2007 Kia Sportage Lx/1owner!wow!serviced!look!nice!warranty! on 2040-cars

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2018 Kia Stinger GT First Drive Review | Sleeper of the year

MOJAVE, Calif. — The sunbaked sign at the Hyundai/Kia Proving Grounds clearly indicates the speed limit on the banked oval: 120 miles per hour. But after a few perfunctory triple-digit parade laps, the Kia representative in the passenger seat isn't having any of it. With a wink and nudge, he discreetly permits us a few extra, unrestricted goes around the big course. Never one to turn down track time, we push the 2018 Kia Stinger down the 6.4-mile oval until I see an indicated 164 mph on the straight — the fastest we've ever driven anything built in Korea, let alone many of the contenders in the Stinger's crosshairs. Game on, Kia. The early days of Kia's attempt to conquer the American car market were dominated with an appliance-like sense of economy, one reflecting a scrappy catch-up mentality opposed to the disruptive, luxury challenging tactics du jour. Subsequent attempts to globalize the brand have taken on a definitively more inspired, international flair, and the new Stinger is the strongest harbinger of that direction to date. The movement originated when Hyundai/Kia plucked design boss Peter Schreyer from Audi, eventually moving him up in an unprecedented promotion to one of manufacturer's three group presidents. Not only did Schreyer inject a sleek, contemporary look to the lineup, his promotion proved the brand was dead serious about creating striking designs. The Stinger's styling does not disappoint. Apart from the familiar Tiger Nose grille and the letdown of non-functional (ie, ornamental) "hood vents," the five-seater's proportions and surface treatments feel sharp and fresh, purposeful and clean. Measured from bow to stern, the Stinger is roughly mid-class among its competitive set, while offering the practicality of a sportback design that enables decent rear legroom and 23.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity. But its considerable 114.4-inch wheelbase is among the lengthiest in its class, edged out only by the Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, and BMW 6 Series Grand Coupe. That said, the upper end of Kia's self-ascribed competition might be a bit of a stretch (sorry, pun intended) considering the unlikelihood of Porsche die-hards cross-shopping the $85,000 Panamera against this new kid on the block. The other side of Kia's modern story involves the snagging of performance whisperer Albert Biermann from BMW's M performance division.

Lucid Air and Maserati MC20 unveiled | Autoblog Podcast #644

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd. Before they get to the juicy news of the week, they chat about the cars they've been driving, including a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R, Audi A6 Allroad, Mazda CX-9 and Kia Niro. It's been a busy week in the news department, with GM investing in Nikola, Lucid Motors launching the Air electric sedan, Maserati unveiling the MC20 mid-engined supercar and a farewell to the Lexus GS. Then they talk about having a newfound respect for the Fox Body Mustang and the Mazda CX-9. Autoblog Podcast #644 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 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R 2020 Audi A6 Allroad 2020 Mazda CX-9 2020 Kia Niro GM buys $2 billion stake in Nikola, will build Badger hydrogen-electric pickup Update: Short-seller accuses Nikola of fraud and Nikola threatens to sue Lucid Air production electric luxury sedan is a dream revealed Lucid Air's modular powertrain opens up serious performance possibilities Lucid Motors teases electric SUV at Air debut Mid-engined, 621-horsepower MC20 inaugurates a new era for Maserati All future Maseratis will borrow styling cues from the MC20  2023 Maserati MC20 Folgore planned with three-motor electric powertrain Lexus GS dead for 2021 Respect to: Fox Body Mustang Mazda CX-9 Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Driver unaware SUV is in flames going down the highway

NBC Nightly News recently carried the above segment on a video showing a 2012 Kia Sorento spewing flames as its driver travels at highway speed on Interstate 4 in Orlando. Another motorist, Meredith Olinger, drives alongside, shooting the video while trying to warn the driver to pull over. She does, just in time. Seconds later, the Kia is cooked. The driver, Susan King, says, "I got out, and suddenly the car was engulfed in flames. (Olinger) saved my life. I'm incredibly grateful, and she was my angel that day. It was surreal." NBC did a nice job of using the video to highlight a serious issue. The SUV's owner was not King but her friend Tyla Kennedy, and though the Kia was part of a recall of 2012-14 Sorentos having to do with an engine defect, Kennedy says she never received a recall notice. That's because she was not the car's original owner. And as anyone who has received a recall notice for a long-sold car knows, automakers send the notices to original owners. Subsequent owners are out of luck. We could argue all day about whether automakers, sellers or subsequent owners should do more to ensure that automakers know the current whereabouts of their products, but luckily there's an easy way past all of that. If you own a car you bought second-hand, go to safercar.gov and enter your VIN. If there is a recall on your vehicle, it will show up there. If one pops up, contact a dealership and the repair will be carried out free of charge. Even if you bought your vehicle new, doing this check couldn't hurt, just in case your notice got lost in the mail. It could keep you from discovering, as you fly down the highway, that you are driving a fireball. Related Video: Image Credit: Meredith Olinger Auto News Recalls Kia Crossover SUV Videos