2013 Kia Optima Sx on 2040-cars

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2014 Cadenza is Kia's take on the Hyundai Azera

No, this is not the oh-so pleasantly named Quoris rear-wheel-drive flagship sedan - this is Kia's new front-drive entry into the North American market, the Cadenza. (If that sounds familiar, it's because Kia has long used the Cadenza name in other markets.) And while it's a sharp-looking thing, it's not exactly an original masterpiece. Peel away that slick exterior and you'll find a trusty Hyundai Azera doing the grunt work.
That's no bad thing, though; the Azera's a smooth-sailing sedan. Under the hood is a 3.3-liter direct-injection V6 putting out 293 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with, oh yes, Sportmatic manual mode. That power hits the ground via a sport-tuned suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link rear configuration, matched with either 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, there's a whole host of nice leather surrounded by wood and chrome accents, with a driver-focused cockpit (sort of like the Optima) with a seven-inch TFT color touchscreen display. Premium options include things like Nappa leather seats, a panoramic sunroof, Kia's UVO infotainment system, HID headlamps with active lighting, heated seats and a heated steering wheel. Sounds comfy.

2014 Kia Forte Koup SX

The Kia Forte and Hyundai Elantra have long followed similar paths, with each available in a four-door sedan, a five-door hatch and (most recently) a two-door coupe bodystyle. The recent death of the Hyundai Elantra Coupe in the US may be threatening to change the narrative on these two affordable compact lines, of course, but the Korean two-doors have a lot in common under their distinct skins. Their most recent iterations came to market under the power of the same 2.0-liter, 173-horsepower four-cylinder paired with six-speed automatic transmissions and riding atop MacPherson strut front suspensions and torsion-beam setups out back. Each arrived weighing between 2,800 and 3,000 pounds and could be had in base form for less than $20,000. Considering this, the empirical performance stats figured to be similar.
There's an important distinction to be made, however. Rather than offer a simple two-door version of a four-door car, like Hyundai did with its Elantra Coupe, Kia has gone to lengths to craft a vehicle with its own unique attitude and attributes. Kia has embraced a sportier stance with its two-door Forte Koup, offering up a standard six-speed manual and going further in an effort to craft a more unique, aggressive coupe design.
That drive to be different was further accentuated last year, when Kia raided Hyundai's parts bin and plucked out the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Veloster Turbo. The resulting car is decidedly different than any other Forte we've tested, while also feeling like a better all-around product than the smaller hot hatch it stole its engine from. To see just how much better, we drove the Forte Koup SX for a week and set about seeing how this enhanced model stacks up as a performance offering.

2014 Kia Sorento garners five-star NHTSA rating

The 2014 Kia Sorento has just earned a five-start crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
According to Kia, the new Sorento scored well in both frontal and side-impact crash tests, while also netting high marks in rollover testing. Orth Hedrick, Kia's American director of product planning said, "Already a compelling entry in the compact CUV category, earning a five-Star rating from NHTSA makes the Sorento an even stronger contender within its segment while underscoring Kia's overall commitment to delivering safety and exceptional value to our customers."
The Sorento joins the Sportage within the Kia range, and the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Forester in netting a five-star score in the small, CUV segment. Take a look below for the official press release from Kia.