Kia Sportage Sx With Leather Sunroof & Only 8k Miles on 2040-cars

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Kia's regionally inspired concepts converge on Las Vegas [w/poll]

Kia has, over the past couple of weeks, been steadily streaming an array of concept cars it's prepared for SEMA this year. But with the doors now open at the Las Vegas Convention Center, it's now released the full monte – so to speak – including one we hadn't seen before at all. The lineup takes a geographic approach, each representing a different region in this great country of ours, and each is based on a different model in the company's product line. Arguably the most outlandish is the A1A Optima. The sedan has been converted into a four-door convertible, taking its name and inspiration from the coastal highway in Florida. The project was carried out by Lux Motorwerks, which reinforced the Optima's bodywork for the chop job, fitted suicide rear doors, and painted it a bright shade of turquoise. It rides on 20-inch HRE alloys, with an interior trimmed out in cream leather and titanium accents. A coilover suspension drops it down to the tarmac, and a new exhaust system helps with the turbo four's sound. Next up is the PacWest Adventure Sorento, inspired by the Pacific Northwest with a woodsy approach. The Sorento crossover has been customized by LGE-CTS Motorsports with a candy-effect green paint job and matte black trim, tubular bumpers, a raised suspension, off-road tires, a snorkel for fording streams, and a pop-up tent on the roof. They're joined by the Photo Safari Sedona, which is a new addition we hadn't seen until now. The minivan has been thoroughly transformed into a rolling observation point for shutterbugs in the wild. The rear section has been converted into a pickup bed, the seats have been swapped out for deploying buckets to get closer to the action, and the whole thing rides on an air suspension with off-road tires on 17-inch wheels. It's even got an iMac workstation on board for processing photos. In short, it's everything you could want to embark on a photographic adventure in the Northeast – or anywhere else for that matter. Finally there's the Mud Bogger, a Forte Koup inspired by the South. It's jacked up four inches on an off-road suspension, with an open rollback vinyl roof to let in the elements. The bodywork has been painted a deep shade of blue, offset by the white powder-coated roll cage, brush guards, and wheels. And the interior has been stripped out and fitted with Sparco racing seats. Kia has also brought the Ballast Point Sedona back to the show this year.

Kia Niro shares Hyundai Ioniq parts, could become an EV

It's time for the Chicago Auto Show, so it's no surprise that Kia has warmed up the chilly February air here with a green vehicle debut. This year it was the Niro, the brand's first dedicated hybrid, and it follows past Chicago debuts like the Soul EV and the Optima Hybrid. Like those vehicles, the Niro is not going to take long to get from the concept stage to showroom. Steve Kosowski, Kia Niro project manager, told AutoblogGreen that the first Niro hybrids will arrive in all 50 US states in about 11 months. The Niro will only be offered as a hybrid – both with a plug and without – but Kosowski could not say when the PHEV will arrive, other than, "a little later in the lifecycle." The standard hybrid will be certified as a 2017 model-year vehicle, but the PHEV might become a 2018, or even later. A PHEV will arrive "a little later in the lifecycle." Kia is on a mission (with Hyundai, see below) as it develops the Niro to get incredibly high fuel economy. Kosowski said that the defining mantra was, "Let's see what we can do when the resources are focused on hitting 50 miles per gallon and the only way the car is going to be built is with an electrified powertrain," he said. View 18 Photos Knowing that the Niro would have a battery allowed Kia and Hyundai engineers to plan things out together, because the Niro will share a lot of components with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq. "The whole powertrain is essentially shared between the two," Kosowski said. "There are a few little tuning differences, but it's a 1.6 GDI, four-cylinder from the Kappa engine family that is the basis for both cars. The motor is sandwiched between the engine and the transmission, there's a clutch there. And the DCT is also shared between both cars." They both ride on the same 103-inch wheelbase, and the track width is similar as well. There might be some changes with the ratios and the tunings, Kosowski said, but the two companies are obviously working together to make these two vehicles very real, very soon. The main difference between the Niro and the Ioniq that the Kia is a CUV while the Hyundai is a sedan. "The market for electrified vehicles is changing rapidly." - Steve Kosowski Going into the process with electrification in mind meant "that the engineering, the platform layout, the way the car crashes, the way the car comes together, the way the car is assembled, all of that is engineered around having a battery," Kosowski said.

Compact SUV Comparison: Specs, pics and reviews of every brand's crossover

Honda CR-V vs Toyota RAV4. Chevy Equinox vs Ford Escape. Mazda CX-5 vs Subaru Forester. Whichever combinations of compact crossover SUV you're considering, there's probably a comparison test or chart out there to read. Heck, you can even create a three-car comparison yourself here at Autoblog. However, if you want a bunch of that information all in one convenient place, well, here it is. Our mega comparison of specs, features and photos of compact SUV entries from every mainstream manufacturer that sells them. That includes the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 2018 Ford Escape, 2018 GMC Terrain, 2018 Honda CR-V, 2018 Hyundai Tucson, 2019 Jeep Cherokee (it's already on sale with notable changes from 2018), 2018 Jeep Compass, 2018 Kia Sportage, 2018 Mazda CX-5, 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (none of Mitsu's SUVs are perfect fits for this segment, so we deemed the MEC the most competitive fit), 2018 Nissan Rogue, 2018 Subaru Forester, 2018 Toyota RAV4 and 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. We can update this comparison as more information about 2019 models is released, most notably the Forester and RAV4. Now, there are certainly some models that are smaller (Nissan Rogue Sport) or larger (Kia Sorento) that could also be considered, but we figured it was wise to stick with those in this sweet spot of comparable size and price. We also included links to Autoblog reviews, buying guides and smaller comparisons. Engines and Transmissions With rare exception, this segment features four-cylinder power. Sometimes it's turbocharged, often its not, but standard engine outputs are generally in the same ballpark. Therefore, we'd recommend focusing on torque output, as it's what will make a difference around town or when passing, and weighing that versus fuel economy (the Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 make particularly strong cases in this regard). Many drivers aren't too fond of continuously variable transmissions (CVT), either, so that's another thing to consider and note during a test drive. As you can see, several models are available with performance upgrades. Besides the Jeep Cherokee's available V6, all are more powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The exception to this would be the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape, as their 1.5-liter turbo engines don't prioritize performance. Instead, they serve as overall upgrades to the base naturally aspirated engines standard on only their base trim levels (CR-V LX and Escape S).