2024 Kia Forte Lxs on 2040-cars

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Small 3-row crossover SUVs specifications compared on paper

There's no shortage of three-row vehicles on the market for carrying seven or more people and their stuff wherever they all need to go. Just about every car company has at least one large crossover or traditional SUV with three rows of seats, and there are still plenty of minivans to pick from. But most of these vehicles are large, pricey, and frequently thirsty. Fortunately, there are still a handful of smaller crossovers that deliver 7-passenger capability in a smaller, cheaper package. We've gathered four of the small three-row set here to compare them based on space, power, fuel economy, pricing, and more. They include the very old Dodge Journey, the slightly less old Mitsubishi Outlander and Kia Sorento, and the relatively new Volkswagen Tiguan. You can see the raw numbers in the chart below, followed by a more detailed breakdown and some notes on how we like each of these vehicles. For in-depth opinions on the vehicles, be sure to check out our full reviews, and if you want to compare these with other vehicles, try out our comparison tools. Engines, transmissions and performance Interestingly, three of the four crossovers here utilize similar engines for their four-cylinder offerings. The Dodge, Kia and Mitsubishi all feature naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines. Only the Volkswagen Tiguan chooses turbocharging and a smaller 2.0-liter displacement. But because of its turbocharger, the Tiguan's four-cylinder is easily the most potent, making a healthy 221 pound-feet of torque, which is more than 40 more than the Sorento, the crossover with the next most torque. The VW is also second-most powerful, just one horse behind the Sorento. The Outlander is the least powerful in the four-cylinder class. The Journey is only barely better, but it will probably feel as slow or worse thanks to its ancient 4-speed automatic. The four-cylinder Sorento and Outlander each have 6-speed automatic transmissions, and the VW has an 8-speed. The Sorento with a V6 has an 8-speed, too. View 17 Photos Moving up to the V6 class, the Outlander is once again at the bottom. It actually makes less torque than the turbo VW Tiguan. The Journey and Sorento are almost perfectly matched. The Journey makes a bit more torque; the Sorento makes a bit more power. The Journey also gets upgraded to a 6-speed automatic. Another powertrain consideration to bare in mind is whether all-wheel-drive is necessary.

Kia Soul EV ad campaign charges up with sexified hamsters

It's official: Kia's adorable Soul-hawking Hamsters have crossed that line. It was one thing when they first hit the scene, and we got a small chuckle out of their trimmer looks for the refreshed, 2014 Soul. This, though, is too much.
This is Kia's latest commercial for the 2015 Soul EV, and it starts off typically enough. The hamsters seem to be tinkering in a laboratory attempting to modify a standard, gas-powered Kia. But then, some Weird Science-like trickery occurs and, well, the results are rather disturbing.
You'll need to watch yourself if you want to experience the horror. Take a look, and then head into Comments and let us know what you think.

2018 Kia Niro bests Prius and Ioniq with IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus rating

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently tested the 2018 Kia Niro, and the car came out well. The organization gave it the Top Safety Pick+ award, which goes to cars that meet the organization's most stringent safety requirements. While good on its own, the Niro's new commendation also stands out because its corporate cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq, and its close competitor the Toyota Prius only received the plain Top Safety Pick award. The Niro earned this score by getting a "Good" rating, the highest IIHS bestows, in every single crash test, including the difficult small overlap test for both passenger and driver. It also received a "Good" rating for its optional HID headlights, and the optional forward collision prevention system managed to prevent a collision at speeds up to 25 mph. This brings us to a caveat to the Niro's scores, though. The highly rated headlights and forward collision prevention system are options that don't come standard on base models of the Niro. The headlights only become available on the second-highest EX trim, and are standard on the top Touring trim. The forward collision prevention system is not available on the base FE trim, but it is an option starting with the second-lowest LX trim, and is standard on Touring. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid: First Drive View 20 Photos Image Credit: Kia Green Kia Safety Crossover Hatchback Hybrid kia niro