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2018 Kia Rio First Drive | Keep compact and carry on

When Kia announced that it would bring the fourth-generation Rio to the United States, we were rather surprised. The subcompact segment in which it competes isn't exactly hot here, and small cars have tight profit margins. It makes more sense to concentrate on tiny crossovers that are more popular and can sell for more cash. Ford seems to be taking this tack with the impending introduction of the EcoSport, and the delayed introduction of the new Fiesta in America. Even Kia itself has experienced success with sub-compact crossovers with the Soul. Kia seems determined to stick with the segment, though. A Kia representative told us that, even though the U.S. subcompact market may not be booming, it still accounts for about 500,000 cars a year. Plus, if any manufacturers leave the segment, that's an opportunity to pick up some conquest sales. He also said that regardless of the size of the market, Kia still sees a portion of the car-buying public that will always want a budget subcompact, and that it can be a good introduction to the brand. So with that in mind, is the Kia Rio a good introduction to the Korean car company? In general, yes, and we were introduced to it in and around Baltimore, Md., where we were able to try out a top-level Kia Rio EX on everything from cobblestone streets to winding country lanes. And at first glance, the Rio is a handsome little machine. While the previous generation was round and bubbly, the new model looks more aggressive, and has a shape more akin to larger vehicles. Thank the longer, more horizontal grille, slender, swept-back headlights, lower belt line, large lower grille and jutting lip. The hatchback is the more attractive version of the car, but the sedan is far from ugly, which is no small feat for a subcompact. Compared with the European version of the Rio, and even the previous-generation model, though, there are visual differences that reveal the fourth-generation U.S.-spec Rio has succumbed to cost-cutting measures. The first tipoff is the wheels. The alloys on the Rio EX, the only model with alloy wheels, are a minuscule 15 inches. Though admittedly adorable, and probably a boon to ride quality, they do look disappointing when compared to the available 17-inch units on the European model, or even those on the old Rio. The headlights and taillights are plain and simple, too. The headlights are reflector halogen lamps, and the taillights and turn signals use incandescent bulbs.

Kia Soul EV spied, shows over 250-mile range

The upcoming Kia Soul EV has been spied again at the Nurburgring. This time, it was wearing substantially less camouflage, revealing a shape very similar to conventionally powered Kia Soul prototypes. We also get our first look at the compact hatchback's interior. The interior reveals that the Soul EV should have impressive driving range, too. We'll get to the design aspects of this prototype in a moment, but first we want to address the car's range, which is shown on the infotainment display. It clearly shows that this car had 92 percent of its charge remaining, with an estimated range of 437 kilometers, or about 271 miles. That's a lot of range, and it's also in keeping with the European range estimate for the Hyundai Kona Electric, which was 292 miles. We don't expect quite that much range in the U.S., since the Kona is rated for 258 miles under EPA testing. But this makes us think the Soul could have roughly the Kona's U.S. range, which would be impressive. This could also suggest that the Soul EV will have the same 201-horsepower electric motor as the Kona and the Kona's cousin, the Niro EV. It isn't just range that's revealed with this prototype. This example gives us the best look we've had yet at the little electric. It shows us that the Soul EV shares the same boxy shape, boomerang-shaped taillights, and full-width headlights of the gasoline models. There are some unique deviations, though. While the wide headlight section is the same shape as the internal combustion model, it actually appears to house the main illuminating lights. The other version puts the lights for forward illumination lower in the front fascia. On the Soul EV, these lower light pods are still there, but they appear to be for accent lighting, maybe turn signals or possibly fog lights. The large lower grille of the gasoline Soul is also virtually gone except for a small opening at the bottom. It will be interesting to see what Kia does with all this extra space. The interior is an evolutionary take on the current model. The biggest difference appears to be a revised infotainment system with a wider screen and buttons placed underneath, rather than on each side. This being the EV model, it has a little rotary knob for shifting rather than a lever, and the instrument panel shows a speedometer and a dial that provides power information. The doors seem to have some interesting metallic trim with swoopy patterns.

Here’s how 20 popular EVs fared in cold-weather testing in Norway

Electric vehicles are known to suffer diminished performance in cold weather, but some do a better job than others hanging onto their range capacity while cabin heaters and frigid outdoor temperatures sap power from their batteries. Recently, the Norwegian Automobile Federation put the 20 of the best-selling battery-electric vehicles in the country to the test, to see not only how winter weather affected their range but also their charging times. The major findings: On average, electric vehicles lost 18.5% of their official driving range as determined by the European WLTP cycle. Electric vehicles also charge more slowly in cold temperatures. And interestingly, the researchers learned that EVs don’t simply shut down when they lose power but instead deliver a series of warnings to the driver, with driving comfort and speed levels maintained until the very last few miles. Because itÂ’s Norway, the worldÂ’s top market for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles by market share, the test included many EVs that arenÂ’t available here in the U.S. But there are many familiar faces, among them the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Models S, 3 and X, Hyundai Kona (known here as the Kona Electric) and Ioniq, and Audi E-Tron. In terms of range, the top-performing EV was the Hyundai Kona, which lost only 9% of its official range, which the WTLP rated at 449 kilometers, or 279 miles, compared to its EPA-rated range of 258 miles on a full charge. It delivered 405 km, just enough to nudge it ahead of the Tesla Model 3, which returned 404 km. Other top performers included the Audi E-Tron, in both its 50 Quattro (13% lower range) and higher-powered 55 Quattro (14% lower) guises; the Hyundai Ioniq (10% lower); and Volkswagen e-Golf (11% lower). At 610 km (379 miles) the Tesla Model S has the longest WLTP range of all models tested and went the furthest, but still lost 23% of its range, though it also encountered energy-sapping heavy snow at the end of its test, when many cars had dropped out. The Model 3 lost 28% of its range. The worst performer? That goes to the Opel Ampera-e, better known stateside as the Chevrolet Bolt. It traveled 297 km (about 184 miles) in the test, which was nearly 30% lower than its stated WLTP range. We should also note that Opel, now owned by Groupe PSA, is phasing the car out in Europe and that Chevy recently upgraded the Bolt here in the U.S.