Auto News & New car review

KIA Automotive Australia will hold on to the value-for-money Carnival people-mover despite the arrival of the bigger, newer, more powerful and more expensive Grand Carnival V6 model.
The now-outdated Carnival 2.5-litre V6 will continue to be part of the Kia line-up beyond March 1, when Ateco Automotive hands over Australian distribution for Kia vehicles to a factory-backed operation. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve seen the spiffy metal wrapper of Kia’s new Forte, the Spectra’s successor, now come details about what’s underneath. The Forte is larger than the outgoing Spectra, but it also achieves better economy with a given amount of liquid hydrocarbon. South Korean buyers will have the choice between a gasoline or a diesel powertrain. Regardless of fuel, both engines displace 1.6 liters and deliver nearly the same horsepower - 124 hp for gasoline, 128 hp for diesel. Read the rest of this entry »

Kia has unveiled its new Amanti, a facelifted version of the mid-size sedan that made its debut in 2002.

 The new model gets a new 3.8-liter V-6, a platform lighter by 251 pounds, a modified suspension, an upgraded interior, and a new nose and different taillights. Read the rest of this entry »

It rained, and rained, and rained!
Two things make trying out a new car for the first time that little bit more stressful: darkness and rain!
It is always nice to be able to see where everything is before it needs to be ‘used’ in action. Read the rest of this entry »

In an automotive context, don’t practicality and economy exclude a pleasant driving experience? After all, the best fuel economy means the smallest, lightest car, unless you want to pay a premium for a hybrid. And not only are small cars small, and cramped, they’re slow, noisy, and uncomfortable. Right? Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve been looking in on the live stream of the Nürburgring 24h race, you might spot the car above crossing your video window. It’s basically a production-spec Kia pro_ceed (fitted with whatever safety features are required for race participation) powered by the stock 138 hp/225 lb-ft 2.0L diesel. The skinny on this one is that it was entered by Continental Tires’ Italian division and will run the entire race on ContiSportContact 3 street tires. Read the rest of this entry »

Kia has released the first official image of the production Soul. And that’s pretty much it. The press release accompanying it is several paragraphs of filler that tells you exactly nothing of value, other than that the car keeps “it’s” concept forebear’s name and will be formally unveiled in October at the Paris Motor Show (which we knew). Kia also says that the Soul “defies classification,” which is elaborate automaker code for, “it’s a small crossover that’s our answer to the Scion xB.” Yes, but this is better-looking. Read the rest of this entry »

The current Kia Spectra hasn’t changed much since its debut in 2004, and even in the highly-competitive compact class that is not a problem. Even now, it holds its own very well thank you - especially the premium Spectra5 variant, an unusual and very European concept in the American compact market. Is it a five-door sporty hatchback? Or is it a small sport wagon? Read the rest of this entry »

Research the new 2008 Kia Spectra SX on Yahoo! Autos. We have the information you need to make a smart buying decision on the 2008 Kia Spectra SX. Read the rest of this entry »

Not two months after sister company Hyundai debuted a freshened Sonata, Kia followed suit with the midsize Optima. Though the cars shared architecture in previous years, they’ve been on divergent paths for some time now, Kia says. Where the upgraded Sonata’s new face found general acceptance, our reaction to the Optima is lukewarm. The car’s sheet metal went from Plane Jane to Frank Caliendo, meaning you can find a good impression of a lot of cars here: the grille and taillights look like those on the new and two-generations-old Accord, respectively; the headlights are all Camry; and the trunk and rear bumper remind us of the Malibu. Read the rest of this entry »