2024 Kia Sportage Lx on 2040-cars

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Superman joining Kia's Justice League-themed fleet of vehicles

Kia is teaming up with the Justice League once again to create another show car that will be on display at the Chicago Auto Show. At the 2012 SEMA Show, Kia showed off various models inspired by DC Entertainment characters Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Cyborg, but a Superman-themed Kia Optima Hybrid will roll into the Windy City for next week's show.
In the above drawing, we only get to see a small portion of this car inspired by the Man of Steel, but it will have the requisite red-and-blue paint scheme with Superman's shield on the hood (subtle, it is not).
The previous cars include the Batman Optima, Aquaman Rio, Flash Forte Koup, Green Lantern Soul and Cyborg Forte. All six cars were created to raise awareness for the "We Can Be Heroes" campaign, which helps families in eastern Africa affected by drought and famine.

The 2021 Kia Seltos and Kia Sportage are nearly the same size inside

The 2021 Kia Seltos unveiled here at the L.A. Auto Show slots between the Soul and Sportage in Kia's crossover lineup, but it's much closer to the latter in terms of size. In fact, the interior dimensions of the two are awfully similar. Take a look at the chart below. Second-row legroom is basically the same, which I can confirm, having sat in both Seltos and Sportage back-to-back. Headroom, however, is indeed better in the Seltos. Shoulder room is even quite similar. Taking a look in the cargo area, the Sportage's advantage seems to come from being deeper. It makes up for the Seltos being boxier, which should explain why it actually has greater maximum capacity.  So, if the two crossovers provide similar interior space (even if the Sportage is bigger outside), what's the point between the two. Why pay the extra $2,000 for a Sportage? For starters, take a look at those engine specs. The base Sportage engine has more horsepower than the Seltos' turbocharged upgrade, while blowing away the base offering.  Moving away from specs, the Sportage (above right) has a higher-quality cabin. The door sills and much of the dash consist of soft, low-sheen rubbery materials. The Seltos has hard plastic in those spots with some rubbery stuff stitched and applied to the dash. And while both Kia interiors have plenty of hard plastic, the stuff in the Seltos has a higher sheen and seems more prone to scratching. It looks and feels cheaper.  Frankly, this pair is awfully reminiscent of the Jeep Compass and Cherokee. They too have similar interior space, but differ in terms of performance, capability and refinement. After the Cherokee's recent facelift, though, at least these two Kias offer more greatly differentiated styling.    Here are photos of both the Seltos and Sportage for further comparison. 2021 Seltos View 29 Photos 2020 Kia Sportage View 2 Photos

Best plug-in hybrid cars, SUVs and minivans for 2024

We’re fans of electric vehicles, but they have their shortcomings. TheyÂ’re not available in as wide of a range of body styles as gas-powered cars, and theyÂ’re still limited by range and charging infrastructure. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) offer a great compromise, though, allowing for all-electric driving, but also having a gas engine for when you need more power or to travel long distances. Choosing a plug-in hybrid vehicle also allows more options; for instance, you canÂ’t get an all-electric minivan in the U.S. Â… yet. But with those extra PHEV offerings, it might be difficult to know where to start shopping. WeÂ’ve narrowed it down a bit, bringing you the best plug-in hybrids for 2024, as voted on by Autoblog staff, in various segments to help you pick a great PHEV based on your budget and needs. Best luxury plug-in hybrid large/midsize SUV: Volvo XC90 Recharge Despite showing its age, the Volvo XC90 remains an excellent three-row crossover in terms of design, comfort and safety, and the XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid only improves the formula with both power and efficiency. Interestingly, with the gas motor powering the front axle and the e-motor powering the rear, the XC90 Recharge operates as a rear-wheel-drive car when only using electric power, and front-wheel-drive when only using gas. The powertrain is good for 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque, with a 5-second 0-60 time. It can travel 32 miles on electricity alone. Runner-up: Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid   Best mainstream plug-in hybrid large/midsize SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Do you want an American PHEV with style, refinement and off-road capability? The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe combines all that with a turbocharged 2.0-liter and electric motor good for 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, as well as an electric range of 26 miles. That means you can enjoy your favorite trails in near silence and make fewer trips to the gas pump on the way there. Runner-up: Kia Sorento Plug In-Hybrid   Best luxury plug-in hybrid compact/subcompact SUV: Volvo XC60 Recharge Volvo borrows the formula from the XC90 and places it in a smaller package to get the XC60 Recharge. It has the same 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque, but it drops the 0-60 time to 4.5 seconds while offering 35 miles of electric range. You can even pony up for the Polestar Engineered trim to get the Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, 21-inch forged wheels and unique styling.