12 Kia Optima Ex Sedan, Comfortable Leather Seats, Sunroof, We Finance! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Kia Stinger GT-Line becomes only 2.0-liter model on offer

The 2019 Kia Stinger comes in five flavors: 2.0L and Premium with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and GT, GTS, GT1, and GT2 with the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6. Beyond the engine, the two lowest trims differ from the GT versions with different grilles, bumpers, wheels, and exterior trim. Having seen an early order guide, CarsDirect says Kia will replace the two base models with a single model that's been restyled with GT cues, while raising the price just $100. The new model is called the Stinger GT-Line, a trim that's been available in other markets for a while on everything from the tiny Picanto to the Sorrento crossover; the pictured car is a UK Stinger GT-Line. The model bolts on the grille and bumpers from the GT, black chrome trim and body-colored door handles, plus 18-inch GT-styled wheels. The cabin gets dressed up with a black headliner no matter the interior color, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and headrests embossed with "GT-Line." The price will be $33,090 plus $995 destination, totaling $34,085, a figure that comes in an even $100 above the 2019 Stinger 2.0L. $34,085The loss of the Premium trim leaves a $6,410 gap between the GT-Line and the base GT trim. The Premium was the way to get a long list of luxury and convenience features paired with the four-cylinder, but it was only $110 less dear than the entry GT with the bigger engine but without the feature set. The price of that GT goes up, meanwhile, CarsDirect saying the 2020 GT will start at $40,495 after destination, a $200 increase over the 2019 model. Furthermore, with the Premium gone, the only way to option automatic emergency braking will be to spend more than $46,000 on the GT1 grade.  Engines don't change for next year, the 2.0-liter producing 255 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, the 3.3-liter putting out 365 hp and 376 lb-ft, both shifting through an eight-speed automatic.

2021 Kia Optima revealed in K5 form for South Korea

Less than a week after teaser drawings were released, the 2021 Kia Optima midsize sedan has been revealed in the form of the South Korean-market K5. The overall design matches the renderings closely, giving the car a more aggressive look, but it is still clearly an Optima. The company hasn't revealed the car's interior and mechanical specs, though. The front of the new Optima is more blunt with a grille that leans forward almost like that of a Dodge Charger. The headlights blend into the grille, and it has parts that trail off into the fenders. The grille has a three-dimensional mesh that Kia says was inspired by the rough texture of shark skin. The sides of the car feature modest curves to give it a muscular look. The greenhouse has a similar shape to that of the current car, with fastback rear pillars and tall rear quarter windows. Chrome bars trace the roof rails to the base of the rear pillars like on the current car, but now they meet in a curve around the top of the trunk lid. At the back is the most significant departure from the current car, a full-width taillight bar. With the car revealed in South Korea, it probably won't be long before we see the American-market car revealed. Under the skin will probably be the same powertrains as those in the new Hyundai Sonata. That means a choice of either a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 191 horsepower or a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 180 horsepower. Both will be coupled to an eight-speed automatic. Expect hybrid variants and possibly a more powerful turbo 2.0-liter engine coming down the road.

Kia Seltos Luggage Test | How much cargo space?

The Kia Seltos starts at $21,990, which is consistent with a growing number of crossovers that slot in between sub-compact models (Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul, etc) and compact models (Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, etc). We now call this the midcompact segment. The Mazda CX-30 would be another example, and while the Mazda's engaging driving experience and stylish near-luxury interior are its prime selling points, the Seltos boasts expressive color combinations, distinctive styling details throughout and an ample amount of interior space that rivals bigger, pricier SUVs. As I discovered at the L.A. Auto Show, that includes Kia's own Sportage, which may have more power and higher-quality interior materials (plus a higher price), but has roughly the same passenger space and less maximum cargo capacity. To these eyes, it also looks worse.  On paper, the Seltos has 26.6 cubic-feet of cargo room behind the back seat, which would indeed be greater than sub-compact models but less than the CR-V's of the world. The CX-30 has 20.1 cubic-feet and you can see its luggage test here.  Like some other crossovers, including next week's Mercedes GLB, the Seltos has a dual-height cargo floor. The upper height is pretty much there to meet up with the folded rear seatbacks to create a flat-ish load floor. Since there's only a spare tire and bare metal below it, I saw no reason to test the cargo capacity with the high-floor setup. It seems logical that Seltos owners would almost exclusively use the lower, more voluminous floor height.  On to the luggage. I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D).  That would be all the roller bags (no fancy bag) even with the rigid, hatchback-style cargo cover in place. Excellent. That's the same amount of bags as the CX-30 could manage with NO cargo cover. Basically, the size difference indicated on paper is confirmed.  Remove the Seltos cargo cover and not only does the fancy bag fit, but there'd be room for another duffel bag.  This amount of height and width is comparable to those crossovers that are technically a size up in the "compact" category. The difference, though, is cargo area depth.