LA: 2014 Kia Forte

Both Kia and Honda are releasing small cars at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. We have yet to drive either, but based on looks, Kia certainly has the upper hand. In order to keep sales consistent, Hyundai and Kia have staggered model releases. Hyundai gets the newest generation models first, while Kia follows later.

Hyundai released the 2011 Elantra to great acclaim while the Forte remained a previous generation model. For 2014, the Forte is all-new and you can see some styling influence from the Elantra that it is based on. The good news though, is that it is better looking…a lot better looking. In fact, it is one of the freshest designs in the segment. 

 

This continues a trend of us liking Kia designs more than their Hyundai counterparts. Hyundai took Fluidic Sculpture too far and is now showing off a more toned-down “Storm Edge” look beginning with the new Santa Fe. Kia’s designers are some of the best in the business. What a startling turn-around from just a few years back, when their cars were, at best, nondescript. Curiously, they didn’t release any pictures of the Forte. If they keep up the good work though, we will get a stylish driver-centric cockpit feel.

Despite not showing off the interior, they did release a host of other details. Keeping with Kia’s aim for a premium feel, the Forte has standard features like LED accent lighting and optional features like high-intensity discharge headlights. Under the hood you have the choice of two engines: the first is a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, making 148 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque. Moving up to the 2.0-liter unit will get you 25 extra hp and 22 lb-ft. of torque. The Forte goes on sale early next year. The model we are really looking forward to is the new Koup model. Despite not being fans of the sedan the last time around, we have always liked that car.

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2013 Kia Optima, Sorento, and Soul named Consumer's Digest Best Buys

A Consumers Digest Best Buy is a product that delivers exceptional value for a given amount of money. That doesn’t mean that it’s simply the least expensive product in its category. A Consumers Digest Best Buy is one that merits special attention from consumers based on its combination of eight criteria: performance, ease of use, features, quality of construction, warranty, efficiency, styling, and maintenance and service requirements. Because virtually all product categories cover a range of prices, there’s no such thing as the Best Buy, in practical terms.

Of course, every product category includes many excellent, worthwhile products, but some of these we don’t deem Best Buys because their high price relative to competitive models excludes them from consideration. For us, value is defined via a simple equation: perceived quality divided by cost. Consequently, price (the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, specifically—not retail prices) is a key consideration in selecting our Best Buys. So as perceived quality increases and cost remains the same, value increases; likewise, as perceived quality remains the same and cost decreases, value also increases.

The process for selecting Consumers Digest Best Buys is rigorous. It begins with identifying all of the products that are available to U.S. consumers in a particular category. Often that list is long (50–100 models). We call it the product universe. All model information must derive from manufacturers, not retail, website or other sources. Manufacturers represent the most reliable source. On average, only a small percentage of all products that we evaluate are deemed Consumers Digest Best Buys.

The first step in evaluating products for Best Buy consideration is to ensure that they meet four basic criteria: national availability in retail stores or via an established online retailer; a national dealer network/service organization to support repairs/service; a manufacturer of established reputation (unless it’s part of a genuinely new technology); availability for at least 6 months after the publication date of Consumers Digest’s Best Buy recommendation.

The products that meet these criteria are then assessed based on the eight specific criteria listed above. This assessment is carried out in numerous ways: hands-on use; review of independent evaluation/testing; review of reports from government agencies and others; interviews of retailers and service technicians; review of consumer surveys; review of evaluations from other entities. Our research methodology is based in using a product as it was designed to be used in real life. Many are the situations where Consumers Digest staff samples numerous models to include first-hand experience in the overall evaluation of various models in a category. These have included assembling and using 25 different outdoor grills; putting a half-dozen carpet cleaners through their paces; and assessing the security of entry-door locks in terms of their resistance to being picked.

When all of the hands-on evaluation, where applicable, and all other research is complete, the number of products that are under consideration for recommendation is dwindled to a select few. These are grouped by price range, because products come at multiple price points and consumers have different price levels at which they define value. The products that we ultimately deem Best Buys typically will be classified into three categories: [P] Premium selection, which denotes that a product is full-featured and delivers excellent performance but is priced accordingly; [M] Midrange selection, which indicates that a product has many popular features and good performance at a price below the top of the line for the category; and [E] Economy selection, which means that a product delivers satisfactory performance via basic features at an advantageous price for cost-conscious consumers.

Every product-category evaluation is spearheaded by Consumers Digest senior editors. On each product evaluation, at least one expert evaluator/writer is hired to collaborate. In the automotive category, for example, six experts whose experience totals 140 years’ coverage of autos contribute to our ultimate recommendation of 12 categories of cars, SUVs, pickups, minivans and hybrids.

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The 2013 Kia Forte is here at Mike Finnin Kia

You wanted it and it's here! Excellence on wheels. This is the 2013 Kia Forte EX. Visit us and enjoy a test drive today. Click here to learn more about the Forte EX.

2012 Kia Soul Review

Fun! That is what the Kia Soul is. Despite the Hamster commercials, the Kia Soul is a solid ride that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it is also a super fun car that actually makes you excited to drive.

Not quite an SUV, a hatchback or a crossover – the Kia Soul is in a realm all its own and is considered to be a compact car with a lot of oomph. Starting at a base price of $14,400 for the 1.6L GDI engine version, prices can go as high as $20k for a 2.0L I4 engine with all the bells and whistles. The Soul also earns its gas stripes with 27mpg city/35mpg on the highway – that is not bad for a car that looks likes an SUV but performs gas wise like a compact. The Soul can also be upgraded from 15″ wheels up to 18″ alloy wheels.

While the Soul won’t tear up the road due to its lack of speedy prowess, it is still impressive on roads and street driving. It did fantastic in stop and go traffic. However, the suspension could have been a bit more bouncy as it it took potholes hard when falling into them. Highway driving is smooth and tight and the ability to switch into manual is another nice feature that turns the driving experience up a notch.

Once again the Infinity Audio system is showcased in the Kia Soul. What makes this audio system a bit different this go around, is the integration of speaker lights. The driver can control the colors and how often the lights throb when the music plays. The louder the sound in your car, the better the speakers glow and pulse in time with music’s beat. While this is a seriously fun and unique feature, it can also become distracting while driving. So unfortunately we had to turn it off after a while. However, even this feature just exemplifies the party aspect of the car. What I do find strange however is that these lights are located in the front and not also in the back, where the passengers sit, and where it might have been more appropriate.

In addition to the Infinity audio system, Kia’s tried and true Navigation system with SiriusXM is also an option with rear-camera display. This interface along is the same as with all the other current 2012 Kia model cars. There is also the standard USB/AUX input jacks. Strangely enough our iPhone 5 wasn’t recognized by the USB port or the audio system. I assume that a software update will fix that.

Thanks to this wonderful author for writing up a great review!

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Just finished a phone survey with Kia. I gave you, Jim and Mike Finnin Motors the highest possible marks that I could . I am very pleased with everyone at Mike Finnin Motors at this time . I hope to maintain a good relationship in the future and update my Sorrento in about 2 to 3 years . 

Allen W.”

Enjoy your new Kia Forte, Erin! Please come see us again!

"I was so excited to drive our new car this morning that I forgot my laptop and cell phone at home in Dyersville! Thanks!" - Erin C.

Testing All-Season Tires in Winter Conditions

2012 Kia NBA Tip Off - Working hard to be the best

Another Customer Testomonial!

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I purchased a 2013 Kia Sorento and absolutely love it!  I found Jason Smith to be a fun, easy going sales person who didn't give me the standard high pressure sales pitch and enjoyed working with him.  The other members of the Kia team were also easy to work with!  I felt my concerns, questions and needs were answered and I have recommended Mike Finnin and the Kia team to many others!-Lori

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If you have questions or concerns regarding the latest announcement on the Fuel Economy adjustment, please visit www.KiaMPGinfo.com for more information.

Kia Justice League Concepts Celebrate Halloween at 2012 SEMA Show

Kia is in the Halloween spirit at this year’s SEMA show. The Korean automaker today unveiled its five Justice League inspired SEMA concepts, based on the Optima, Rio, Soul, Forte Koup, and Forte hatch. Built for charity in collaboration with DC Entertainment, the Justice League Kias honor Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, The Green Lantern, and Cyborg.

We’ve already seen quite a few of the Justice League Kias; the Batman Optima SX Limited was unveiled in New York a few weeks ago, and The Flash Forte Koup and Green Lantern Soul were teased last week, so the two biggest surprises paid tribute to Aquaman and Cyborg.

The Aquaman Rio hatch, built by West Coast Customs, features a fishy-looking exterior with a gold and green paint job, styled with scales to look like Aquaman’s outfit. The Rio’s exterior is finished off with a custom grille and massive (on a Rio) 20-inch wheels. Inside, West Coast Customs continued the Aquaman theme with green leather and yellow accents. The headliner was replaced with green suede, and the trunk features an underwater scene filled with Aquaman comics.

The Cyborg Forte 5-door is another concept we hadn’t yet seen. It gets an aggressively styled wide-body kit, made from metal, which reportedly seek to emulate Cyborg’s ability to morph to fight crime. The Cyborg Forte also gets a silver pant job, and red LED lights to make the Forte look even more like its namesake. Inside, the Cyborg Forte features a red-on-red color scheme and a tablet mounted in the center console.

The Flash Forte Koup was one concept that got teased last week. Like the Flash, the Flash Forte Koup is about performance. It gets a red, orange, and yellow exterior matching the Flash’s costume, a custom coil over suspension, and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Continental rubber. Being a West Coast Customs concept, the Flash Forte Koup features two ten-inch subwoofers in the trunk, with a four-channel amp, and monitors mounted in the front headrests.

The Green Lantern Soul was built by our sister magazine Super Street. This wide-bodied Soul is wrapped in green and black paint with its rear doors welded shut for a more aggressive appearance. The Green Lantern Soul’s deep dish wheels are custom one-off 18 by 10.5-inch pieces of art, featuring the Green Lantern’s logo on them.

Check out the gallery here for an up-close and personal look at all of Kia’s Justice League Concepts.