2015 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

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Kia unveils K4 sedan concept in China

Among the dozens of foreign automakers eager to showcase their wares to the Chinese market, Kia arrived at the Beijing Motor Show with the new K4. Though technically categorized as a "concept," the K4 previews a sedan which Kia intends to launch in China later this year.
The K4 is a midsize sedan measuring 186 inches long and riding on a 106-inch wheelbase that makes it bigger than the Forte (sold in the Far East as the K3) and just a few inches shorter than the Optima (aka K5). The form is draped in familiar Kia-style bodywork, with a high trunk and low nose to give it a wedge shape and a familiar if somewhat new take on the headlights and grille seen on other new models from the Korean automaker.
Power comes from a 1.6-liter turbo four (smaller than the engines available in the Optima/K5) mated to a seven-speed DCT. Kia has also fitted the K4 concept with push-button ignition, UVO infotainment system, rear-view camera, six airbags and stability management. In short, everything you'd expect from the latest product of a global automaker.

2020 Kia Telluride crossover moves the brand upscale, and a bit off-road

Kia added its newest and largest entrant to its lineup, unveiling the designed- and made-in-America Telluride as its new flagship. It's a handsome and sporty midsize three-row SUV that seats eight, offers upscale interior perks and safety technology, plus off-road capability. The reveal brings the Telluride full circle from its origins as a concept first shown in Detroit three years ago. Kia will emphasize its rugged looks and comfortable, well-appointed interior when it goes on sale later this year as a 2020 model and takes on well-entrenched competitors like the venerable Ford Explorer (itself redesigned for 2020) and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Designed at Kia's studio in Southern California, the Telluride deliberately harkens to the boxy appearance of O.G. SUVs like the aforementioned Explorer, with a long hood and wide grille, a clean side profile and upright windshield. Nameplates adorn both the leading edge of the hood, atop the grille, and on the liftgate, with stacked headlights, inverted L-shaped taillamps and a sculpted rear skid plate with integrated twin exhaust tips. The Telluride is powered by a 3.8-liter direct-injection V6 making 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic. There's four-wheel independent suspension and stiff, torsionally rigid body structure owing to an advanced high-strength steel monocoque shell. The rear suspension is self-leveling, with the ride height automatically calibrated depending on the load to benefit control and stability. Four driving modes are offered — Smart, Eco, Sport and Comfort — plus Snow and AWD Lock settings when needed. On-demand all-wheel drive will be an option, distributing torque between the front and rear wheels depending on road conditions and the driver's input. Kia says it's based on electro-hydraulic AWD coupling and constantly redistributes power between the front and rear wheels depending on drive mode — for example, splitting it 65 percent to 35 percent between the front and rear wheels in Sport mode. Inside, there's a wide console that emphasizes the horizontal, with an available 10.25-inch color touchscreen. There's simulated brushed metal and matte-finished wood, interior hooks to hang packs and bags, ceiling-mounted climate control in the second row and reclining third-row seats.

2021 Kia Sedona minivan won't look much like a minivan

In June, Kia first teased the exterior of the fourth-generation 2021 Carnival minivan for South Korea that we know as the Sedona, then it teased the interior. Today, the Asian automaker combines the photo sets with explanations about what Kia calls the new-generation "grand utility vehicle" — or as Car Advice calls it, "The 'guv'" — will provide customers inside and out. The exterior aims for a more upscale SUV-ish look, with a longer hood and more upright A-pillar offsetting the reduced front overhang, and faux skid plates on front and rear bumpers. The new take on the trademark "Tiger Nose" grille gets large-pore diagonal mesh within a chrome band that incorporates the super-slim headlights and LED running lights. Straight shoulder and lower character lines connect more pronounced wheel arches. Above that, black A- and B-pillars create what Kia calls an "island roof," a hockey-stick C-pillar the only contrasting flourish between the floating upper and the body. In back, a full-width red light bar mimics the slim illumination in front. That body sits on Kia's new midsize platform and has grown in wheelbase by 1.2 inches, in overall length by 1.6 inches, 1.2 of that being rear overhang, and width gets an extra pip of 0.4 inches. Liftover height has been lowered an inch to make loading the family tackle easier, as do the power tailgate and power-sliding doors. There will be up to eight exterior paint choices, and wheel sizes ranging from 17 to 19 inches. Under that longer hood there will either be a gasoline direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 with 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, a multi-port injected 3.5-liter V6 with 268 hp and 245 lb-ft, or a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel making 200 hp and 325 lb-ft. Since there's no mention of a four-cylinder, the Sedona won't follow the new Sorento's lead. We expect one of those gas options over here, but we're not sure which, and their outputs bracket the output from the current 3.3 liter that makes 276 hp and 248 lb-ft. A rotary shifter will control an eight-speed automatic in all trims.  Handling, ride, ambiance, and NVH improve thanks to a new fully independent suspension attached at some points with liquid-filled bushings to a new multi-skeletal cross-member. There's more sound-deadening throughout the body, a covered underbody to reduce noise, and a reshaped intake to hush the engines.