When Kia launched their original hamster ad for the Soul MPV, it took the advertising world by storm. Everyone loved the driving and rapping rodents, so Kia’s decided to bring them back to shill for the 2012 Kia Soul, which now delivers better horsepower and improved fuel economy compared to last year’s model. What’s your take on the shuffling hamsters dancing through a post apocalyptic landscape in Kia’s latest ad? Is it rodents FTW, or is it time to break out the baited mousetraps?

And just in case you missed the first two of Kia’s hamster ads, here they are for your enjoyment.

Thumbs Up: Exceptional value, remarkable build quality

Thumbs Down: Automatic transmission has pointless manual function

Buy This Car If: You’re looking for the best bang for the buck in a five door hatch

Let’s say you’re in the market for a five door, compact hatchback. Chances are good that you’ll shop the new Ford Focus, and you’ll certainly look at the VW Golf. If you like driving and want sharp handling, you’ll add the Mazda 3 to the list; live somewhere where winter is a factor and you may add the AWD Toyota Matrix or Subaru Legacy as well. Chances are good that your shopping list won’t include the Kia Forte Hatchback, and that‘s a shame since you’d be missing a valid contender for compact hatchback supremacy.

First, let’s be clear about what the Kia Forte isn’t. It doesn’t compete in the hot hatchback segment, because it really can’t come close to matching the performance of cars like VW’s GTI, Subaru’s Impreza WRX or Mazda’s Mazdaspeed3. If you’re looking for a car with lots of aftermarket support, and dozens of vendors selling aftermarket parts, the Forte isn’t for you. It probably won’t bring home any autocross trophies, although it would be amusing enough for the occasional track day.

Instead, the Kia’s strength lies in its content and value for the money. My SX tester came equipped with a surprising amount of content, including a leather interior, a navigation system, a sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, solar glass, Bluetooth integration, automatic climate control and keyless entry. I could go on, but you get the point: the car is fully optioned out, yet the sticker price was under $24,000. Opt for a little less luxury (like cloth seats, no nav system and no sunroof) and the Kia Forte SX just tops the $20k mark when you add the $695 destination charge.

The Kia’s styling is conservative and tasteful. The car doesn’t scream “fast and furious,” but it doesn’t say “early dinner at the Old Country Buffet,” either. Like the Honda Civic and the VW Golf, the Kia Forte’s exterior styling is likely to appeal to drivers in any demographic. Up front the Forte wears Kia’s trademark wing-shaped grille, trimmed in chrome. Front fenders carry a subtle bulge that blends into the doors, which are given definition by sculpted bottoms that blend into the rocker panels. Blacked-out B-pillars and window trim add a sporty feel to the car, as does the black lower fascia in the rear. You may not be passionate about the Forte’s lines, but chances are that you won’t dislike them, either.

Inside, the Forte SX nudges over to the sporty side, but that’s not a bad thing. Front seats have a reasonable amount of side and hip bolstering, and the red stitching on dark gray seats gives a sharp contrast. Don’t expect complicated powered seats or adjustable lumbar support in this price range, but the Forte’s seats are plenty comfortable as is. If you live where it gets cold, you’ll be glad to know the front seats are heated.

Rear seats give a surprising amount of headroom and a decent amount of legroom. You’ll have no problem fitting two average-sized adults back there, and they aren’t likely to complain about comfort on even moderately long trips. There’s not much in the way of bolstering for the rear seats, but we’ve already warned you – the Forte isn’t a sports car. Unlike other cars in this price point (the Hyundai Elantra sedan, for example), the Kia Forte’s rear seats are not heated.

The rear seats do fold flat for maximum cargo versatility. Seatbacks fold down in a traditional 60 / 40 split, but the rear seat bottom also swivels up to create a flat loading surface (which makes the Forte a good choice for dog owners). Like most compact hatchbacks, the Forte gives you a surprising amount of room with the seats folded flat. No, you won’t be hauling full sheets of drywall or plywood in the car, but a trip to your local warehouse club or home center shouldn’t pose much drama.

The Forte’s dash isn’t as flashy as some other models in Kia’s lineup (like the Optima), but it’s attractive and functional nonetheless. Hard plastic is kept to a minimum, and most of the dash is a nicely textured soft-touch vinyl. The center stack is defined by dark aluminum trim, and the integrated navigation system also serves as the interface for the audio system. The separate displays for the time, temperature and climate control settings are a nice touch.

Instruments are minimal and limited to a tachometer, a speedometer and a fuel gauge. The speedometer gets trimmed with a glowing red ring, which is meant to make the dash appeal to a younger demographic, I suppose. It’s an odd styling cue, since glowing red on an instrument panel is rarely a good thing from my perspective. Rounding out the display is a trip computer screen, located at the bottom of the speedometer.

Kia Forte SX models benefit from a larger and more powerful engine than base models. In SX trim, buyers get a 2.4-liter, four cylinder engine good for 173 horsepower and 168 foot pounds of torque. The only option is a six speed automatic transmission (for Forte hatchbacks, at least), and it suffers from the same malady as all Hyundai and Kia transmissions. Select a manual shift mode, and the transmission won’t allow you to carry a gear to redline; in essence, there is no “manual” feature for the transmission, even though the car comes equipped with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. Zero to sixty comes up in just under nine seconds, proving again that the Forte’s strength isn’t in running from stoplight to stoplight at maximum velocity. The EPA rates the SX model at 23 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, and I saw an estimated 24.3 mpg in mostly city driving.

Behind the wheel, the Kia provides a higher entertainment value than you might expect, helped by the sport suspension. Despite the nine second zero to sixty time, the car feels quicker and more nimble than the numbers indicate, and changing direction is done with little drama. Push hard in a corner and there’s surprisingly little body roll; the car tracks flat until the front tires announce that they’ve lost traction. Even heavy braking failed to make the car nervous, and I’ll admit to being impressed by the Forte’s feedback behind the wheel. It may not be a hot hatch, but it isn’t a boring hatch, either.

My loaner 2011 Kia Forte SX had a base price of $20,090, including a destination charge of $695. Options on my tester included the $1,000 Leather Package (leather seats, heated seats, auto dimming rearview mirror), the $750 Power Sunroof and the $1,800 SX Technology Package (navigation system, push button start with smart key, auto climate control, chrome door handles), for a total sticker price of $23,640. For comparison, a comparably equipped Ford Focus Titanium would sticker at $25,850 and a similar VW Golf 2.5L would sell for $22,235, but isn’t available with navigation unless you step up to a TDI version. If you’re in the market for a five door hatchback, don’t overlook the Kia Forte; it’s a solid contender in the segment.

Thumbs Up: Comfort and luxury at an affordable price.

Thumbs Down: Needs a proper sport-shift automatic and less body roll.

Buy This Car If: You want a near luxury sedan that’s fun to drive, at a great price.

The previous generation of the Kia Optima was a blend-into-the background sedan that could hardly be called aspirational. It was a car that you had to justify to your neighbors by saying, “I got a good deal on it. A really good deal.” That’s no longer the case with Kia’s midsize sedan, which boasts jaw-dropping good looks, amazing fit and finish, a stylish and comfortable interior and a price that’s thousands less than equivalent cars from better known brands. The new Optima is a bona fide sales success for Kia, and the Optima drew more questions and praise from friends and neighbors than any other press fleet car in recent memory (except, of course, the Kia Optima Turbo).

Designed by former Audi stylist Peter Schreyer, now the head of designed for Kia, the 2011 Kia Optima carries on the styling trend begun with the slight restyle of the last version Optima in 2009. The pinched grille and angular headlights pioneered in 2009 are taken a step further in the 2011 redesign, and even side-by-side it’s hard to recognize that the two cars are both the same make and model. Kia’s futuristic styling was aimed at attracting buyers who wanted something a bit different, and their plan has worked well.

The 2011 Optima sports an angular front fascia that gives the front end a take-no-prisoners look. The hood flows back to meet the steeply raked windshield, and the roofline slopes down to meet the rear window. Strong character lines and fender vents give the car a distinctive appearance from the side, and blacked-out B-pillars add to the car’s sporty feel. On upper trim models (such as my EX tester), the roof is also painted gloss black, which gives the appearance that the greenhouse is a giant glass canopy. From behind, the Optima uses uniquely-shaped taillights and a sculpted rear fascia to create a presence. Even non-turbo cars get dual exhausts, which feature chrome outlets highlighted by a black lower fascia.

Inside, the Optima feels more like a luxury car than you’d expect. Front seats are well-bolstered, and wrapped in surprisingly nice leather on upper trim level models. The driver’s seat is power adjustable, and opting for the premium package gets you a power adjustable passenger seat as well. The same package also gets you heated and cooled front seats, something not often found in a sub-$30,000 vehicle.

Rear seats are more than an afterthought, like they are in many cars designed to a price point. There’s a reasonable amount of bolstering for outboard passengers, and rear-seaters get treated to the same rich leather as those in front. There’s a surprising amount of leg room in the rear of the Optima, and four adults would be comfortable even on a cross-country trip. The descending roofline means that the rear seat loses some headroom, but those six feet and under will find the rear seats to be all-day-long comfortable. Another feature not often found in sub-$30k cars is heated rear seats and HVAC vents for rear-seat passengers, but the Optima has both, You have to remind yourself from time to time that this isn’t meant to be a luxury car, because it certainly does a good impersonation of one.

The dash will look familiar to anyone who’s driven a new Hyundai model. Saving money means raiding the corporate parts bin, but in this case that’s a good thing. Kia doesn’t play much with color on the inside of the Optima, but they keep things visually interesting by using contrasting textures, All controls readily fall to hand, and their touch screen nav system is as intuitive as anything on the market. I’ve previously praised both Hyundai and Kia for building superb steering wheels with easily accessed controls, and the Optima is no exception. The leather wrapped wheel is the perfect size and shape, and even includes thumb cut-outs at the 9:00 and 3:00 positions. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: if other manufacturers want to know how to build a proper steering wheel, just buy an Optima and copy it as closely as you can.

The instruments are functional, but lack the personality of those found in the Hyundai Sonata. There’s no LCD graphic of the Optima, and even the numbers used on the tach and speedometer aren’t a particularly interesting font. I do like the trip computer display in the center of the speedometer (as in the Hyundai Sonata), but find the red LCD readout to be distracting. If you’ve ever raced cars, red lights on the dashboard usually mean bad things.

The Optima uses fake wood trim on the doors, and I usually call out cars for this. Instead of going with the fake burl walnut look, Kia instead chose to use a charcoal colored woodgrain (borrowing from Cadillac’s midnight sapele wood trim, perhaps), and it looks good. I hate myself for saying this, but I actually preferred it to the usual dark plastic, aluminum or faux carbon fiber trim.

Under the hood is Kia’s 2.4-liter, four-cylinder Theta II engine. Thanks in part to gasoline direct injection (GDI), the Theta II now produces 200 horsepower and 186 ft lb of torque, but still returns fuel economy of 34 mpg highway and 24 mpg city. The Optima is only available with a six speed automatic transmission, but the car still manages the run from 0 to 60 in about 8.5 seconds. If there’s a weak link in this chain, it’s the shift logic that both Kia and Hyundai use in their transmissions: even in a manual shift mode, the transmission doesn’t allow you to wind a gear out to redline before upshifting. This negates any benefit of manually shifting gears, so what’s the point of adding the feature?

On the road, even the normally aspirated Optima accelerates with some enthusiasm. Transmission upshifts aren’t exactly quick, but six speeds help the car return both reasonable fuel economy and better-than-average performance. Steering is light and less than precise, but it still feels tighter than the Hyundai Sonata. You need to remember that the Optima isn’t a sport sedan, so as long as your expectations are reasonable the car’s handling and braking are more than adequate. Pushed hard in a corner, the Optima exhibited a surprising amount of body roll, and I suspect that the aftermarket will soon have damper and spring solutions to counter this. Compared to other midsize sedans, the Optima is still fun to drive and handles on par with the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. It does make me wonder just how much fun an Optima R-Spec, with a proper sport suspension, turbocharged engine and six-speed manual transmission would be.

Base price on a Kia Optima EX is $23,190, including a destination charge of $695. Options on my tester included the $2,000 Technology Package (nav system, back-up camera, Sirius Traffic, Infinity audio system) and the $2,250 EX Premium Package (panoramic sunroof, power passenger seat, driver’s seat memory, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel) for a total sticker price of $27,440. For comparison, a similarly equipped Toyota Camry XLE would sell for $29,955, while a comparable Honda Accord EX-L would sticker at $28,105.

Thumbs Up: It’s the best looking compact crossover on the market.

Thumbs Down: Lacks interior space and headroom compared to others.

Buy This Car If: You want a decent handling CUV with a unique sense of style.

The Kia Sportage has been sold on and off in the U.S. market since 1995, but you’re forgiven if you had no idea that it’s been around so long. The first generation, sold here from 1995 through 2002 was an anonymous box-on-box compact SUV notable only for introducing the knee airbag in 1998. The second generation, introduced here in 2005, was a little more stylish, a little better built and a lot more popular with the general public. Kia sold over 190,000 second generation Sportages over a five year period, helped by the truck’s five star NHTSA rating. The conventional box-on-box styling was a step forward from the first generation, but it was still evolutionary, not revolutionary. Consumers bought the second generation Sportage because it was a safe car at a good price, not because of its stunning good looks.

Enter the third generation Sportage, introduced in the U.S. in August of 2010. The first thing you’re likely to notice is that style played a big role in the evolution of this Sportage; in fact, it was shaped by Peter Schreyer, whose previous work included the Audi TT, the Audi A3 and the new Kia Optima. Look closely and you’ll see the styling influences used by both the Kia Optima and the Kia Sportage: both share the slash-cut headlights and wing shaped grille, and both feature a pinched front fascia and defined character lines down the hood. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that no other non-luxury compact crossover or SUV on the market today has the same element of design as the Sportage. If you want anonymity, this is not the car for you.

The Kia Sportage blends bold shapes with black trim and chrome trim, and the car is distinctive from every angle. The side profile shows sculpted door lowers, blended with a low roofline and low beltline. Black trim is used to hide the B-pillars, but chrome trim (carried from the beltline) is actually used to highlight the solid C-pillar. The door handles are chrome, but the wheel arches and rocker panels are black; it sounds distracting, but the shapes and colors actually blend together well. Even the bold five spoke wheels are unlike anything else on the market today, and the help make the Sportage look like a much more expensive vehicle. The funky styling even carries over to the rear: there’s no conventional bumper to speak of, but instead the liftgate drops down into an upswept rear fascia. A small roof spoiler accentuates the sporty look, but probably does more to keep the rear window clean than it does to prevent turbulence.

The styling effort doesn’t end with the outside, either. Open the door, and you can’t miss the design of the front seats. First off, their muli-layered design is a visual treat, and Kia emphasizes a component that other automakers usually gloss over. The seats (ventilated leather in my EX tester) are wide and deeply bolstered, and both driver and passenger get heated seats. Oddly enough, only the driver gets a fan-cooled seat for air circulation on hot days, and I’m not sure why Kia omitted this feature for front seat passengers. Both front seats are power adjustable and both have lumbar support, but only the driver’s seat is height adjustable.

Kia, like parent Hyundai, knows how to make a functional and attractive dashboard. The Sportage blends shapes, textures and colors to create a visually pleasing environment. The dash top is soft-touch vinyl, not hard plastic like so many automakers are adopting these days. My EX tester came with the navigation system, but Kia provides separate controls for HVAC (automatic, dual-zone and featuring an ionizing air filter in my EX model). The audio controls took some playing with to master (particularly setting stations), but I never had to resort to opening the owners manual. I’d even rate the steering wheel in the Sportage, with its easy to master controls, thick leather grip and thumb cut-outs, as above average.

The instruments in the Sportage are simple but functional. Front and center is a speedometer with clear numbers for both MPH and KPH, and a driver information display sits at the bottom. To the left is a small tachometer, while a combination temperature and fuel gauge sits to the right. All instruments are in a hooded pod, which gives good visibility even in bright sunlight.

Rear seat passengers will enjoy the ride, too, as long as they’re not much taller than six feet. The Sportage’s rear seats are reasonably well bolstered and offer a decent amount of legroom. There’s a third seatbelt and shoulder harness for center seat passengers, but only children will be content to sit there for more than a cross-town trip. Unlike offerings from Hyundai (the new Elantra, for example), rear seat Sportage passengers go without heated seats.

There’s a price to pay for the Sportage’s good looks, and that’s cargo carrying capacity. The Sportage has significantly less room than offerings from Honda or Toyota, but whether or not that’s even an issue is an entirely personal matter. I’ve done two-week trips with my wife in a Miata, so I’d call the Sportage’s interior “cavernous”. If you have three kids and are looking to replace a Toyota RAV-4, your opinion may differ. If you really need something bigger, Kia’s own Sorento starts at just $1,700 more than a base Sportage.

The Sportage comes with Kia’s 2.4 liter, 176 horsepower, inline-four engine, but later this year Kia is expected to introduce a 270 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo version dubbed the SX. As you can probably guess, 176 horsepower (and 168 ft lb of torque) isn’t enough to make the Sportage quick off the line, especially in my AWD tester, and it took me about 10 seconds flat to accelerate from zero to sixty. The EPA rates the Sportage at 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, and my own fuel economy of 22.6 mpg in mostly city driving reinforces these numbers.

On the road, the Kia handles noticeably better than competitive crossovers. It’s not a sports car, and there are visor warnings aplenty to remind you of the Sportage’s high center of gravity compared to a sedan. As long as you’re well-behaved behind the wheel, the Sportage will reward you with predictable handling, with a balance towards understeer. My tester came equipped with AWD, but that’s not to say the Sportage is suitable for off-roading. Even with a locking center differential, the Sportage is meant for traversing snow-covered roads and hard-packed sand beaches; it’s not meant for boulder-strewn trails or fording mountain streams.

My 2011 Kia Sportage EX AWD tester had a base price of $25,490, including a destination charge of $695. Options on my tester included the $1,500 Navigation Package (nav system, Sirius satellite radio, rearview camera, premium audio system) and the $3,000 Premium Package (leather seats, heated front seats, cooled driver’s seat, push button start, panoramic sunroof, rear sonar, auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink, heated outside mirrors, cargo cover), for a total sticker price of $29,990. For comparison, a comparably equipped Honda CR-V EX-L with navigation would sticker at $30,675 and a similarly equipped Toyota RAV4 Limited would list for $32,521.

In the past, it was easy to overlook the Sportage if you were shopping for a compact crossover, just as it was easy to ignore Kia as a manufacturer. Things have changed, and Kia now offers solid value in a car, crossover or minivan. They’ve got cutting-edge style, too, so don’t be surprised when the neighbors drop by to see what you’ve got parked in your driveway.

Kia’s manufacturing facility in West Point, GA, is currently busy cranking out their Sorrento crossover alongside Hyundai’s Santa Fe SUV. There’s still some capacity leftover, so the Korean automaker has announced plans to begin building their new Optima sedan in the Georgia plant. Even better, this move will create an estimated 700 new jobs within Kia’s plant, which will have a ripple effect on the local economy. Kia says the overall net effect will be 7,500 more jobs for local suppliers, but that estimate may be generous; still, I give a big thumbs up to any company creating jobs in the current economy.

It’s not known if Kia will continue to manufacture the Santa Fe for Hyundai, but my guess is yes. Hyundai’s close to capacity at their Montgomery, AL plant, building the new Sonata and new Elantra models. Short of expanding their current production facility (an idea that Hyundai management is currently discussing), Hyundai would need to cut back on Sonata and Elantra production to resume building Santa Fe SUVs. Since demand for Hyundai’s compact and mid-size sedan is still outstripping supply, I’d call that move highly unlikely.

Source: Left Lane News

The Kinetic Motorsports Kia Forte Koup. Image: Kia Motors

This may not seem like big news, but it is: Kia Motors is celebrating their first professional racing victory, earned at last weekend’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge event at Barber Motorsports Park. A Kia Forte Koupe, driven by Michael Galati and Nic Jönsson, gained the lead on lap 54 and fought off the BMW 128i of Tim Bell and BJ Zacharias for the win in the Street Tuner (ST) class. Although this is Kia’s second year of professional racing, 2010 was considered a development year with little chance of podium finishes. Team expectations for 2011 were modest, and after the race driver Nic Jönsson remareked, “It’s so fantastic. Bringing Kia Motors to the top of the chart in one of the toughest sports car series in the world in less than two years. The goal for this year was to have one or two podiums. Now we have a first and a second.”

The win puts the Kinetic Motorsports team in second place in the team standing, and puts Kia second in the engine manufacturer standings. The real significance, beyond temporary bragging rights, is the evolution of Kia’s products as their racing efforts continue. Already poised as the “sport” brand to parent Hyundai’s sensible transportation options, Kia could pick up significant market share with continued race victories. Young enthusiasts don’t have any brand stigmas, and are just as likely to shop Hyundai or Kia as they are Mazda or Volkswagen. A racing pedigree will only help to bring enthusiast attention to the brand, who seems to be doing everything right these days. Now all they need is their own version of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

Source: Kia Motors, Grand-Am

Thumbs Up: Style, performance and a surprisingly low price.

Thumbs Down: Where’s the six speed manual transmission?

Buy This Car If: You’re looking for the best value in a sporty sedan.

Friends and neighbors are used to a steady stream of press fleet cars in and out of my driveway. Most are met with indifference, since manufacturers typically supply a lot more crossovers, minivans and SUV than they do sport sedans or coupes. I’ve had my share of high profile, fun to drive cars, too, but none has ever attracted the same amount of attention as the 2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo. It seemed that no matter where I went, someone had questions on the car. Most started with “what kind of car is that?”, while those in the know usually began with “how do you like the new Optima?”. I’m convinced that I helped Kia sell at least three units (so remember me at Christmas time, Kia), but the most remarkable part of my week with the Optima Turbo was the realization that I’d buy one myself.

As much as I liked the Optima Turbo’s sibling, the Hyundai Sonata Turbo, I found that I preferred both the styling and the ride of the Kia. Think of it this way: Hyundai is the Korean equivalent of Chevrolet, while Kia is the Korean equivalent of Pontiac. Kia’s are targeted at a younger audience, so their styling is a bit more edgy and their ride is a bit sportier (i.e., stiffer). I’d stop short of calling the Optima Turbo a true sport sedan, but it definitely has higher limits that the Sonata Turbo, as well as even more distinctive looks. Previous generation Optima sedans had all the appeal of steamed white rice, but the new Optima is more along the lines of spaghetti alla carbonara, made with spicy Italian sausage. That’s not to say it’s perfect, and the most glaring sport-sedan omission is a manual transmission option. As with the Hyundai Sonata Turbo, the paddle shifters really don’t do much to improve shift times, and I can’t help but think that a good six speed manual would really transform the car. There’s still enough of us row-it-yourself buyers out there to justify adding a model to the product lineup, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that Kia considers this for future Optima Turbo variants.

Outside, the Optima SX Turbo looks good from any angle, and tastefully blends the body color with both black and chrome trim. The chrome is kept to a minimum (which is a good thing in my eyes), but it is used well to define both the Optima’s W-shaped front grille and the rounded, swooping roofline. The blacked-out B-pillars and narrow C-pillars are a nice touch, and they combine with the high beltline and curving roof to give the car a futuristic appearance. Deep character lines above the rocker panels give the visual appearance of side skirts to emphasize the car’s sporty stance. That’s not to say that the Optima Turbo is entirely unique in styling; the front fender vents are reminiscent of a BMW M3, while the C-pillar includes Kia’s own interpretation of BMW’s “Hofmeister kink”. Neither styling element is a direct copy of BMW’s own, so they effectively serve as an homage to the Bavarian automaker. Perhaps they’re an indication of Kia’s ultimate target for both styling and performance.

Inside, the Optima Turbo continues the sport sedan theme. Front seats are an interesting blend of ventilated leather and woven fabric, and the combination works very well to keep the driver comfortable across a wide range of conditions. The contrasting white cloth and black leather looks good, too, and definitely enhances the appearance of the interior. The heated and cooled front seats in my top-of-the-line SX Turbo tester were power adjustable, and the driver’s seat had a memory setting for position. A bit more hip and side bolstering would have been nice, but that in no way detracted from the comfort of the front seats.

Rear seats are surprisingly roomy for two adults, or even three on short trips. The Optima’s swooping roofline means that you need to mind your head on entry, but once inside even six footers won’t feel cramped for head room. The rear seats give passengers more bolstering than most sedans, and the outboard seats are even heated for cold weather comfort. If you need to haul over-sized cargo, the rear seats fold in a 60/40 split to give you more room, although the Kia’s trunk is surprisingly roomy even with the seats in place.

The Optima’s dash blends shapes, textures and colors to create a visually interesting environment for the driver. Controls for the HVAC, audio and nav systems are canted toward the driver for easy adjustment, and Kia’s nav system is simple to operate, even for new users. Instruments are large and easy to read, and I especially like the driver information display that Kia shares with Hyundai. Any variable you’d want to see (fuel economy, average speed, distance to empty, driving time, trip odometer, etc.) can be easily called up via a steering wheel mounted control. Speaking of steering wheel mounted controls, no other automaker has a better, more intuitive setup than Hyundai and Kia, which makes me wonder why others don’t mimic their simple-but-elegant layout.

The Optima Turbo gets a 2.0 liter, 274 horsepower turbocharged and direct injected four cylinder engine. Unlike turbos of old, this one isn’t high strung and produces surprisingly crisp power even at low revs. The six speed “Sportmatic” transmission can be shifted manually via either paddle shifters or the shift lever, but it’s more for effect than for an actual performance boost. Leaving the car in Drive produces the same rate of acceleration, so the only choice that drivers really need to make is whether or not to use the Optima’s Eco mode. As you’d suspect, Eco mode diminishes throttle response and quickens upshifts to save gas; it’s not as performance-hampering as other cars “Econ” settings, but the Optima Turbo definitely has a higher grin factor with Eco turned off. Kia doesn’t mandate the use of premium unleaded in the Optima Turbo, but it may be worth the extra cost for maximum performance and fuel economy. I saw about a 5% decrease in highway fuel economy when the car was tanked with mid-grade gasoline versus premium. The EPA tells you to expect fuel economy of 22 MPG city and 34 MPG highway, and I saw an actual fuel economy of 29.9 MPG in mostly-highway driving.

As you might have guessed, the Optima Turbo was a lot of fun to drive. The suspension was noticeably firmer than that in the Hyundai Sonata Turbo, which yielded higher cornering limits without creating an unnecessarily harsh ride. In fact, at this price point the Optima blends comfort and handling better than any other car on the market. Your grandmother won’t complain about a jarring ride in the backseat (although she won’t confuse it with her Buick, either), and you won’t be disappointed by the Optima’s ability to navigate a winding road as long as your expectations are reasonable. Steering was nicely weighted, but a slightly heavier effort wouldn’t have hurt road feel, either. Brakes were more than adequate for street duty, although I’m not sure how well the “meat slicer” wheels would have vented the brakes after turning hot laps on a race track. Don’t expect an Optima Turbo to keep up with a true sport sedan, but I’d be willing to bet it can hold it’s own against other “sporty” competitors such as Acura’s TSX or a front wheel drive Audi A4. The car’s primary mission isn’t filling your living room with autocross trophies, but rather putting a grin on your face every time you give it the beans. Mission accomplished, says I.

My 2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo had a base price of $26,690, including a $695 destination charge. Options on my tester included the $2,000 Technology Package (nav system, back up camera, Infinity premium audio system) and the $2,150 SX Premium Package (panoramic front / rear sunroof, power front passenger seat, driver’s seat memory, heated and cooled front seats, heated outboard rear seats), for a total sticker price of $30,840. For comparison, a comparably equipped Buick Regal Turbo would sell for $31,490, an Acura TSX with the Tech Package would sticker at $33,570, and a similar Ford Fusion Sport would list at $33,975.

It’s a story we’ve all seen before: cop steals car, which then gets hijacked by evil megalomaniac’s henchman in a helicopter. Poseidon intervenes and snatches car, crashing the helicopter and flooding Mr. Evildoer’s yacht. Aliens steal the car from Poseidon and beat feet back to their own planet, before the car is hijacked again and sucked through a wormhole opened by an Aztec priest. I think Shakespeare was the first to write this particular story, which has been ripped off by everyone from Kurosawa through Spielberg. Even Woody Allen wrote a script, but his story was more focused on the interplay between the neurotic Aztec priest and his overbearing wife.

Sarcasm aside, there seems to be two camps of people when it comes to Kia’s innovative Superbowl commercial: those who loved it and those who hated it. Either way, it was probably one of the most complex and expensive car ads ever filmed, and the video below shows you why.

For me, the video had lots of novelty value but little of substance. It didn’t make me laugh and it didn’t show me the capabilities of the car. In fact, there was so much going on that the car was almost secondary to the ad’s plot, and I’m not sure that’s how you tell people about an entirely new-from-the-ground-up midsize sedan. Kia seems to be selling plenty of Optimas, but I’m not sure if that’s because of the commercial or in spite of it.

The 2011 Kia Sportage SX Turbo. Image: Kia Motors

Kia Motors, like their parent company Hyundai, seems to be doing everything right these days. Take their Optima sedan for example, which has gone from a boring, disposable econobox to an object of desire (especially when fitted with their 274 horsepower turbo motor) with edgy, contemporary styling. It looks like their engineers and designers have been let loose on the Sportage as well, since Kia is now rolling out a completely new Sportage compact crossover for 2011. Why should you care? Because they’re building an SX Turbo variant with the same 2.0 liter turbo motor, and it’s available in either front wheel drive or all wheel drive. If you want a fun ride, but need a compact crossover to accommodate your family or just your stuff, you’ve now got another legitimate contender to add to your shopping list.

If there’s bad news, it’s that the Theta II 2.0 liter turbo motor loses a little horsepower and torque in the move to the Sportage SX Turbo. Compared to the Optima’s 274 horsepower and 269 foot pounds of torque, the Sportage gets 256 horsepower and 264 foot pounds of torque, which is still better than any competitor I can think of in the price range. Even the Subaru Forester XT’s turbo motor only puts out 224 horsepower and 226 foot pounds of torque, and the Subie is over 250 pounds heavier than the Sportage.

It’s taken Kia some time to create an image for themselves, but they seem to be the brand most focused on affordable performance. Look at it this way: if Hyundai is GM, Kia is what Pontiac was meant to be. Let’s just hope that the Korean automaker gets better support from their parent than Pontiac did.

Source: Kia Motors

Ok, I know tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday and all, but my God these car companies are going buck-wild on ads this year. This new ad by Kia featuring the 2011 Optima combines spies, aliens, a God of the sea and ancient Inca’s all in an attempt to show that this new Optima is well… epic. Now I’ve driven some epic cars in my time so I think I’m qualified to comment on the subject. For instance, the Porsche GT3 RS is epic, as is the Gumpert Apollo, Nissan GT-R and Corvette ZR1. The Kia Optima though… hmm, I suppose it could be, but then again it could also be total crap. Hell, I suppose if digs it then what does the rest of the world have to lose right?

There is however one main problem with this ad, and that is it has to stack up to the one they ran last year on the Kia Sorrento, something that I think, quite honestly, it doesn’t do.