2013 Kia Soul was one funky ride

Consumer Reports appreciated its affordability and “decent” performance

2013 Kia Soul was one funky rideBy 2013, the Kia Soul was firmly embedded in the North American market. It joined the new breed of stubby compact “urban crossover” wagons, such as the Nissan Cube, Scion xB, Honda Element, Ford Flex and so on, and was an instant success. Sometimes it seemed like every other vehicle on the road was a…

Lots of choices for Kia EV6 all-electric crossover

The Kia EV6 will be popular as Canadian drivers make the move to all-electric vehicles

Lots of choices for Kia EV6 all-electric crossoverThe first dedicated all-electric vehicle from Kia is the EV6. Designed from the ground up as an electric-only vehicle, the EV6 shares a platform with corporate relatives, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Genesis GV60. Although these three models have some related underpinnings, they each are distinctive. The Genesis GV60 is ultra-luxurious, the Ioniq 5…

Buying used: Kia Sportage revived in 2012 to mixed results

The Sportage sits five adults in relative comfort. If you fold down the seat, you get a reasonably flat floor

Buying used: Kia Sportage revived in 2012 to mixed resultsThe Kia Sportage was into its third overhaul in 2012, including a major facelift and a larger four-cylinder engine. The first generation of Sportage, introduced to North America in 1993, had a less than stellar reputation. Despite featuring body-on-frame construction, with significant engineering input from Mazda, its various shortcomings almost finished Kia’s foray into SUV…

Auto odds, ends: Honda, Hyundai honoured for vehicles of the year

Kia has more electric offerings, Subaru has strong sales month, Nissan sets up American EV plant

Auto odds, ends: Honda, Hyundai honoured for vehicles of the yearTime for a few odds and sods from the automotive world. Vehicles of the year First up, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) just announced its choices for 2022 car of the year and utility vehicle of the year. The winners are the Honda Civic and Hyundai Tucson. Prevailing over 250 other entries, these…

The 2022 Kia K5 ticks all the boxes for sedan enthusiasts

The K5 does everything this type of vehicle is supposed to do

The 2022 Kia K5 ticks all the boxes for sedan enthusiastsThe passenger sedan market definitely ain’t what it used to be. Not long ago, the conventional four-door sedan defined the new car marketplace. If you went shopping for a new car, that’s what you bought nine times out of 10. Yes, SUVs were around. But they were more of a novelty than a legitimate choice…

The 2022 Kia Carnival SX proves minivans can be cool

Comfortable and quiet with all kinds of elbow room and easy-to-understand instrumentation

The 2022 Kia Carnival SX proves minivans can be coolAs of 2022, the Kia Sedona is no longer with us. In its place is the Carnival. While still a minivan, this is a different animal in just about every way. It’s larger, more luxurious, better equipped and more robust. The Kia Sedona was one of the first products to come out of the Kia/Hyundai…

Latest auto news from Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Kia

From the funny little Toyota zipping around the Olympics to the Honda Monkey and Acura NSX to the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Fefe Dobson

Latest auto news from Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and KiaTime for some automotive odds and ends that have come my way lately. First, if you’ve been watching the Tokyo Olympics, you may have noticed these funny little model cars zipping all over the place. They’re especially obvious during the athletics events, such as shot put, javelin, relay races and so on, where they schlepp…

The 2011 Kia Soul is both cute and practical

The Soul surprised with its reserve power, nimbleness and, in particular, its lack of rattles, looseness or mysterious noises

The 2011 Kia Soul is both cute and practicalThe Kia Soul was introduced to the North American market in 2010. Based on the Rio platform, it was one of the new breed of stubby compact urban crossover wagons, such as the Nissan Cube, Scion xB, Honda Element, Ford Flex and so on. When it hit the market, Kia was also targeting the Dodge…

News and notes from the auto industry

A new Outlander, Nissan honoured for safety features, Kia offers a new ‘life utility vehicle,’ Ford‘s new Bronco goes modular

News and notes from the auto industryWith spring just around the corner, automotive updates, news releases and new vehicle launches are coming thick and fast. Here are a few that have come my way: Mitsubishi has just released its 2022 Outlander. Here’s how the manufacturer describes it: “Based on the product concept ‘I-Fu-Do-Do,’ which means authentic and majestic in Japanese, the…

Looking for a 2015 used car? Here are some good bets

BMW 3 Series, Kia Optima Hybrid, Scion xB, Toyota Prius V all offer good value and quality

Looking for a 2015 used car? Here are some good betsLooking for a used car around five years old? Here are some models from 2015 that I happen to like, from four manufacturers. BMW 3 Series BMW makes some outstanding automobiles, no question. But for driving pleasure, value, and accessibility, the 3 Series takes some beating. The base version was actually less expensive than the…