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Kia
Kia out of South Korea constructs value-priced vehicles in a diverse product line extending from economical small cars like Rio to premium luxury sedans such as Amanti, plus multiple wagons such as minivans like Sedona and Ronda and sport utility vehicles with Sorento and Sportage.
Kia's Optima mid-size sedan won a new platform in 2007 with a longer wheelbase and wider track to make more room for riders in the five-seat cabin. Optima for 2008 continues in trims of LX and EX with powertrains of a 2.4-liter in-line-four for 161 hp and a 2.7-liter V6 with 185 hp. A five-speed Sportmatic automatic is optional with the four-pack but standard for the V6. Other gear ranges from curtain-style air bags to active front headrests and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Options include anti-lock brakes and -- with the V6 -- electronic stability control (ESC).
Kia's Sportage small-class wagon is a crossover utility vehicle (CUV) with a front-wheel-drive (FWD) platform and the versatile cabin of a wagon but the smooth ride quality of a sedan. There are FWD and all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction options and two tiers of trim -- base LX and deluxe EX, with two different powertrain choices. A bargain-priced Sportage LX entry edition packs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine for 140 hp with a manual five-speed shifter. Sportage LX V6 and upgraded EX V6 use a twin-cam 2.7-liter V6 worth 173 hp as linked to a four-speed automatic with Sportmatic manual shift mode.
Kia's Sorento mid-size SUV looks keen, carries a spacious passenger compartment with room for five and for 2008 presents a new V6 engine option for the base LX trim. The new 3.3-liter V6 achieves 242 hp. Sorento EX stocks a 3.8-liter V6 boosted to 262 hp and tied to a five-speed Sportmatic automatic shifter. The SUV also offers two-wheel-drive (2WD) or four-wheel-drive (4WD) traction. A comfortable cabin with seats for five contains standard safety items like curtain-style side air bags, ESC and a traction control system (TCS), TPMS and active front headrests -- even a driver's knee air bag.
Kia's Sedona minivan appears in two body lengths -- the short wheelbase (SWB) edition at 113.8 inches and the long wheelbase (LWB) version at 118.9 inches. Those extra inches for the LWD Sedona bring about 15 percent more space in the seven-seat passenger compartment. The cabin has front bucket seats, flip-and-fold second-row seats and a rear bench that folds into the floor. Kia laces Sedona with safety features, including lots of air bags. Also, Kia Sedona packs a forceful engine. The 3.8-liter V6 nets 250 hp and links to a five-speed Sportmatic automatic.
Stretching long and looking elegant with sculptured styling drawn from classic luxury touring sedans from Europe, Amanti measures up to large-car status and carries trappings of a premium luxury model. Conformed as a notchback four-door sedan with seats inside for four or five, Amanti looks substantial with a bold prow displaying a prominent egg-crate grille in chrome tucked between flanking pairs of oval articulated headlamps. Go-power stems from a 3.8-liter aluminum V6 rated at 264 hp. Amanti's optional premium package adds Supervision gauges, aluminum trim in the cabin and chrome-coated wheels.
Kia's Rondo miniature minivan/wagon rolled out as a 2007 model and repeats in 2008. It's a five-door hatchback-styled wagon, sized for the compact class and constructed on the FWD platform of a car. Body styling is slick and streamlined and there's the option of an accessory kit with chrome trim and extensions for the front fascia and side sills. Rondo's cabin makes room for five or seven riders. Lots of safety equipment goes into Rondo, including six air bags and ESC. Engine choices are a 2.4-liter in-line-four worth 162 hp or a 2.7-liter V6 for 182 hp.
Spectra is a shapely four-door sedan for the compact class stocking a respectable powerplant with FWD traction and ample safety systems. Layout of the cabin seems conventional with two buckets in front of a bench for three, yet personal space is definitely not conventional for a compact -- the cabin seems tall and broad with generous room to stretch out. Model grades are EX, LX and sporty SX, all stocking curtain-style air bags. Power flows from a 2.0-liter four-pack with continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) and 138 hp through a five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic.
A five-door hatchback variation of the Spectra sedan, the Spectra5 mixes spry road manners of a small FWD sports sedan with the cargo capacity of a pint-size SUV and the miserly fuel efficiency of an economy car. So it's partly a sporty car styled like a street-racer hatchback, but also partly a small wagon and thrifty runabout that's practical to use but fun to drive. Spectra5 holds the same engine and running gear as the four-door Spectra, although it gets a strut tower brace in front for improved torsional rigidity, stabilizer bars plus taut tuning of the four-wheel independent suspension.
Kia's Rio sub-compact four-door sedan draws class-capping strength from a zippy engine. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder CVVT plant produces 110 hp and employs a five-speed manual transmission or optional electronically controlled four-speed automatic. Rio the sedan brings three trims -- base, upgraded LX and sporty SX. All stock six standard air bags, including dual advanced frontal and front seat-mounted side air bags, and full-length curtain-style air bags above side windows front and back. Rio SX adds chrome accents to the instrument panel, special fabric inserts on seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with red stitching.
In the Rio5 that number attached to the nameplate denotes a tail-side fifth door added for accessing the aft cargo compartment on a hatchback variation of Kia's Rio sedan. The sporty hatchback edition uses the same engine and equipment as the sedan but gets its own trim designation -- SX. Styling for the exterior package on Rio5 features a raked windshield, pronounced wheel arches and an aggressive prow with sweeping corner headlamps and a grille with black mesh insert.
