2012 Kia Forte SX - $8000

2018 Kia Niro EV crossover, The new Kia Niro work unit are going to be launched in Europe once creating its debut within the region at the Paris motor show in October month. Sales for the model have simply begun in Republic of Korea, Kia's home market. Sales can start in Europe once its Paris look.



Two specifications area unit available: a spread of 280 miles from a 64kWh battery or 186

The 2018 Kia Rio LX 5-Door.

It's been a while since we said it (for that matter, since we've been given the opportunity, with all the fully-loaded top-of-the-line vehicles that have landed in our driveway), but the real test of a car's goodness is to drive the base model.  With no panoramic sunroof or thousand-watt audio system to distract you, you can focus in on what the manufacturer got right and wrong, decide if the car is something you'd enjoy owning for the length of a loan and then make decisions about higher trim levels or option packages.

The Kia Rio 5-Door came to us in LX (base) version a few days ago, with only two options...an automatic transmission and carpeted floor mats. 

And we love it.

2018 Kia Rio LX 5-Door.

While TireKicker's Best Cars on the right side of this page has become filled with a list of the lustworthy,  I still hold the 1984 Honda Civic sedan that I bought new as the most satisfying car I've ever owned.  It had one option when I took delivery, air conditioning...and I added an aftermarket Alpine AM/FM Cassette deck because, 34 years ago, car manufacturer audio was garbage.

The 2018 Kia Rio LX 5-Door is an echo of my old Honda.  The base price is $14,200.  For that money, you get the same 1.6-liter, 130 horsepower four-cylinder engine that comes in every Kia Rio (EPA fuel economy estimate 28 city/37 highway), a six-speed manual transmission (the automatic in our tester was a $1,090 option that we'd have skipped), a five-inch AM/FM/mp3/SiriusXM Satellite Radio audio system with USB jack, 60/40 split-folding rear seat and air conditioning.

And that's the list.  To open the car and start it, you use this:

2018 Kia Rio LX 5-Door key.

Yes, that is a key, and no, there is no remote attached to it.  You have to put it in the lock on the door and turn it.  And once inside, you have to put it in the ignition and turn it.

Speaking of turning things:

2018 Kia Rio LX 5-Door window crank.

That, for the uninitiated (hey, 20 years ago, my kids saw one in a car I was reviewing and thought it was a new invention), is a window crank.  It makes the windows go down when you turn it one way and up when you turn it another.   They are very nearly extinct because most manufacturers see a cost advantage in only building one type of door...the type with power windows and mirrors (you have to adjust those manually in the Rio LX, too). 

And you know what?  It's fine.  It's actually kinda fun.

2018 Kia Rio LX 5-Door interior.

Despite what it doesn't have, the Rio LX 5-Door does have a nicely-styled interior with automatic headlights, a multi-function steering wheel, intermittent-wipers, comfortable cloth seats, great visibility, a good amount of cargo space (even better when you fold down the back seats) and the legendary Kia 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

With the $1,090 automatic transmission, $130 carpeted floormats and $895 inland freight and handling fee, the bottom line for our tester came to $16,315.   Given that the government's inflation calcuator says my '84 Civic cost $19,810 in today's money, that's a serious bargain.  If I were buying, this would be near the top of my list.

The 2017 Kia Cadenza Limited.

Three years ago, Kia launched the new-for-2014 Cadenza.  The ad campaign called the car "impossible to ignore".  Car shoppers managed.  I can't find the '14 sales figures, but in 2015, they sold all of 7,343 of them, which puts it in Buick Cascada territory.  2016 was worse, with sales down to 4,738, which makes it the 225th best selling car in America (the list only goes to 298), outselling the Porsche Panamera but running behind its similarly targeted cousin, the Hyundai Azera.

Part of the problem, as I wrote at the time, was that Kia was promoting the '14 Cadenza as a luxury car when, in fact, what they'd built was a very good full-size family sedan with several features usually found on more upscale cars.  Commendable, especially at $35,100, but not a luxury car.  Even with another six grand-plus worth of options that took the bottom line to $41,900.

2017 Kia Cadenza Limited.

The good thing about Kia is that they are always pushing, never calling the same play twice.  So the 2017 Cadenza arrives as a much better car, and better able to position itself as a luxury car, than its predecessor.

The tried-and-true 3.3-liter V6 is still under the hood, but this time it's mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.  The EPA fuel economy estimate is now 20 city/28 highway, which is good for a large car.

Ours was the Cadenza Limited (which is what it says on the window sticker...the trunk badge says "SXL"...same thing). One price ($44,390), tons of standard equipment:

• 19-inch dark satin alloy wheels
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear vents
• Navigation with an eight-inch color touchscreen and rear camera
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• A Harmon Kardon premium audio system with Clari-Fi
• A three-month free subscription to SiriusXM Satellite Radio.
• Nappa leather seat trim
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated rear outboard seats
• Pushbutton start
• Smart key
• Smart power trunk
• Power tilt/telescope steering column with memory
• Power rear window sunshades (manual shades for the back doors)
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Forward collision warning system
• Smart blind spot detection system/Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure warning system
• Rear parking assist and surround-view mirror
• LED headlights and fog lamps
• Panoramic sunroof
• Auto-sensing windshield wipers
• Power folding heated mirrors with LED turn lights

2017 Kia Cadenza Limited interior.

The 2017 Kia Soul ! (Exclaim).

The Kia Soul has proven itself to be the best of the funky little urban "is it a car or a crossover?" boxes that came along at the beginning of the decade.  In fact, save the Nissan Juke, which moves a fraction of the number of copies the strong-selling Soul does, the others (Scion xB, Nissan Cube) are dead and gone.

The Soul simply offered a stronger blend of utility, price and features.  And now, performance enters the mix.

2017 Kia Soul ! (Exclaim).

For 2017, Kia is offering three levels of power with its three levels of Soul.  The base Soul (called the Base) has a 130-horsepower engine.  The + (Plus) model steps up to 161 horsepower.  And the ! (Exclaim) is now turbocharged with 201 horsepower.  40 more than the +, 71 more than the Base.  The spread between the Base and the ! is  like the difference between '66 Mustangs with a 200 cubic inch six and a 289 four-barrel V8 in terms of the driving experience.

The Soul !'s engine is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that is also unique to the ! model.  And the EPA fuel economy estimate of 26 city/31 highway is actually higher than those for the Base (24/30) and  the + (25/30).

2017 Kia Soul ! interior.

Say yes to the ! and you get a full complement of airbags, anti-lock braking with brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist control, tire pressure monitoring, automatic climate control with cluster ionizer, power windows, locks and mirrors, a seven-inch touchscreen for the audio system with a rear camera built in, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (smart for technologically mixed families), SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Bluetooth, USB, leather and cloth interior trim, a 60/40 split folding rear seat, pushbutton start, a tilt/telescoping steering column, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, a cargo cover, automatic headlights, fog lamps, outside mirrors with built-in turn indicators and privacy glass.

All that...standard....along with the 201 horsepower, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and the best gas mileage of any of the 2017 Kia Souls....for $22,650.  Oh, yeah...and Kia's 10 year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty...and a five-star overall safety rating from the feds.

Load one up (ours had the $1,000 optional panoramic sunroof and the $3,000 Technology Package with navigation, an upgraded Harmon Kardon audio system, projector low beam headlights, LED fog lights and positioning lights, power folding outside mirrors, power heated front seats and heated rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel, LED taillights, blind spot detection and center console USB chargers...plus $120 in floormats) and you're still at $27,620 with $850 inland freight and handling.

It's not cheap, but it's not unreasonable for what you get.  The Soul ! is worth every penny.

The 2017 Kia Niro Touring.

It was just over a month ago that we reviewed the 2017 Kia Niro FE, the base trim level for Kia's new hybrid...and our take was that, at 52 miles per gallon city/49 highway and $23,785 including delivery, the Toyota Prius has reason to worry.

Now, we've just finished a week in the top-level 2017 Kia Niro Touring and we're still very, very impressed.

2017 Kia Niro Touring.

Things do change as you move up the five-model ladder of Kia Niros.  The FE stands for "Fuel Economy"...and the aforementioned 52 city/49 highway is the best of the bunch.  The mid-level LX and EX models are EPA estimated at 51 city/46 highway and the Touring Launch Edition and Touring (separated by leather seating, a power sunroof, a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats in the Touring) are estimated at 46 and 40.

Why the differences?  Generally the EPA will average out the fuel economy of several trim levels (which can vary because of the weight of standard equipment or other factors) for simplicity's sake, but Kia wanted the biggest number possible for the FE, so it submitted the trims for testing separately.

2017 Kia Niro Touring interior.

Still, even 46 city/40 highway is remarkable fuel economy for what is essentially a crossover (though, as we noted with the FE, you could also call it a hatchback or a wagon and not be wrong).  The closest true competitor to the Niro is not the standard Prius with its 54 city/50 highway EPA estimate, but the Prius V, which trails the Niro Touring in fuel economy with an estimated 43 city/39 highway.

And then there's price.  A loaded Prius V Five has a base price of $30,935.  The Kia Niro Touring is everything (18-inch wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear vents, Harmon Kardon premium audio system, navigation with eight-inch touchscreen and a rear camera, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the aforementioned leather seat trim, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats and power sunroof,  pushbutton start, blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking assist, projector beam headlights with LED positioning lamps, LED daytime running lights, power-folding heated outside mirrors with turn signals, roof rails, rear spoiler and rear privacy glass) for one price: $29,650.  With $895 inland freight and handling, it's $30,545.  And there's always Kia's 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty to consider.

The only question (as we've said before) is whether a hybrid has to look different to sell. Arguably, the Prius has taken that a bridge too far in its latest generation and is paying a price in slumping sales.  If people will embrace a highly useful hybrid that doesn't scream "I'm a hybrid", Kia's got a winner in the Niro.

The 2017 Kia Niro.

Traditionally, fuel economy has not been enough to make a car competitive with the Toyota Prius.  The sales charts are littered with failures that got close to the Toyota hybrid's vaunted fuel economy, but didn't sell ---because they didn't look like a hybrid.  People who bought the Prius over much of its 20-year history have wanted other people to know they were driving a fuel-saving hybrid just by looking at it.

Well, in its current generation, Toyota appears to have taken the "different" way too far.  The radically re-styled Prius is selling in fractions of the numbers of its ancestors.

So is the time right for a car that delivers the mileage but looks like a conventional car?

2017 Kia Niro.

Kia is betting that it is with the new 2017 Kia Niro.  The only controversy about this car is whether it's a small crossover, a hatchback or a wagon.  And our answer to that is...um...yes.

The Niro follows Kia's tried-and-true formula of offering a lot of features for a low price.  Our tester was the base FE, priced at $22,890.  Zero options.  And it felt like any other manufacturer's middle trim level.  For $23,785, when the $895 inland freight and handling is factored in.

2017 Kia Niro interior.

For that money, you get a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a 43-horsepower electric motor and a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission system.  There's also regenerative braking and an idle stop and go system, all of which contribute to a very solid EPA fuel economy estimate of 52 city/49 highway.  That's not quite the Prius' 54/50, but it's very close.  

Take into account that the Niro FE is $1,300 less than the base Prius Two, is (subjectively) better looking, more versatile when it comes to carrying people and cargo, and offers dual-zone automatic climate control, power windows, door locks and outside mirrors, a solid audio system with a 7-inch touchscreen and rear camera, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, Bluetooth, a free three-month SiriusXM Satellite Radio subscription, remote keyless entry, projector beam headlamps with LED positioning lamps, rear privacy glass and Kia's legendary 10 year/100,000 mile warranty and it's clear that Kia has made a compelling case for choosing a Niro over a Prius.

The only question is whether the people who would buy Priuses if Priuses didn't look so weird will buy a hybrid that doesn't look weird at all.  And for that, we'll have to wait and see.

The 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid.

I am rapidly becoming a fan of plug-in hybrids.  Here's my reasoning:

2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid charging port.

2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid Eco gauge.

New Kia Soul Turbo Sporty 2017, Kia's pocket Soul crossover, destined to continuously be remarked as "quirky," has finally received a jazzy however not-quite-performance version: The new Turbo trim breaks through the 200-hp barrier. The figures solely tell [*fr1] the story, though: The Turbo model has force the Soul out of the stodgy finish of the phase and into the fun half a lineup that's

2017 Kia Picanto review spec picture and performance, Official details unconcealed for brand new Kia Picanto, town automobile can prolong sale in could, when its public debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor ShowAt the beginning of the year, Kia discharged the primary footage of its new Kia Picanto town automobile. Now, we’ve been treated to AN in-depth cross-check the Volkswagen up! rival at the Korean

The 2017 Kia Forte EX.

We've been charting the rise of the Kia Forte among subcompact sedans for seven years now.  The 2010 model was the moment you could pinpoint when any doubt about Kia being serious went away. It put the Koreans within striking distance of the then-and-now leaders from the Japanese, the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic.

With the 2014 model, the Forte closed the gap.  And the new 2017, a mid-cycle refresh,  cements the Forte's position as a solid contender in a competitive segment.

2017 Kia Forte.

On the outside, it's just some ironing out of the character lines...a smoother, better-integrated grille and slimmer headlamps. And in the top-of-the-line EX, which is what we drove, more standard equipment.  LED taillamps and approach lights, pushbutton start with keyless entry, rear air vents, a dual-zone climate control system, leather and heated seats are all part of the package at no extra cost now.  That accounts for the increase in base price for the EX from $19,400 in 2014 to $21,200 in 2017.

Under the hood?  A 164-horsepower 2.0-liter four, that, with a six-speed automatic transmission, gives competitive performance for the segment and returns an EPA-estimated 25 city/33 highway.

2017 Kia Forte interior.

Kia left an already-good interior alone this time around, apart from the added availability of Apple Car Play, which, sadly, our tester didn't have.

What it did have was the EX Premium Plus Package,  which adds a supervision meter cluster, navigation, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, blind spot detection, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, ventilated front seats, a power driver's seat with memory, auto-dimming rearview mirror, Xenon HID headlights and a power sunroof for $4,490.

Fold in $850 inland freight and handling and the bottom line is $26,540...which is pricey for the segment, which generally sees $25,000 as all the market will bear.  But you get a lot for that money...and simply saying no to the Premium Plus Package gets the price tag back down to $22,050, which puts the Forte back in the position of being competitive with Corolla and Civic, with a bit more horsepower for less money.  It's a winning formula.

 All New Kia Sedona SX Limited 2016 car usedI drove this van all weekend, intentionally not viewing the value. It’s cool-looking and comfy, features a good quantity of power and lots of gadgets within. At $30,000, it'd be a steal; $35K would be an honest value.Yikes, this van is $45,000.And it’s not simply because it’s a Kia that I’m language yikes. It sounds like lots of minivans have gotten