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2019 Kia Forte Second Drive Review | The notes say it's a good choice

The 2019 Kia Forte is one of those cars that impresses and pleases with its well-rounded goodness. It has few foibles, its engineers and designers capably checked as many boxes as they could, and after a week spent driving around town running errands, I found myself saying, "Yeah, this could be my permanent car for driving around town running errands." And yet, if it wasn't for my test drive notes, I'm pretty sure I would've forgotten the Forte. Its styling is handsome and will certainly age well, but it's not bold nor particularly memorable. The gray paint doesn't help. The interior is well-equipped and sensibly laid out, but I had to consult the photo file to recall what it looked like. The Mazda3 and new Toyota Corolla had no such problems. The driving experience, which is perfectly pleasant and vice free around town, merely manages to demonstrate poise and not be flummoxed by mid-corner heaves when pushed on a mountain road. Multiple drive settings are included — a nice touch — and although Normal is just a little too light and numb, even when driving on the highway, the Sport setting dials in just the right amount of extra effort. So too does the "Smart" setting, which I assume lived up to its name by figuring out how I'd prefer my steering. And yet, it could use more feel and is certainly not a Stinger in a small package. Again, I don't need notes to remember what the wheels of the Mazda3, Honda Civic and Corolla Hatchback felt like in my hands. The Forte ... ah ... So this compact Kia comes standard with a neuralizer from " Men in Black" that wipes out your memories after contact. Oh well. Because what it lacks in memorability, it makes up for with that general foible-free goodness. Take the infotainment system as but one example. The Forte's standard 8-inch touchscreen is a paragon of user friendliness and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Honda Civic's, by contrast, is wonky and optional. The Corolla's can't be had with Android Auto. The Mazda's isn't a touchscreen. The cabin? It's spacious for four adults aboard. Driver seat comfort? The eight-way power adjustment was spot on for this 6-plus-footer. The trunk? It has 15.3 cubic feet, which is midsize sedan territory, and even bests the previously-thought-to-be jumbo Honda Civic (15.1 cubic feet). The in-car storage?

Center for Auto Safety wants Hyundai and Kia to recall 2.9M vehicles

DETROIT — A nonprofit auto safety group is demanding that Hyundai and Kia recall 2.9 million cars and SUVs in the U.S. due to consumer complaints that they can catch fire. The Center For Auto Safety said Friday that there have been more than 220 complaints to the U.S. government since 2010 about fires and another 200 complaints about melted wires as well as smoke and burning odors. The complaints involve the 2011 through 2014 Kia Sorento and Optima and the Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe. Also included is the 2010 through 2015 Kia Soul. The fires are being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of a 2017 probe into Hyundai and Kia engine failures. "The volume of fires here make it appear that Hyundai and Kia are content to sit back and allow consumers and insurers to bear the brunt of poorly designed, manufactured and repaired vehicles," Jason Levine, the center's executive director, said. The fire reports have come in from across the country, including a death in Ohio in April 2017, he said. Hyundai says it monitors safety concerns and acts quickly to recall defective vehicles. "We have a robust system in place for monitoring and investigating reported vehicle fires that includes investigation and reporting to NHTSA as required. Vehicle fires can result from a variety of reasons," the company statement said. Kia said it is using company and third-party fire investigators to determine what caused the fires so it can address them. "A vehicle fire may be the result of any number of complex factors, such as a manufacturing issue, inadequate maintenance, the installation of aftermarket parts, an improper repair, arson, or some other non-vehicle source, and must be carefully evaluated by a qualified and trained investigator or technician," the company said in a statement. The Center for Auto Safety filed a petition asking NHTSA to investigate the fires in June. The agency said Friday that it is still evaluating the petition and it has sent information requests to Hyundai, Kia and other automakers about the issue. Levine says the center does not know what's causing the fires. In May 2017 the government began investigating whether the automakers moved quickly enough to recall over 1.6 million vehicles because of engines stalling. NHTSA is looking into three recalls by the related Korean brands, and it's also investigating whether the automakers followed safety reporting requirements.

2016 Kia Optima builds on third-gen car's sense of style, efficiency

When Hyundai launched the sixth-generation Sonata in 2009, it gave the world its first real taste of how good a Korean car could be. When Kia launched the redesigned Optima a year later, though, it showed the world just how good a Korean car could look. The handsome design of third-generation car has translated wonderfully to its fourth generation. The attractive sheet metal is evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, building on the looks of the previous car, with Kia's trademark grille treatment stretched wide, and better integrated with the headlights. Vertical foglight surrounds and an independent lower grille, meanwhile, make for a more aggressive fascia. LED taillights, an integrated diffuser and a pair of meaty oval exhausts are the highlights in back. Once again, the links to the current car are quite clear. The new Optima should boast some improvements to the current car's technology, as well. A six-speaker stereo is standard, although audiophiles will flock to the optional 14-speaker Infinity unit. Connectivity, being what it is, was also addressed, with Kia offering a new version of the company's UVO infotainment system. Running on an eight-inch touchscreen, the Optima's latest infotainment system integrates neatly with both Android Lollipop and iOS 8. Under hood, Kia will continue to offer a standard, naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder, as well as an optional 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder. Power for both engines is estimated to be down compared to the current car, with the 2.4 dropping from 192 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque to 185 hp and 178 lb-ft, and the 2.0T losing 27 of its 274 hp and nine of its 269 lb-ft. Kia is claiming that both engines have been retuned for fuel economy, although it wasn't able to provide any figures to back up that argument. On top of the 2.4 and 2.0T, Kia will also offer a 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, complete with the company's first seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (the previous two engines are mated to six-speed autoboxes). The 1.6, which Hyundai/Kia fans will know from the Veloster Turbo and Forte range, produces 178 hp in the Optima, which is paired with 195 lb-ft of torque. Have a look at the images of the all-new Optima, and then scroll below for the official press release.