Here comes a wilder Kia Stinger GTS
We already like you, Stinger. Specifically the GT model we drove over here - https://www.carshop.co.za/news/kia-stinger-gt-review earlier this year.
But here, unveiled at the New York Motor Show, is the GTS and whilst it retains that car's twin turbocharged 3.6 litre V6 it also gets some interesting hop ups. Most notably, a choice between rear wheel drive and a new all-wheel drive system dubbed D-AWD.
The latter comes equipped with a mechanical limited slip differential at the rear. In fact, great care has been taken to ensure handling remains rear biased as evidenced by a new Drift Mode that sends all that grunt to the rear axle exclusively. And since you’re wondering - Comfort Mode sends 60% and Sport Mode does 80%. It's nice to have options.
What else makes the GTS special? Stinger emblems at the rear for one, GTS badges for another. And many smatterings of Alcantara and suede in the cabin where you'll encounter a sunroof, a 720-watt Harman/Kardon premium audio system with QuantumLogic and Clari-Fi signal enhancing technology and a wireless charger for compatible smartphones.
Then there’s this spicy new paint colour called Federation premium orange. Speaking of spicy...
Kia HabaNiro Concept
Best. Name. Ever!
And the looks match, with the HabaNiro (more like, Haha Niro, get it?) being a very funky concept all-wheel driven EV hatch. It boasts a 480km range, is Level 5 autonomous has butterfly doors.
Vice president of design, Tom Kearns humble brags that;
"We imagined a car for everyone and nearly everything. Then, when we saw the finished product, we were blown away by the imagination of the HabaNiro's creators and its laboratory of technology and we want it in our driveways. Today. With its rugged 20-inch wheels, short overhangs and big haunches, the HabaNiro exudes coiled muscularity and capability, whether you're on a grocery run, en route to a meeting or in search of a remote fishing hole.”
As South Africans, the last bit doesn’t really land with us, but we can appreciate Kia’s forward thinking with this one and hope to see it on our EV-friendlier roads in the near future.
The new Hyundai Sonata is a slippery thing
Also unveiled in New York, the 2020 Sonata and as you can see, it’s quite a deviation from what has come before.
The Sonata sedan has in fact the distinction of being Hyundai's longest running and most popular name plate and so has the honour of being the Namyang firm's signature car. And with that comes an advanced new design take called Sensuous Sportiness. Well, purr.
"The new-generation Sonata boasts a beautiful, sporty and innovative four-door coupe silhouette. We are confident that Sonata will prove to be a yet another successful step for our new design language, Sensuous Sportiness and will provide emotional value for the customers." – Sang Yup Lee, Senior Vice President and head of Hyundai Design Center.
Look, we like it overall, but opinions online have been quite polarizing. Are you a fan? It certainly is slippery with a drag coefficient of just 0.27 and a flat underfloor. This plus a range of body enhancements such as small fins across each taillights will all help keep the car fuel efficient as well as stable.
What do you mean it's mouthy? Ok we see it too, but then our favourite view is from the driver's seat of what is now a properly premium cabin. Performance will come in two flavours, a 2.5 GDI and a 1.6 T-GDI engine, both mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Hyundai are looking to give it the sporty handling dynamics promised by the metalwork as well as the complete suite of safety features and a modcons list as long as your arm. Is it enough to sway you from something more German?
UNOFFICIAL: This Kia Telluride bakkie render has us excited!
A digital artist and member of an online Kia forum named ‘St00k’ took to Photoshop and this is what he produced.
This just a few days after the bigwigs at Kia admitted there was a chance the Telluride SUV would spawn something with a load bay.
Got to say, we’re loving it – those American tank-like aesthetics on top of the SUV’s unibody chassis with chunky 18-inch alloys in each corner. Yes please!
