Western rather than engineered to be so, is surrounded by scattered subdivisions and majestic mountains beyond. It had been buried in 9 feet of snow just a few weeks prior. The local citizenry didn't seem particularly bothered by that. Though most of that 9 feet had melted, the ground was still very much white, requiring the Stinger GT to shed its usual summer rubber in favor of Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 winter tires. These are specifically intended for performance car applications like the Stinger, sacrificing just a smidge of icy traction in favor of superior handling and steering feel when on dry pavement. There's no need to delay the verdict here: after 1,400 miles, the Stinger felt just as generally compelling and dynamic on the Alpins as when I drove it last November in Southern California on summer tires. The other half of the Stinger's snow defense is the GT's optional all-wheel-drive system, which adds $2,000 to its price tag (as-tested $52,300).