TAMA Awards Sonata in Mid Size Sedan and Elantra in Compact Sedan Categories
Las Vegas, NV. - TAMA (Texas Automotive Media Agency) named Hyundai Sonata the Mid Size Sedan winner, and Elantra the Compact Sedan winner, at the 5th Annual Readers' Choice Cars Awards ceremony held during the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV.
Kia Ray compact (A-segment) vehicle to offer practicality, individuality and innovative design
Korean market-exclusive vehicle combines fuel economy with spacious and highly versatile interior
SEOUL -- Kia Motors Corporation today released the first official images of its all-new Kia Ray compact vehicle, which will be sold exclusively in the company's home market of Korea.
A review of the 2011 Kia Sportage SX has been posted over at toDrive.com. 'The SX engine is actually smaller than the base and EX engine but achieves higher performance with the aid of turbocharging. Both engines offer gasoline direct injection, a more precise system for fuel metering. Many of the automakers using gasoline direct injection believe DI is most optimal for a turbocharged engine due to its piston cooling effect. The 2.0-liter is impressively quiet and refined, and the extra punch makes this a lively little crossover to drive. City mileage is the same as the base engine, though you give up three miles per gallon on the highway according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates.'
Edmunds.com have published a review of the 2011 Kia Forte SX. 'The Forte five-door (or Forte hatchback, if you prefer) is a new addition to the Forte lineup. As a hatchback, it offers passenger room similar to a sedan but with greater cargo capacity within a smaller, easier-to-park footprint. Sadly, Americans tend to look down their noses at hatchbacks, envisioning them as the vehicular poster children for the generic "economy car." But to our collective eye, the Forte five-door looks rather sharp, more like something you'd see in Europe, where even upper-level nameplates offer hatchback body styles. Overall, the Kia Forte SX five-door is pretty easy to live with, given its solid performance, solid build quality and welcoming cabin that can be outfitted with a number of unexpected yet practical luxury features.'
Inside line have published a review of the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid. 'Kia's hybrid approach is slightly different from its competitors, but the upshot is similar -- it'll run in pure EV mode during low-demand driving, and once the battery runs down, a gas engine jumps in to do the heavy lifting. The Optima's EV mode is predictably silent and can be maintained if you treat the throttle as if there's an egg between it and your foot. Drive it like a normal car and the gas engine comes into play with regularity, and it doesn't thrum to life as seamlessly as we've come to expect from modern hybrids. There's also a mild yet constant surging during part-throttle acceleration.'
A review of the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid has been posted over at Edmunds.com. 'The 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid started out as a great idea. Kia took a great-looking midsize sedan, made it more aerodynamic and threw in a hybrid engine. So far, so good. Next it was rated by the EPA to deliver an estimated 35 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. On paper, this was better fuel economy than many of its competitors. But such efficiency proved elusive in our test-drive in the real world. There's much to like about this car. It is comfortable, looks good and has a lot of technology. But without an engine that delivers on its promise of great fuel economy, you're better off either saving money with the standard Optima, or if you want added performance with a similar feature set, go for the Optima Turbo.'
Motor Trend have published their "First test drive" report of the 2011 Kia Forte SX. 'While the Forte SX isn't as impressive on the track as others in its class, and there still are ride quality issues to address, Kia has done a commendable job with its latest five-door. In this highly competitive money-making set, a vehicle's quickness ultimately takes a backseat to how much fuel it gulps, its everyday usefulness, and its bottom-line price, three factors the Forte SX excels at. Throw in some handsome looks, and what Kia now has is the hatchback it always wanted.'
The National Post have published a review of the 2011 Kia Optima SX sedan. 'Here's a mid-sized sedan that can be whatever the potential owner wants. In base form, it is a competent family hauler that's comfortable, well equipped and fuel-efficient. Move up to the SX and it not only fulfills the family sedan obligation, it delivers a true driver's car. Part of the reason is its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, which blows 274 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque at 1,750 rpm. The use of direct injection and the fact the turbo blows air into the engine at 17.4 psi puts 150 pound-feet of torque at the driver's disposal at 1,000 rpm. This banishes turbo lag and gives the Optima an eight-second run to 100 kilometres an hour and a very quick 80-to-120-km/h passing time of 5.2 seconds.'
CNET have published a review of the 2011 Kia Optima EX. 'Kia and its parent corporation, Hyundai, have been making serious moves in recent years to improve its fleet of vehicles. What was once a low-cost and low-quality alternative to the major Japanese brands now stands as a viable competitor. Initial quality, fuel efficiency, and performance of Kia's vehicles have been dramatically improved with each successive model year. However, one element hasn't changed very much: price. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, Kia's vehicles still manage to be less expensive than the models with which they are compared.'
Inside Line have published a review of the 2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo. 'The 2011 Kia Optima SX's cabin is flavorful, despite its almost all-black color scheme. The center stack/navigation screen is canted at a perfect angle toward the driver, and even the faux carbon-fiber trim doesn't look too tacky. The buttons on the center stack are large and easy to use, and the soft-touch materials in abundance throughout the cabin give the Optima SX a quality feel. The one downside is the nav screen's tendency to wash out in direct sunlight. As usual, Kia fits the Optima with plenty of standard features, such as leather seats, Bluetooth, dual-zone climate control, an eight-way power driver seat and HID headlights.'
