2014 Kia Sorento Limited on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Best sport sedans for 2022 and 2023

SUVs dominate the car industry at every size and price level, but some people still prefer the looks, and more importantly, the performance and comfort, of the traditional sedan. With a lower ride height, lighter weight and generally smaller size, they often are much more fun to drive, and can even be more comfortable. Sport sedans of course lean harder on the performance side of things, and are among the best options for sheer speed and fun, thanks to those inherent characteristics. We've rounded up the ones in the segment that do the sporty dance better than any others in 2024 to give you a handy guide when you're shopping for one of your own. You'll find a wide array of cars here including gas, electric and hybrid powertrains. They'll have manual and automatic transmissions and drive the front, rear or all four wheels. Technically a few hatchbacks have slipped in, but they're close enough in look and feel that we wanted to include them. And excluding them means you might miss out on some of the best-driving options available. You wouldn't want that, would you? Alfa Romeo Giulia Why it stands out: Punchy four-cylinder; astounding power from Quadrifoglio; light and nimble character; awesome shift paddlesCould be better: Clunky infotainment; sub-par switchgear Read our Alfa Romeo Giulia review We start this list with one of the most predictable inclusions: the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Yes, it's a stereotype that the Italian sport sedan is fun to drive, but the fact is, well, it is. The Giulia comes standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful four-cylinders in the segment. It's paired with a snappy and smooth eight-speed transmission and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.  The engine is lively and torquey, if a little short of revs, and the chassis feels super-light. The steering is eager and the car jumps into corners. We also highly recommend getting a version with the enormous and superb aluminum paddle shifters that make clicking through gears much more entertaining. And on the topic of the interior, it's attractive, but the various switches and knobs feels a little cheap, and the infotainment system is clunky. Of course there's also the incredible Giulia Quadrifoglio at the high end. It gets a Ferrari-derived twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 making 505 hp, and it's rear-wheel drive only.

Kia Sportspace Concept is a big, red wagon that previews the future

The Kia Sportspace Concept might preview some design elements for the next-gen Optima, but for now the Korean brand is keeping the focus on this somewhat sporty looking wagon on display at the Geneva Motor Show. Its shape is designed specifically to appeal to European tastes, and the styling comes from the company's design studio Frankfurt, Germany. Despite the European design ethos, there's no mistaking the Sportspace as anything but a Kia. Up front, it features a sharper version of the brand's familiar tiger-nose grille that runs horizontally to link the LED headlights. However, the major visual focus for the concept is the long roof and angled rear hatch. The designers even pitch the D-pillar forward for a slightly more sporty style. The interior almost appears to come from a completely different model. The combination of black upholstery with carbon fiber trim and large pieces of anodized aluminum makes it look like a very dark place for a drive. Kia is apparently trying to appeal to the Sportspace's Swiss audience, though. The company touts that there's enough room to store a set of skis by fitting them between the rear seats. Power for the Sportspace comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 247 horsepower that spins the front wheels, but the automaker doesn't specify anything about the transmission that it all routes through. Looking at the current Optima, it isn't hard to see the future design evolving this way. Get a preview from this big, red wagon on the show floor of the Geneva show in our gallery, above. DESIGN OVERVIEW: THE KIA SPORTSPACE CONCEPT The working week is over. The late afternoon sun is glinting on the ice crystals in the road-side snowbanks and turning the snow-capped peaks ahead pink. The road snakes ahead towards a weekend of fun and action. The journey demands a swift, efficient and refined machine to allow the maximum pleasure to be extracted from the time available. This is exactly the role for which the Kia SPORTSPACE was conceived. Its muscular proportions are ready to deliver a safe, secure but speedy passage to the slopes. Its cosseting and refined interior provides convivial yet individual space for its four passengers. Its sleek and elegant lines – both inside and out – are functional but stylish, allowing its travelling partners both comfort and convenience within a bodyshape that stands out from the crowd. This is a concept that has extracting the maximum from life at its heart.

2016 Kia Sorento First Drive

Teenagers are awkward, predictably provocative and generally horrible to be around – at least unless you, yourself are one. There's just something about those angst-ridden years spent trying on identities, none fitting quite right. Luckily for Kia, the automaker has just celebrated its 20th birthday in America, and fresh out of the driver's seat of its 2016 Sorento – dare we say it – we sense a touch of self-assured maturity. Don't worry; we expect the automaker's antics – including super-freak athletes jumping over an Optima at the NBA All-Star game and the employment of urban hamsters – to continue. Thankfully, offering unremarkable vehicles in pretty competitive segments seems officially a thing of Kia's history e-book. To be fair, we've seen a pleasing Korean Renaissance for a few years now, and we're not just talking hot pots and bulgogi – 2015 Hyundai Genesis, anyone? Kia Optima SX? Soul? So where exactly does this third-gen 2016 Sorento fit in? Actually, we're not sure Kia knows that either; its product planners tell us that this miraculous crossover competes with variously sized vehicles including the compact Jeep Cherokee, markedly larger Grand Cherokee, and even the family-hauling three-row Toyota Highlander. But Kia is also not completely off its rocker, because the Sorento suffers (benefits?) from severe bipolar disorder in terms of pricing. While you can get a base L model for $25,795 after delivery – there are five trim levels including L, LX, EX, SX, and top-of-the-line SXL – the fancy SXL 2.0T with all-wheel drive we tested was priced at $45,305. That's a difference of almost $20k, with the latter model reaches a completely different, almost premium demographic. And there's more. Sometimes the Sorento seats five, other times it can party hard with seven. There are three very different engine flavors to choose from: a carryover 2.4-liter four-cylinder will greet entry-level buyers with 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque. A meatier V6 – good for 290 hp and 252 lb-ft – will come on three-row models only, while the new 2.0-liter turbocharged four option, good for 240 horses and 260 lb-ft comes on two-row models exclusively. Kia will offer all-wheel drive on all Sorento models.