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2021 Kia Seltos falls short of IIHS Top Safety Pick

The 2021 Kia Seltos missed out on an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award due to under-performing headlights, the organization announced Thursday. Kia's new baby SUV aced the safety watchdog's crash safety and collision avoidance tests, but none of its available trims had headlights capable of scoring at least an "Acceptable" rating in IIHS testing.  "With at least one good or acceptable headlight rating, the Seltos would have qualified for a 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK award. Good or acceptable headlight ratings across all trim levels would have earned it the higher-tier TOP SAFETY PICK+ award," IIHS said in its announcement.  IIHS updated its testing regimen for the 2021 model year, further emphasizing the performance of exterior lighting and pedestrian safety systems. Previously, a vehicle could receive a Top Safety Pick Plus rating so long as it at least had optional headlights that performed well; this year, vehicles must have headlights rated at least "Acceptable" on all trim levels to qualify for the highest ratings. The lesser Top Safety Pick designation is more lenient, but Kia's new entry falls short of even those requirements. Kia offers three different headlight configurations on the Seltos — two halogen and one LED — and all three were rated "Poor" due to inadequate illumination in curves, says IIHS. Its other equipment, including its optional collision mitigation systems, all received high marks.  The base-model LX comes standard with all-wheel drive, but is woefully devoid of advanced safety features, coming with only a rear seat occupancy reminder and government-mandated tech such as a rearview camera and lots of airbags. Above the LX, the Seltos gets standard forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assistance, a driver inattention warning system and automatic high beams. The EX, S Turbo and SX Turbo add blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, while the SX Turbo adds adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and an enhanced automatic emergency braking system that includes cyclist detection. Related Video:    

Hyundai, Kia earmark $760 million to settle U.S. lawsuits over engine fires

SEOUL — Hyundai and affiliate Kia have earmarked 900 billion won ($758 million) to settle U.S. class action litigation and address engine-related issues including fires and failures in the United States and South Korea. The move marks the South Korean auto giant's first major effort to resolve years of trouble over engine defects that have also sparked probes by the U.S. safety regulator and prosecutors. Hyundai Motor will make a provision of about 600 billion won in its July to September earnings while Kia will book one for about 300 billion won, they said on Friday. Hyundai and Kia said in a statement that under the U.S. settlement they would install software to monitor for symptoms of engine failure and take other steps, including offering compensation options and lifetime warranties. A total of 4.17 million Hyundai and Kia models equipped with Theta II gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines, which were sold in naturally aspirated 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter displacements, and had a turbocharged derivative, will be affected by the U.S. settlement. Hyundai and Kia, together the world's fifth-biggest automaker by sales, recalled nearly 1.7 million vehicles in the United States to address the possibility of engine fires. In November, Reuters reported that U.S. federal prosecutors had launched a criminal investigation to determine if the recalls had been conducted properly. Since 2017, the U.S. safety regulator has been investigating whether the recalls covered enough vehicles and were conducted in a timely manner. The investigation comes after Kim Gwang-ho, then an engineer at Hyundai, flew to Washington in 2016 to tell the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the companies should have recalled more vehicles over the problem, citing an internal report. Hyundai Motor at that time denied allegations. The NHTSA this year opened a fresh investigation into 3 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles after reviewing reports of more than 3,000 fires that injured more than 100 people. That probe came in response to a petition seeking an investigation filed in June by the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety.

Kia Telluride vs Buick Enclave Luggage Test | What actually fits behind that third row?

So, you want to buy a three-row crossover. Before plunking down $40,000 on a new sport utility vehicle, might we dissuade you with the prospect of minivan ownership? The Pacifica Hybrid, perhaps ... no? Fine. Good thing crossovers (especially the Telluride and comparable Palisade) are so nice to drive these days. We’ll assume you want the big three-row crossover, as you intend to seat folks in all three rows. Unfortunately, raising that third row reduces the luggage area from cavernous to crawl space. ItÂ’s rather devastating from a pure numbers perspective to the two models we have today. The 2019 Buick Enclave goes from a monstrous 58 cubic-feet with the second-row in place down to 23.6 cubic-feet (which along with the nearly identical 2020 Chevrolet Traverse is still best-in-class). Meanwhile, the 2020 Kia Telluride takes a similar hit, going from 46 cubic-feet down to 21 cubic-feet. Just looking at the numbers, it would seem that the EnclaveÂ’s big advantage all but disappears with the third row up, boasting just 2.6 cubic-feet of storage more than the Telluride. But as West Coast Editor James Riswick has discovered in the numerous luggage tests he's conducted, the numbers don't always tell the whole story. Let's see how the Enclave and Telluride compare when you actually put things inside.  Boom. The Enclave swallows all of the test luggage we have for it without any fuss. The distance between the back of the seats to the hatch opening is enough to fit our full-size suitcase horizontally, making it easy to stack every other bag around it. It even fits below the seatbacks, so the driver will have an uninhibited view out the rear of the vehicle.  At our Michigan HQ, our test luggage consists of the following pieces: 28-inch upright suitcase, 24-inch upright suitcase, 19-inch upright suitcase, two small tote bags and one backpack. ItÂ’s likely enough luggage for a quick weekend getaway with the family, given there are no strollers involved. As we attempted to pack it all into the Telluride, weÂ’re glad we didnÂ’t have anything else. The loss of 2.6 cubic-feet of space was indeed felt much harder than what it looks like on paper. We knew we were in trouble when the 28-inch suitcase didnÂ’t fit along the floor as it did so neatly in the Enclave. We were forced to stack it up next to the rear seats, which left it sitting rather tall back there. As a result, the other suitcases didnÂ’t have a neat or convenient place to go.