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2018 Kia Stinger GT Long-Term Review Update | A romp in the snow

After driving a slew of family sedans and crossovers, I was excited to take home our hard-charging, corner-craving 2018 Kia Stinger long-term car for a weekend of some sports car fun. Then Saturday came, bearing between three and four inches of snow and single digit temperatures. Lovely. But, the weather did offer an opportunity to put the Stinger through its first serious snow of the season, as well as the snow tires Nokian generously donated to us. And the big sedan hatchback did fine in the snow, but not exceptionally well. I appreciated the extra traction from the front wheels, which helped make crawling out of the deep snow in my driveway and accelerating through corners and at intersections easier. I didn't have much trouble breaking the rear wheels loose, either, confirming that the Stinger does indeed have a rear-wheel bias. Fortunately, it was pretty easy to control when the car would break traction, but it was easy enough that it felt as though the all-wheel-drive and traction control weren't doing much to optimize traction until the car really got loose. Then the traction control would quickly bring the car to a crawl to stabilize it. Cornering and braking were just OK, and it seemed to mostly be hampered by the Stinger's roughly 4,000-pound curb weight. I could feel that the car really wanted to keep forging straight ahead, and if I turned too fast or braked too late, it would take its opportunity to do so. Naturally this applies with any large vehicle, but it still feels surprising considering how agile the Stinger is on dry pavement. I hate to think what it would have been like driving the Stinger without the snow tires. On the low-profile all-seasons, I'm sure the traction control would be having conniptions, and I'd be crawling through corners and up to stops. Leaving my driveway probably would have taken a few forward and back attempts, too. Aside from the driving experience I was immensely grateful for the heated seats and steering wheel, both of which seemed to warm up quickly. Boy, though, I sure wish the Stinger had remote start. I'm sure it's not great for the environment, but oh how I wish I could have stepped out the door to an already toasty cabin this weekend. So there you have it. The Stinger GT definitely loses a lot of its fun character in the snow, but it will get you through it. And when things clear up, you'll be happy to have something sporty on hand.

Kia Provo Concept is a Mini-sized hatch debuting in Geneva

The machine you see above is, according to a report from Autocar, the Kia Provo Concept, and it's set to debut at the rapidly approaching Geneva Motor Show. As you can see, the Korean concept draws inspiration from young and hip hatchbacks like the Mini range and the Citroën DS3.
We can't say how much of the Provo's somewhat radical conceptual design will make it into production, such as the contrasting roof color, oversize wheel arches filled with some pretty radical wheels, and one-piece headlight and taillight housings. Suffice it to say, though, we're definitely intrigued by what we see.
Also note the diamond stitching in the interior with chrome, suede and carbon fiber accents. The flat-bottom steering wheel is also rather interesting. These details, along with the racy elements of the exterior design, make us think Kia may be targeting performance-minded buyers with the Provo.

Wonder Woman Kia Sportage is anything but invisible

The spectacular partnering of Kia and DC Entertainment (the company we grew up loving as DC Comics) continues here at the New York Auto Show, with this Wonder Woman-inspired 2013 Kia Sportage. Ardent Autoblog readers will undoubtedly remember the fruits of earlier Kia/DC efforts: Batman Optima, Flash Forte Koup, Green Lantern Soul, Cyborg Forte, Aquaman Rio and Superman Optima Hybrid. (We're still trying to figure out who Cyborg is, too.)
The Wonder Woman Sportage, sporting the Amazing Amazon's particularly patriotic livery, is perhaps the most, eh, eye-catching super-Kia to date. (Actually, no, none of the superhero rides seared our eyeballs like Supe's hybrid.) Red, white and blue paint with spangled sides, an aggressively low body kit and a WW logo grille really sell the theme. Of course, The Lasso of Truth is represented too, showing up in the design as a subtle gold line that wraps around the bodywork.
As with the earlier DC concept cars, the Wonder Woman Sportage's real goal - aside from entertaining the kid-contingent of auto show goers - is to raise awareness for the We Can Be Heroes charity. The DC charitable program seeks to raise money and awareness about the hunger crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Get a better look at Wonder Woman's crossover in our attached galleries and find the Kia press release below.