Kia Forte LPI Hybrid – Kia’s 1st Hybrid

Kia Motors unveiled its first commercialized hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the Forte Liquid Petroleum Injection (LPI) Hybrid.

The Forte LPI Hybrid is the newest addition to Kia’s widely acclaimed Forte family (known as ‘All-new Cerato’ in some markets), which includes both gasoline-powered 4-door sedan and sporty KOUP versions. Kia Motors invested KRW 240 billion (approximately USD 180 million) over a period of 25 months to develop the eco-friendly Forte LPI Hybrid.

Boasting powerful driving performance and a superior fuel efficiency rating of 17.8 km/?,(approximately 42 miles per gallon) the Forte LPI Hybrid answers consumer demand for environmentally friendly vehicles that are exciting and fun to drive. Additionally, with CO2 emissions of just 99 g/km, the Forte LPI Hybrid qualifies for billing as a Super Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV).

The new car utilizes a 1.6-liter Gamma LPI engine with an independently developed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and hybrid system, comprising an electric motor, inverter, converter and 180V lithium ion polymer battery.

Although no plans to market this vehicle in overseas markets have been finalized, feasibility studies are being conducted to assess consumer interest and potential demand in markets that possess liquid petroleum refueling infrastructure.

Forte Hybrid LPI System
Both the engine and electric motor are activated when the ignition is turned on but only the engine will run when cruising. When decelerating, the car utilizes a special regenerative braking function to convert energy that is normally lost into electricity that can be stored in the battery.

The hybrid system is also equipped with Kia’s Idle Stop and Go (ISG) function, which automatically switches off the engine when the vehicle is idle to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption and emissions. ISG functions when the driver applies the brakes after running the car for more than two seconds at speeds of 9km/h or higher.

Another key feature found in the Forte LPI Hybrid is a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for hybrid cars which, together with the 1.6 Gamma LPI engine, delivers powerful performance and fuel savings. The hybrid-unique CVT is also equipped with a special E-gear (Eco Drive) that makes automatic adjustments to ensure maximum fuel efficiency.

Additional Eco-Friendly Features
The Forte LPI Hybrid retains the sporty and dynamic styling of the existing Forte gasoline sedan, a representative work of Kia’s emerging dynamic design language, while adding aerodynamic elements to minimize drag and improve fuel economy.

The application of a front/rear bumper skirt, aluminum wheels and garnish-type rear spoiler, in addition to the use of an exclusive cover for the lower part of the engine room and center floor, result in lowered air resistance of 0.26 Cd, compared to 0.29 Cd for the gasoline-powered Forte.

The vehicle’s full-digital SuperVision gauge cluster relays critical information to the driver and includes an “Eco Guide” function which encourages the driver with an “Eco Driving Point” icon to adjust fuel consumption and drive more sustainably.

Source Kia Motors MyCarData

Review: Kia Soul – Smart, small and fun

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman - MyCarData

Who knew a few years ago that little boxes on wheels would by the end of the decade be all the rage, at least in one corner of the automotive market — that automakers would start thinking “inside the box” in North America.

Granted, we’ve had the funky little square Scion xB on our shores since 2004, and the Europeans and Japanese have been driving squares with windows for years. But here in the good old US of A we’ve stuck to more shapely little creatures when it comes to sub-compact hatches and sedans.

But given a taste of success with Toyota’s Scion brand and Honda’s extremely boxy, but slightly bigger Element — sold in impressive numbers since it was introduced in 2003 — the Japanese and South Koreans figured it was time to start piling on.

The really interesting thing to us with this emerging trend is that, unlike many new design exercises, form does not trump function. In fact, these little squares — even if Nissan insists on calling theirs a “Cube” — no matter how hip they appear to the younger generation are imminently functional.

They are some of the most user-friendly cars built in decades — small and fuel efficient squeezing every conceivable ounce of cargo and passenger room from a sub-compact platform while delivering gas mileage measured in the 30s on the cheapest 87 octane.
And as icing on this automotive cake, they are generally fun to drive and easy to maneuver in the daily chores of life.

We’ve been raving about the new retro muscle cars, the Camaro, Challenger and Mustang, over the past few months. But perhaps more important in this time of economic hardship and growing concern over fuel consumption — not to mention the new escalation in pump prices — these vehicles deliver everything a small family needs including a well-equipped price of under 20 grand.

Just a few short months ago we drove the stylish B-segment 2010 Kia Soul in the equally stylish South Beach area of Miami and down through Key Largo and Key West. We don’t know if the flat terrain and crowded roadways of South Florida was the place for a test drive, but we enjoyed the scenery and went with the flow.

The one thing we did learn, and maybe this was just the reason we were where we were, is the little Kia was a breeze to move in and out of traffic, and easily ran with anything we encountered on the road. All-in-all an enjoyable ride, one that proved out the excellent handling of the Soul from Seoul.
Additionally we just finished a week-long experience with the Soul; a totally different type of experience than the initial one day test drives in Miami.

And we will admit up front that we had steeled ourselves to seven days of small car driving. But to our surprise, the Soul was far from small car drudgery. It was fun to drive and fun to be seen in as well. It elicited smiles just about everywhere we went.

Actually, the Soul isn’t quite as boxy as others, perhaps an optical illusion, with some interesting curves, big fender flares and a squared-off rear with its almost square hatch surrounded by large light panels; so we looked good too.

Like other entries in this unique segment, its wheels are pushed to the corners giving it a 100-inch wheelbase to get the most usability out of its diminutive 162-inch length.
The interior is impressive especially considering Kia is known for straight-forward and simple layouts that are pretty dull. While the Soul uses many bits and pieces from the Kia parts bin, they are used in interesting combinations together with — at least in our top trim level Sport model — a very appealing two-tone red and black dashboard, door panels, and seat fabrics.

The center stack flows down in pod fashion, jutting out for easy reach of climate and audio controls. At the top of the pod is a large speaker enclosure and below that a storage bin. The thing here is that the dashboard and interior trim work well together. Controls, as in other Kia products, are simple and easy to use. And they feel good to the touch.

We are big on satellite radio readouts, which offer such useful information as artist and song title. The Kia readout is top notch and also offers at a glance outside temperature and time.

There are numerous interesting features available that elevate the little car above others. They include a glove box door big enough to hold a laptop computer, door bins that include a useable drink holder that puts the bottle or can in perfect reach of the driver, and lighted door-mounted audio speakers that pulse to the beat of the music. But the most useful feature for us during a Saturday morning shopping trip to a couple of produce stands was a partitioned cargo tray under the rear floor.

We had purchased three watermelons at one stand, which were rolling around in back like bowling balls, making our next purchase of tomatoes, squash, okra and strawberries susceptible to being crushed before we made it home.

No worry. We pushed the melons out of the way, lifted the cargo lid, and placed the fruit and vegetables in the safety of separate compartments.

While there is only 19.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats, it expands to 53 cubic feet when the seats are folded.
More impressive is the rear passenger space. The Soul features scads of rear-seat legroom and comfortable accommodations for two riders, although three can squeeze together for short trips.

The Soul comes with two engine choices and four trim levels — two strangly named — starting at $13,995 for the base model. It’s the only model to get the 1.6-liter 122-horsepower 4-cylinder engine. Standard on the base are 15-inch wheels, air conditioning, full power equipment, and a four-speaker sound system with CD and MP3.

We recommend moving up at least one level to the “+” adding the bigger 2.0-liter 142-horsepower 4-cylinder mated to a five-speed manual transmission for a base price of $15,645. For that outlay you will also get 16-inch wheels, keyless entry, steering-wheel mounted controls, upgraded audio and cruise control.

The “!” trim and the top Sport trim bring even more goodies topping out at the Sport with four-speed automatic at $18,595.

We found the bigger engine mated to the manual transmission lively, but to get the most out of it and approach its 8.8-second measured 0- to-60 time you must let it run into the upper reaches of the rev band.

We found the Soul entertaining in most driving situations with decent road feel and a compliant ride. This included runs on back country roads with definitive changes in elevation; far different than our flat ride in Miami.

The manual shifter was a bit spongy, but clutch feel was good. The automatic which we drove in Florida was more than adequate and fairly smooth.

Our top line Sport test car with manual transmission included one option, a $700 power sunroof. Bottom line was $18,345. Like the Scion and other cars in this segment, dealer-installed specialty options are available in large numbers.

We like the Soul. We think it is one of Kia’s best efforts ever. It’s not just for the young it’s also for the young at heart. Now if we just understood the Hamster commercials.

Review: Kia Borrego – a Big Brute in Brutish Times

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman - MyCarData

Ten years ago we would have been singing the praises of the new Kia Borrego, a body-on-frame mid-sized sport utility vehicle. Not that we aren’t going to do a little singing today, but there’s no chance our song will make the Top 40 or that the following review will be relevant for many current SUV/crossover shoppers what with the sagging economy and the tumultuous gasoline price situation.

The Borrego is designed to go head-to-head with the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4-Runner and perhaps the Dodge Durango. And we know what’s happened to those models. Sales of the Chevy, the Ford, the Toyota and the Nissan have fallen off a cliff and the obituary is now being written for the Durango.

Comparisons can also be made to the car-based larger crossovers such as the Chevrolet Traverse, Mazda CX-9 and the Honda Pilot. The bigger crossovers, all powered by V-6 engines, are now the rage. The Kia has a thirsty V-8 option and a slightly less thirsty V-6. But the Kia’s gas mileage, even in six-cylinder guise (17 mpg city and 21 highway in rear-wheel drive), is no better and in several cases not as good as the crossovers.

So is it just bad timing that Kia has entered the shrinking truck- based full-size SUV segment with an all-new vehicle, or are the Kia folks arrogant enough to think that they can buck the trend toward more fuel- efficient car-based sport utilities?

Through the first four months of the calendar year only 1,673 trucks left Kia showrooms. In April only 498 Borrego sales were reported. Compare that to the April sales of Kia’s other body on frame utility vehicle, the mid-sized Sorrento which had over 2,400 units move off dealer lots.

All of this is not surprising because when the Borrego hit dealer lots last year gas was over $4 a gallon. And as gas prices dropped through the fall and early winter, the economy tanked. So the Borrego’s current average yearly sales of about 4,500 to 5,000 are to be expected. And perhaps Kia didn’t expect much more.

Anemic sales not withstanding, the Borrego is generally well done. Kia has done some decent home work.

Design wise Borrego has a conservative SUV look, but features a wide somewhat hunkered- down stance, that serves it well. Nothing offensive here, but it certainly doesn’t stand out in the crowd.

The Borrego is capable of hauling up to seven people and brings off- road four-wheel drive capability and prodigious towing — up to 7,500 pounds — that the crossovers aren’t capable of emulating. The Borrego also features a large 4.6-liter V-8 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, a quiet interior that affords a modicum of luxury appointments and a full range of amenities that customers demand these days. The 3.8-liter V-6 is mated to a five-speed automatic. All this comes at what we consider fair pricing, although beware of available options that can quickly run a bargain price into “are you kidding?” territory. The Borrego also brings Kia’s 100,000-mile/10-year powertrain warranty to the ownership experience.

We found after spending a couple of weeks with both the V-8 and V-6 EX versions that the Borrego has a relatively soft well-damped ride over smooth road surfaces. That being said, the ride over a realistic variety of roads, the suspension proved less compliant and at times down right annoying. Borrego has a decent if somewhat over-boosted steering feel, excellent get-out-of-the-way performance especially from the 337-horsepower V-8 and an overall secure driving experience for a big truck.

One of its top handling traits is an amazingly tight 36.5-foot turning circle. This gives the Kia the ability to ease into a tight shopping mall parking lot on the first try.

Most Borrego buyers will make the purchase because they have several passengers to transport, and the Borrego is passenger friendly with generous second-row legroom, a 60/40 folding second row and a 50/50 folding third row.

Luggage capacity behind the third row seats is a rather meager 12.4 cubic feet. But the cargo area opens to a useable 43 cubic feet when the third row seatbacks are lowered and more than 90 cubic feet with both the second and third row seats down. The seatbacks come with a load-friendly hard-plastic floor surface.

The Borrego comes in three trim levels, LX, EX and Limited and with the aforementioned V-6 and V-8 engine choices.

A rear-wheel-drive V-6 LX is a relative bargain starting at $26,995 including destination charge. The V-6 engine is competitive making 276 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. It also features a very competitive 5,000 pounds of towing capacity. If you need four-wheel drive add $2,050 to the base price.

Standard equipment in the LX and across the lineup includes 17-inch wheels, roof rails, a back-up warning system, full power accessories, cruise control, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel, six-speaker audio system with CD/MP3 player and USB port and auxiliary jack, integrated towing hitch. Standard safety includes antilock brakes, traction and stability control, full-length side-curtain airbags and downhill brake control and hill assist. The brake control and hill assist are terrific pieces of technology especially at these price points.

Move to the base V-8 edition, which comes in EX trim, and the price rises to $31,745. We admit the V-8 with its 0-to-60 7.1-second capability is enticing, but we think most people would be satisfied with the V-6.

We would opt for the rear-wheel drive configuration for slightly better fuel economy and a lower purchase price. But those people who need off-road capability or who live in severe winter climates surely can make a case for the four-wheel version. New England journalists liked its winter prowess — including its low-range gearing — naming it the winner of the 2009 Winter Vehicle Awards competition. One thing the writers cited was the standard hill control that we are found exceptional as noted above.

Keep the price under 30 grand and we think the Borrego is a good deal. But start piling on the options such as power seats, navigation, 18- inch chrome wheels, rear entertainment, leather upholstery, power tilt- telescoping steering wheel, upgraded 10-speaker audio system and running boards, and the price becomes less attractive. It’s easy to climb into $40,000 plus territory.

Our V-8-powered EX test truck with four-wheel drive and a handful of options including navigation, power and heated leather seating, and power tilt wheel came in at $39,295. The V-6 EX 4×4 we drove goes a long way in proving our point about extras. Bottom line the V-6 priced out at $36,295 and was loaded with navigation, the luxury and premium packages, rear-air conditioning and running boards – those by the way are one of the few options we really do recommend.

If you are still in the market for a rugged body-on-frame people hauler with good towing capacity then the new Kia is certainly worthy of consideration especially if you can keep the price down by avoiding the extras.

Kia Borrego

Casey Williams, www.car-data.com

Kia’s Borrego FCV dispenses with a team of deer and relies instead on hydrogen andfour-wheel-drive to get through snowy nights. As with the Honda FC Sport Concept, Santa’sflatulence is more harmful to the environment.

The Borrego FCV derives energy from a 154-horsepower hydrogen fuel cell and 450-voltsupercapacitor ‘ mounted under the center floor. Hyundai nerds developed sub-zero startingcapability, making the SUV suited for cold winter nights (fuel cells are notoriously finicky whenchilled).

A 202-litre hydrogen tank provides gas enough to move the Borrego 426 miles, gallop 0-60 mph in12.8s, and slush along at a 100-MPH top speed. Hyundai claims an equivalent of 54-MPG ‘ impressivefor a snowmobile that weighs 4,960 lbs.

Aluminum body panels appear normal, but keep power-to-weight ratios comparable to regularBorregos. As with production models, the FCV has a roomy full-size SUV cabin, hushed noise levels,and the overall comfort of a Vail lodge. It will barely disturb a mouse, keeping all the tots comfyinside.

The Kia Borrego FCV is still a sweet dream, but since it is based on a production model, it ismuch closer to showrooms than the Honda FC Sport. In many ways, it is far less exotic than eitherthe Chevy Equinox or Honda FCX Clarity that are in California driveways. Only time and hydrogenstations prevent it from cheering up slick streets with style and utility that can’t be beat.

If you want something a little less exotic than the dancing cow dressed like Santa Claus I sawwhile sipping eggnog, drive to your Kia dealer today for the excellent gasoline-powered Borrego.Priced at $27,000 in full-fossil editions, it is worth its own holiday cheer.

2010 Kia Soul – Small & Efficient

Casey Williams, www.car-data.com

Kia got Soul!

I was talking to a gentleman at the recent Indianapolis Auto Show who was getting out of a cool Mini Cooper Clubman. Out of curiosity, I asked him what he liked best at the show. He quickly mentioned the Dodge Challenger, 2010 Ford Mustang, Ford F-150, Camaro, Infinitis, and Corvette Z06.Then, he paused and noted the new Kia Soul. He, like a lot of other show goers, thought it looked good and made small cars seem fun.

Designed at Kia’s studios in Southern California, it has a funky beach buggy look that would play as well in Europe or Japan as America. It is a tall, boxy car like the Scion xB, but is visually broken up with thick wheel arches, chiseled character lines, faux engine vent in the front fenders, a rounded nose, and upturned rear windows. People sit up high for comfort and to allow a very small footprint for tight parking.

The interior looks like it could have come from a small Nissan Murano and features two-tone dashboard, canvas seats, and center controls fit for a spaceship. Bluetooth phone connection,leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio/cruise controls, and air-conditioning are standard. A sunroof, 18′ alloy wheels, power mirrors, Sirius Satellite Radio, and iPOD connection for full dashboard controllability are optional.

An independent front and torsion beam rear suspension systems are built to a price point, but can be stiffened for sporty handling. Base models come with a 120 horsepower, 1.6-litre,four-cylinder engine connected to a five-speed manual transmission. An optional 140-horsepower, 2.0-litre four-cylinder, mated to either the five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission, moves things along a bit quicker. Exact ratings are not yet available, but Kia promises over 30-MPG with either engine.

It won’t cost the devil much to buy this Soul. Prices range from $14,000-18,000 depending on options. Comprehensive coverage includes 10-year/100,000-mile power train, 5-year/60,000-mile limited basic, 5-year/100,000-mile anti-perforation warranties and a 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan. Competition for the Scion xB, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Pontiac G3, Nissan Versa,and upcoming Ford Fiesta beginning this spring.