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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

2021 Kia K5 Review | New look, new name, still a value leader

The 2021 Kia K5 replaces the long-running Kia Optima as the brand’s midsize family sedan, and it brings with it bold, aggressive exterior styling and a seriously comfortable driving experience. Not only that, itÂ’s a good value compared to the competition. And while it does sacrifice some sportiness for its comfort, Kia will introduce a high-performance GT model by the end of the year that should rectify the lack of driving excitement. There are some sedans on the market with a slightly better blend of sportiness and comfort, such as one of our favorites, the Honda Accord, as well as the gracefully aging Mazda6, but the KiaÂ’s strong points are enough to make it a must-see for midsize car shoppers. What's new for 2020? The Kia K5 is a new model introduced this year, but it could certainly be considered the next-generation Optima with a name change. 2021 Kia K5 GT-Line View 17 Photos What's the K5's interior and in-car technology like? While the K5's exterior is bold and aggressive, the interior is less in-your-face. ThatÂ’s not to say it isnÂ’t still stylish, though. The dashboard has a unique design with separate levels that gives it some visual interest. On most models, you get aluminum-look trim on the dash and doors, but the EX features fairly convincing matte-finish faux wood trim. The plastics are all high-quality with a welcome number of soft touch surfaces and interesting, attractive patterns. The instruments and infotainment screen occupy a large monolith in front of the driver and the center of the dash. The gauges are analog with a display nestled between them. The standard infotainment touchscreen is an 8-inch unit (in the photos above) flanked by physical shortcut buttons and knobs. It's the same system that Kia has used for several years, which is easy to use but a bit dated in appearance. Available as an option on the GT-Line and EX is a 10.25-inch screen (pictured below). ItÂ’s larger and features updated graphics that are nicer to look at, but it functions similarly. ThatÂ’s not a bad thing. Instead of normal shortcut buttons, this system also picks up touch-sensitive shortcut controls rather than physical buttons. Quite simply, they don't function as well and we're glad the climate control sticks with traditional buttons and knobs regardless of infotainment system. Also worth noting is that seating accommodations are quite comfortable. The front seats in particular are thickly cushioned with gentle bolstering.

Kia and LeBron going biblical with K900 King James Edition

Kia looks poised to reveal a new special K900 sedan after its celebrity spokesman and NBA baller LeBron James revealed this image on his Facebook page. There's little to be discerned from the tightly cropped image, but judging from the badge it depicts and the accompanying #K900, it seems like we'll be looking at a special edition of the Korean automaker's flagship sedan called the King James Edition - an apparent play on the King James Version of the bible and LeBron's last name. The special sedan appears to wear a red and black color scheme that we wouldn't be surprised to see extend beyond the side grille to other blacked-out trim pieces (like the wheels, front grilles, mirrors, badges and window surround), but we'll have to wait for Kia to reveal the full thing to say for sure. We may not have to wait very long, though, as the other accompanying hashtag seems to suggest it could debut at the All-Star game taking place this weekend.