Kia Soul and Cadenza Named Active Lifestyle Vehicles of the Year

For the fifth consecutive year, Kia Motors America's (KMA) iconic urban passenger vehicle, the Soul, was named a winner at the 13th annual Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year awards held recently in Chandler, Arizona. Once again, local media and elite athletes rated the Soul best in the urban category after dynamic and real-world evaluations, while the all-new 2017 Cadenza wowed them with its stunning new design and comfortable passenger space.

"Winning the Active Lifestyle Vehicle award for the fifth consecutive year is a clear indication that the Soul makes a great companion for urbanites who are constantly on the go," said Orth Hedrick, vice president of product planning, KMA.

The 2016 Soul is one of KMA's best-selling nameplates for good reason. The fun-loving Soul combines a funky and functional design, premium interior and a long list of standard and optional amenities. With a starting MSRP of just $15,900 (excluding destination charges of $850), the 2016 Soul boasts value and utility in a small and stylish package. For 2017, the Soul aims to increase its popularity with the addition of a turbocharged engine option. The all-new Cadenza will soon be arriving in showrooms with an estimated starting price just below $32,000. Stop by Van Griffith Kia today and come check out the award winning Kia Soul and Kia Cadenza!

2017 Kia Sportage Featured in a Crowd Compact Crossover Market

There are over 16 compact crossovers on the market, another 20 midsize crossovers, and nearly a dozen subcompact crossovers. Then there's the luxury makes. With so many crossovers on the market, automakers are playing with paint, parts and design - anything and everything - to stand out. The fourth-generation Kia Sportage once again steps out of the compact crossover class with a sharp design, big wheels and peppy turbo four.

The prominent face on the Sportage is flanked by adaptive lights that turn with the car and four-cube fog lights in the top-of-the-line test model. The wheelbase is stretched by 1.6 inches over the last model, and the spoiler and rear windshield cut into the computer mouse shape shared by much of the class. It's curved and stretched in the front, but nipped and tucked in the back.

Direct injection 2-liter turbo four-cylinder engines are arguably the most popular engine choice in modern cars. Like the others, Kia's is quick off the line with little lag, which helps in passing situations. In AWD, it pumps out 237 horsepower and a very impressive 260 pound-feet of torque, available at just 1,450 rpm.

With a starting MSRP of $22,990, the Sportage’s cabin offers five expressive interior colors integrated with soft-touch materials, and the EX and SX Turbo models add leather upholstery. Interior highlights include dual-zone automatic climate control (optional on LX, standard on EX and SX Turbo), push-button start (standard on EX and SX Turbo), a Harman Kardon sound system with eight speakers (optional on EX, standard on SX Turbo) and much more. Visit Van Griffith Kia and come see the all new 2017 Kia Sportage today!

Kia Rolls Out the New Soul EV to Stakes it’s Place In The Electric Global Auto Industry

The Kia Soul EV is in many ways exactly what you’d expect if you are an EV enthusiast. It is so similar externally to the regular Kia Soul that most people don’t even recognize it is an EV. It lacks a gas input and has a hidden electric input on the front grill, slightly different lights and has some aerodynamic rims and low rolling resistance wheels. But besides those little details and of course the small ‘EcoElectric’ label on the car, it is pretty hard to tell this is an EV.

From a drive train perspective, Kia removed the gas tank and internal combustion engine and all of the bits that go with it. In its place Kia placed 32.7kWh of batteries. Under the hood it switched out the 4 cylinder ICE with a tiny 109HP AC engine, but surprisingly capable engine thanks to 210ft/lbs of EV torque. On top of that is a charge controller and inverter. There’s a ton of empty space up there in the front that wouldn’t exist if this was designed as an EV first. The 32kWh of batteries carry the Kia Soul EV around 100 miles but because of the box-like aerodynamics, that can mean significantly over 100 miles in the slow driving city or under 100 miles on the highway.

With its ample interior room, large cargo capacity, and 93 miles of range on a full charge, the compact 2016 Kia Soul EV is one of the most practical of the lower-priced all-electric vehicles on the market. It is also one of the most unexpected, since the South Korean manufacturer only sells one another electrified vehicle, the midsize Optima Hybrid. It’s as though the company is showing off, saying, “We can do that, too.”

Check out the new Kia Soul EV at Van Griffith Kia today and take it for a test drive!

2018 Kia Gt Sports Sedan Becoming a Reality

Kia has long sold itself as the sporty Korean bran. Any manufacturer that wants to be considered as such needs a true sports sedan in its lineup, which means standard rear-wheel drive. Indeed, the Kia GT—or whatever it ends up being called; the code name is CK—will be rear-wheel drive, and it will have the BMW 3-series in its sights. It also sends the message that Kia is willing to step outside of its daily family-car and crossover safety zone to build the kind of vehicles that appeal to enthusiasts. As a luxury sports sedan, the GT also will provide a fertile ground for extensive luxury options and trim levels, which can increase profit margins. The GT will look to offer seductive styling at a substantial discount over the cost of traditional European competition, but the car’s success largely will hinge on how it drives.

We expect Kia to offer the GT in four- and six-cylinder variants, with the sportiest model getting a 3.3-liter turbocharged V-6 making roughly 340 horsepower. You can bet the company’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder will make an appearance, possibly with enhanced output (perhaps with additional displacement) for duty in the GT. To enhance the car’s sporting credibility, look for it to be offered with a manual transmission as well as the expected automatic. We expect the car to arrive in 2017 as a 2018 model. Stop by Van Griffith Kia when the car is released and take the all new Kia GT for a test drive!