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2018 Kia Stinger GT long-term wrap-up | Putting the grand in grand tourer

One of our latest long-term tester departures is our 2018 Kia Stinger GT, and it's one we're sad to see leave. Our really red example was optioned ideally for this group of enthusiasts in southeast Michigan with the twin-turbo 365-horsepower V6, a few extra comfort features with the GT1 package such as a sunroof and heated steering wheel, and of course, all-wheel drive. And after over 18,000 miles of driving the Stinger, we were thoroughly impressed. The engine felt impressively powerful, delivering a big ol' shove to the back with every stab of the throttle. The handling was confident and quick. While it wasn't our exact long-term car, one of our editors took a Stinger to the track and had a good time with it. The styling never grew old, looking just as low, lean and aggressive as when it first arrived. And it was even comfortable and practical, just look at all the stuff we could stuff in it! Looking at everyone's final thoughts, the Stinger made a near-perfect daily driver. There were a few snags during our custody, though. A few creaks and rattles appeared, including an issue with a door hinge that had to be fixed by the dealer. We also ended up with a warped brake rotor that needed changing. Something that couldn't be fixed was the Stinger's thirst. We averaged between 19 and 23 mpg in mixed driving plus the occasional long highway slog. That's actually slightly better than the EPA's combined estimate of 20 mpg, but it's still not stellar. The four-cylinder is the way to go if you'll be racking up a lot of miles. Gripes aside, the Stinger GT was a welcome part of the Autoblog fleet. See what we all had to say about it in more detail below. 2018 Kia Stinger GT View 10 Photos Editor-in-Chief, Greg Migliore: I really enjoyed our long-term Stinger. It had guts. It had plenty of power. It was fun to drive. It had emotion in a way only a few non-luxury sedans have. Frankly, it's this and the Dodge Charger as far as large sedans go for enthusiasts. I loved how the Stinger sounded; guttural and deep. It looked the part, too, though some of the accents weren't to my taste. The steering was excellent, the right balance of precision and pliability. It offered confidence to push the car in corners and the necessary feedback to do so with skill. I really liked the Stinger. It offered a great value, though the interior did start to show some aging after a year in our fleet.

High-performance 2019 Kia Forte spied with dual exhaust

The 2019 Kia Forte compact sedan introduced at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year showed off a handsome, subtly aggressive exterior inspired by the Stinger. But the sporty exterior was betrayed by a simply adequate powertrain: a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 147 horsepower. Now, one of our spy photographers has caught a disguised Kia Forte out testing that has a number of visual changes suggesting it's a more powerful version of the Forte. It might be called the Kia Forte GT to fit the Stinger's nomenclature, or Kia Forte SX to follow the naming scheme of past punchier Fortes. The most notable of this Forte's visual enhancements is its dual exhaust outlets. All versions of the current Forte have just one exhaust outlet on the right side and more exhausts usually mean more power. Along the side, the body and side skirts are the same as regular Fortes with the more aggressive body kit. But up at the front, we can see some adjustments under the camouflage. The upper grille appears to be larger, with bottom corners that push out lower and wider than on the basic car. The lower grille also looks a bit taller, and seems to have larger fog lights mounted farther inward than the regular Forte. View 20 Photos As for what might power the newer, peppier Forte,the likeliest candidate is the 201-horsepower turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder found in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo and Hyundai Elantra Sport. As discovered by The Korean Car Blog and someone going by SHM, there is information saying that the Korean version of the Forte will indeed have that turbo engine paired to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This wouldn't be surprising given that the new Forte shares its naturally aspirated engine with the base Elantra and Veloster. A version of that turbo engine was also used in the outgoing Forte SX models. Since the new Forte has been revealed and will go on sale later this year, we expect we'll hear about this high-performance version sometime early next year, with a release not too long after. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2020 Kia Forte GT spy shots News Source: The Korean Car Blog, SHMImage Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Kia Economy Cars Performance Sedan kia forte

NACTOY announces top nine finalists for Car, Truck and Utility of the Year

Finalists for the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards were announced at this year’s L.A. Auto Show. This whittles the field down to nine vehicles in total, with the winners scheduled to be announced on January 4, 2024. The finalists in their respective categories: Car category: Honda Accord, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Toyota Prius Truck category: Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Ford Super Duty Utility category: Genesis Electrified GV70, Kia EV9, Volvo EX30 These nine cars were chosen from a list of 25, which was previously narrowed down from a list of 52 eligible vehicles. Notable misses include the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, Toyota GR Corolla, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Mazda CX-90 and Toyota Grand Highlander, among others. Jurors will now evaluate the final nine through the end of the year to determine the four winners. Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is among the jurors. Green LA Auto Show Chevrolet Ford Genesis GM Honda Hyundai Kia Toyota Volvo Truck Crossover Hatchback SUV Electric Hybrid Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Sedan