2012 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

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Hyundai, Kia, Genesis and Subaru clean up in IIHS 2018 safety ratings

Hyundai, its partner Kia and its Genesis division are the big winners in the latest vehicle safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, accounting for six of the 15 models that earned the Top Safety Pick+ awards for 2018. Subaru was right behind with four, Mercedes-Benz had two, and Toyota, BMW and Ford each had one. Another 47 vehicles earned the Top Safety Pick designation, where Toyota had 10 vehicle models, with Hyundai recognized for nine models. All but one of the seven vehicles in Subaru's lineup, the BRZ, qualified for one of the awards. IIHS strengthened the criteria for the Top Safety Pick+ award for 2018 to require headlights to earn a "good" rating — an "acceptable" rating was previously enough to notch the "plus" award — and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in the small overlap front crash, which replicates a crash involving just the front corner of a vehicle. It also required vehicles to have acceptable or good headlights for the first time to earn a Top Safety Pick award. Most of winners for both awards qualified on the basis of optional upgrades. IIHS in October began evaluating the passenger side of vehicles in its small overlap front crash test after it said it became clear that automakers were neglecting that side of the vehicle as they focused on improving driver-side protections. IIHS first began conducting driver-side small overlap crashes in 2012. It began measuring both how well low and high beams illuminated the road and the amount of glare they produce for oncoming vehicles as part of its ratings in 2016. The Top Safety Pick+ winners are listed below. The list doesn't include any minivans, pickups or minicars, which don't appear on either list of awardees. Small cars Kia Forte Kia Soul Subaru Impreza (sedan and wagon) Subaru WRX Midsize cars Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback Toyota Camry Large luxury cars BMW 5 series Genesis G80 Genesis G90 Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Midsize SUVs Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Midsize luxury SUV Mercedes-Benz GLC The full list of Top Safety Pick winners is available here.Related Video: Image Credit: IIHS BMW Genesis Hyundai Kia Lincoln Subaru Toyota Safety Crossover SUV Wagon Sedan crash test

Dealership worker takes Kia Soul for 200-mile joyride

Most often, dealership road-test capers in customer cars involve exciting metal - an employee totals a Chevy Camaro ZL1, or a does the same thing with a Dodge Viper. Or tapes himself wringing out Italian exotics at triple-digit speeds on public roads. That kind of horseplay rarely involves mass-market metal because it's not worth getting caught running red lights in a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero - except that actually happened, too. But we still don't understand the mechanic at Peak Kia North in Windor, CO, who used a customer's Kia Soul as his own car for four days and put 200 miles on it. Owner Veronica Pief discovered the nonsense when she downloaded the 17 hours of driving video from her dashcam. She dropped the Soul off to have its speed-volume control fixed, but got it back with the extra mileage and the volume problem still hadn't been remedied. It got worse when she said of the dealership, "Afterwards, they just blew us off. They didn't care. They didn't show any concern." Sometime between that disrespect and Denver's KUSA 9NEWS doing a story on it, the dealer decided it should fix the situation. Pief said she wanted the dealer to buy her car back and pay off the loan, which sounds extreme, but she might have been thinking about the verbiage in her owner's manual. Kia is one of the automakers that's strict about voiding warranties if it deems a car has been abused. Peak Kia North gave Pief what she wanted just one day after the original story ran, buying the car back from her with plans to auction it and donate the proceeds to charity. And yes, the mechanic was fired. You can watch the local news report above. Related Video: News Source: Detroit Free Press, 9NEWS Auto News Kia Car Dealers Hatchback Videos viral video colorado

The Kia Optima is now available as a plug-in hybrid

The Kia Optima gets electrified two ways for 2017. In addition to the conventional hybrid, there's a new plug-in version as well – makes sense, since the Optima's corporate sister, the Hyundai Sonata is offered with both options. The new Kia Optima Hybrid ditches the larger 2.4-liter internal combustion engine from the previous model in favor of a smaller 2.0, good for 154 horsepower, and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that does away with the torque converter in favor of an electric clutch, with electric water and oil pumps to help optimize efficiency. Working in tandem with the 38-kW electric motor and juiced by a 1.62-kWh lithium-polymer battery pack, the powertrain delivers a total of 193 horsepower while targeting a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over the previous Optima Hybrid. Not enough? Tew Optima PHEV that uses the same 2.0-liter four, but instead of 38 kW (51 hp), the plug-in's electric motor produces 50 kW (or 67 hp), and instead of 1.62 kWh, the PHEV's lithium-ion battery pack is rated exponentially higher at 9.8 kWh. It's said to travel for 600 miles before needing to stop, or up to 27 miles on electric power alone. And of course it can be recharged directly from the socket, taking less than nine hours on 120 volts and less than three on 240. If those powertrain components sound familiar to you, that's because they're identical to those offered in the Sonata Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid from Kia's sister brand Hyundai. Only here they're packaged into a more angular, less curvy form and capped by a Kia badge and tiger-nose grille. Interested? There's plenty more to digest in the pair of press releases below. View 10 Photos ALL-NEW KIA OPTIMA HYBRID UNVEILED AT 2016 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Enhanced HEV Blends Sophisticated Design and Premium Driving Experience with Focus on Efficiency - New powertrain targets 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over outgoing Optima Hybrid - 2017 model infuses aerodynamic form and function into Optima's sleek, modern design - Gas-electric sedan touts intelligent use of technology to deliver comprehensive driver-assistance features CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2016 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid (HEV) at the Chicago Auto Show.