2005 Kia Sorento Lx Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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2014 Kia Cee'd GT

Kia may be an automaker with a lot going for it these days, but it's not yet one that takes pains to appeal to performance enthusiasts. Aside from its Pirelli World Challenge team, it doesn't support any major racing programs to speak of. And despite having showcased such concepts as the GT4 Stinger and the Provo, it doesn't really offer much in the way of performance models.
That is, at least not in North America. But at the Geneva Motor Show last year, Kia got itself into the Euro hot hatch game with the launch of the Cee'd GT (and its three-door compatriot, the Pro_Cee'd GT). It's based on the Korean automaker's European-market Volkswagen Golf rival that's now in its second generation and which, in its previous base iteration, served as the Reasonably Priced Car that celebrity guests drove on Top Gear before it was replaced by a Vauxhall Astra. Now with a GT moniker attached, the Cee'd has warmed up to the point that it'd potentially be better suited towards a proper romp down twisting B-roads than serving as a celebrity punching bag.
Since Kia's first genuine performance model (like the model upon which it's based) isn't offered Stateside, we jumped at the opportunity to drive it while on a recent trip to the UK. Read on to see what we found.

2020 Kia Telluride picks up second highest Top Safety Pick award

The 2020 Kia Telluride has impressed us every time we've been behind the wheel. And now it has impressive safety scores. The IIHS tested the large crossover, and it earned the second-highest rating of Top Safety Pick, just behind the Top Safety Pick + rating. In every crash test, including small-offset crashes, the Telluride received the highest "Good" rating. The standard forward collision prevention also received the highest "Superior" score since it provided adequate warning and stopped the car from colliding with a vehicle in front of it at speeds up to 25 mph. What kept the Telluride from the Top Safety Pick + rating was headlight performance, which has tripped up so many other vehicles. The base model's halogen headlights were given the lowest "Poor" rating, and the higher-trim LED headlights got the second highest score of "Acceptable." Headlights with "Good" performance are required for Top Safety Pick + rating. Also worth noting is the child seat LATCH anchor access, which was also rated as "Acceptable." As for the Telluride's competition, the Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9, Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe XL and Nissan Pathfinder all share the same Top Safety Pick rating. Only the Subaru Ascent tops them as a Top Safety Pick +. Going down slightly in size, the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe also get the Top Safety Pick + rating.

2018 Kia Rio is the only subcompact car to earn IIHS highest safety rating

If you're looking for a new subcompact car, and safety is your priority, there is one clear choice now: the 2018 Kia Rio. The littlest Kia has been awarded the highest safety rating from the IIHS, the Top Safety Pick +, and it is the only car in the subcompact segment to earn the score. In addition, only two other models earn the second highest rating Top Safety Pick, sans plus, the Hyundai Accent and the Mini Cooper. The Rio's rating is an increase from the sans plus version because Kia updated and improved the headlights for the 2018 model. There is a caveat, though. Only the optional LED projector headlights, available as an option on the midlevel S trim, are rated "Good," the highest IIHS rating. The standard halogen headlights are still rated "Poor." The Rio's forward collision prevention system that earned full marks is also only available as standard equipment on the top-level EX trim. Still, even lower-trim Rios with the less capable headlights and no automatic emergency braking boast strong crash test scores. Every test except for the passenger-side small overlap test resulted in Good ratings. The passenger-side small overlap test garnered the second-highest rating of "Acceptable." And on top of that, it's a car that has impressed us every time we've driven it. Related Video: