Kia Sedona

Posted on 07.27.2013 18:00 by Tom Burkart

The Sedona minivan sat out the 2013 model year without joining the official Kia lineup. Even so, the practical seven-seater notched up nearly 15,000 sales of old stock to families seeking the upmarket style of the Honda Odyssey but the value pricing of the Dodge Grand Caravan.

Value is the Sedona's key niche as it languishes without the chassis and tech overhauls that have done wonders for the Optima and Sportage. There are many benefits to the Sedona offering and the core model is refreshed in reintroduced for 2014 with a new grille design, new LED running lights in front and a new taillight design out back.

The space and features in this V-6 Kia minivan are beyond criticism - this wide and airy cabin makes full-size SUVs like the Chevy Suburban seem like a foolish extravagance that puts image ahead of actual vehicle priorities of kid and family transport. The Sedona's 24 mpg on the highway will also shame any SUV and most large crossovers.

With all these benefits and a $32,000 loaded price, the Sedona is more than $12,000 cheaper than the fanciest Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Town & Country models.

Inevitably, there are big compromises to be made. The Kia's sloppy driving experience and interior design are a relic of the bad old Kia days. Do the new grille and LED accent lights turn the also-ran 2014 Kia Sedona into a real player in the minivan segment?

Click past the jump for the full review with highlights on the new features and desirable options.

Kia Sedona originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 27 July 2013 18:00 EST.

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Kia Sorento "Justice League" by West Coast Customs

Posted on 07.18.2013 12:00 by Justin Cupler

The San Diego Comic-Con opened up today and what better way to celebrate it than with a comic book-inspired ride? Well, Kia was happy to deliver the goods by way of a Justice League-inspired 2013 Sorento that took a whopping 10 months to complete.

For those that don't know, the Justice League first appeared in The Brave and Beautiful issue No. 28, which was put on shelves in 1960. The original seven members of the famed comic book team were Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter, but many characters came and went through the years. This Sorento features all of the original characters with the exception of the lesser-known Martian Manhunter - in his place is more mainstream Cyborg - painted on each side of the vehicle by West Coast Customs. Each of the characters on this Sorento also had their own individual customized Kia and you can see each one by clicking on each name above.

Up front, the hood features a "Justice League" decal and nothing else, giving the crossover a clean, but still custom, look from the front end. The Kia also received blacked-out upper and lower grilles.

On the inside, the customization continues. West Coast Customs reupholstered all three rows of seats with one character's colors and logo on each seat. Up front, the driver's seat features the Superman logo and red piping, and the passenger's seat features a batman logo on the headrest and gold piping. The three center-row seats features Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Flash logos with their respective colored piping. Finally, the third row of seats feature Aquaman and Cyborg logos with piping to match.

Also customized are the door panels, which feature comic strips on the upper inserts and color-coordinated piping, and the center console with its comic-strip covering.

What's more, is that you can buy this custom rig on Ebay and bidding runs from today through July 27th here. The profits from the auction will go to help the We Can Be Heros campaign, which helps feed starving families in the Horn of Africa. So, not only can you own an awesome ride, but you also help a great cause, it's a win-win situation.

The customization is based on a Sorento EX with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that puts down 276 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque.

Click past the jump to read more about the Justice League Sorento.

Kia Sorento "Justice League" by West Coast Customs originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 18 July 2013 12:00 EST.

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Kia GT4 Stinger

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About two weeks ago, Kia announced that would head to the 2014 Detroit Auto Show with a 2+2 concept car that will preview the long-rumored Kia sports car. Today the company revealed the concept's official name and a new image of the concept.

This new concept is named the GT4 Stinger and, according to the details that Kia gave us, it will bring into focus the latest version of Kia's signature "Tiger Nose" grille.

Along with the revised grille, the GT4 Stinger will also feature vertical LED headlights flanking the white surround of the grille, brake cooling vents, 20-inch wheels and a carbon fiber front splitter mounted below the bumper. This first image really gives us a nice look at this striking front end, and we simply cannot wait to see it.

On top of this awesome-looking nose, this concept will carry a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that delivers a total of 315 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed, close-ratio manual transmission. If this potent four-pot finds its way into a production model, then Kia will officially put Toyota, Scion and Subaru on notice to get off their rumps and add some much-needed power to the GT 86, FR-S and BR-Z triplets.

Stay tuned for more details on the concept, which Kia plans to release on January 13th, shortly before the official unveiling.

Updated 01/09/2014: Kia unveiled a new image for the upcoming GT4 Stinger that will be unveiled next week at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. The new image revealed that the concept will feature a sculpted 'Ignition Yellow' covered body, while under it will hide a custom chassis with an independent double wishbone suspension and two-piece, cross-drilled rotors clamped by four-piston calipers.

Click past the jump to read more about this awesome concept.

Kia GT4 Stinger originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 13 January 2014 15:00 EST.

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Kia Cadenza

Posted on 07.18.2013 15:00 by Simona

Kia unveiled the all-new Cadenza sedan - the model that marks Kia's entering into the premium-sedan segment - at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The new Cadenza will join Kia's current lineup of sedan models that includes: Forte, Optima and Rio, and will go on sale in the second quarter of this year.

The model is offered only in one equipment trim level and will feature a design language inspired by Kia's European models. As a result, the new Cadenza will be distinguished by a "Tiger Nose" front fascia, quad headlamps and taillights with LED technology and a new exhaust system with twin oval tail pipes. Interior features will include equipment like leather seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and a 12-speaker Infinity audio system. For those customers wishing to further customize the look of their car, Kia is also offering two optional packages: Premium package and Technology package.

The 2014 Cadenza will be equipped with only one engine: 3.3-liter GDI V6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

UPDATED 7/18/2013: Kia has released the pricing details on the 2014 Cadenza luxury sedan. See more after the jump.

Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Kia Cadenza.

Kia Cadenza originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 18 July 2013 15:00 EST.

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