Here at Superior Kia in Cincinnati we love the new Kia Forte Koup. We’ve had a hard time keeping them on our lot. It seems we aren’t the only ones in Cincinnati that love the Kia Forte Koup. Check out this article that Consumer Reports did on the new Forte Koup. It’s a great car, great price and a great ride.
If you’re looking for a well-equipped and stylish coupe and don’t want to spend too much, check out the Kia Forte Koup, featured in the October issue.
As its name implies the Koup is a two-door version of Kia’s small sedan. Big wheels, a spoiler, and lighted speakers that pulsate to the beat give the Koup a youthful, sporty flavor.
The Forte Koup is enjoyable to drive. Cornering feels crisp, with responsive steering and little body lean. The steering wheel is wrapped in soft leather with red stitching, like the seats. It has a sunroof and Bluetooth audio. And the front seats are pretty roomy, though tall drivers may find head room somewhat tight.
We did find a few nits to pick, though. The ride is stiff and jiggly. The shifter is a little vague. And the interior can be a little loud, especially when you have to rev up the buzzy engine for more power. But it’s not out of line compared with other small coupes.
That’s right! The all new 2011 Hyundai Equus will come equipped with an Apple iPad. Who do we thank for this one? Steve Jobs or the President of Hyundai Motor America? Either way nerds world wide rejoice! I know I am excited! Check out this article from Motor Authority on the new Hyundai Equus.
We’ve driven the 2011 Hyundai Equus a few times, and have come away impressed with the Korean automaker’s first take on traditional, full-size luxury.
Since we’re poverty-stricken Apple fanboys, too, we geeked out over the announcement earlier this year that the Equus would come standard with a 16GB, WiFi-enabled Apple iPad, which houses the Equus’ owners’ manual and connects owners to schedule service appointments via the Web.
A few mixed messages later, we’re bringing you the first photos of the iPad at work in the Equus, courtesy Hyundai CEO John Krafcik. Krafcik saw our (now updated) Equus Third Drive story, where we’d reported the iPad would not fit in the glovebox or in some secret area inside the Equus’ cubby-filled cabin. Here’s Krafcik’s proof that it does, even when tucked inside a nifty iPad case. (Etsy? Coach? I need this.)
The iPad also fits in the Equus’ seatback pockets, which means it doubles as an entertainment device for backseat passengers not wowed by the sedan’s eight-inch flip-up LCD entertainment system. And it slides into the side bins in the front doors, though it’ll be plainly visible there.
There’s still the question of how the iPad will stay charged, if it’s sitting unused for weeks on end in the car, and how that will affect owners who need the manual sporadically. And will owners be able to swap the WiFi model out for a 3G version, to stay connected in the nearly-ubiquitous cellphone data band?
Last question: does Steve Jobs get a free Equus, since it is pretty much the nicest iPad case on the planet?
You know we have been waiting patiently for this Hyundai Equus to arrive ever since it spent a week at our lots last year. When this new Equus finally arrives at your local Cincinnati Hyundai dealership you better know you will be the first ones we tell!
At Superior Kia we are very excited about getting the all new 2011 Kia Optima. This car will blow you away! It’s sleek, stylish and one of a kind. I came across a Consumer Reports story on the all new Optima today and I thought that you would like to get a first look at the Kia Optima. Check it out! You won’t be disappointed. When these new cars start arriving in your local Cincinnati Kia dealers lot you cab be rest assured we will let you know so you can come test drive one.
Mechanical sibling to the laudable 2011 Hyundai Sonata, the redesigned 2011 Kia Optima seeks to offer more room, equipment, and power than before, and do so at an aggressive price.
Compared to the 2010 model, the Optima wheelbase is three inches longer, the cabin is wider and more spacious, and the new 2.4-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder engine provides 200 hp, more than the previous car’s optional V6. The styling is bolder and less bland, and distinctly different from the Sonata. The Optima now looks more coupe-like, with a sloping roof and a wide rear roof pillar. From some angles, especially the rear, it looks like a modern Jaguar. Like the Sonata, the Optima looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.
Instead of a V6, the up-level engine is a turbocharged version of the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, good for 274 hp. A hybrid version of the Optima will come next year.
Anxious to get seat time in this promising new model, we recently borrowed one.
Our first impressions, as you can see in the video, are that this car unsurprisingly drives much like the Sonata. Handling is responsive and the ride is controlled. The base four-cylinder motivates the car well.
The interior is very well-trimmed, with lots of soft-touch and stitched details. Most controls are simple, but the touch-screen navigation radio adds some complication. Driver visibility to the sides and rear is compromised, a trade-off for the coupe-like styling.
We plan to purchase an Optima when it goes on sale this fall.
All though they were a little touchy on the navigation system I think this was all in all a really good review. What do you guys think?
Um…. I don’t even know what to say. I am astounded that some high school kids could put together an electric car. Kids are just so much smarter and learn so much more than we did back in my day. This is simply amazing. I found this story and video on Edmunds and I just had to share with you guys cause it is amazing. Talk about 1st place at the science fair!!
When we were in high school we built a birdhouse. It didn’t last the winter and almost certainly took the lives of a young family of Cardinals. The kids from DeLaSalle charter high school? Yeah, they took a 2000 Lola Indy chassis, put a lightweight plastic skin on it that would make the Mazda Furai blush and then made it electric. Oh, and then took it around Bridgestone’s proving grounds — using Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 low-rolling resistance tires– where they managed to get the equivalent of 300mpg. The Guinness Book of World Records is currently reviewing the claim.
Still think your game-winning touchdown junior year was cool? Right?
What do you guys think? Could you have made this when you were in high school? I’d like to see you try!!
I wanted to share this story with you because it pulled at my heart strings. Yes I do have a heart. Please understand that unintended acceleration of a vehicle can happen to any car you may be driving. I am not bad mouthing Toyota at all. I just thought you might like this story and it’s happy ending for a man wrongfully convicted. Thanks to USA Today for sharing it.
A Minnesota man imprisoned after an accident involving a ruaway 1996 Toyota Camry — a model recalled for speed control issues, although his was not one of the ones recalled — will go free.
Earlier today, after a judge ordered Koua Fong Lee free pending a new trial, prosecutors said they will not seek to try Lee again. So he’ll be freed.
Since the day of the accident, Lee has said his car sped out of control. Three people died in the 2006 crash.
ABC News said Lee rejected a plea agreement earlier today that would have set him free, but would have kept his conviction in tact and would have kept him from driving for 10 years. He rejected the plea agreement, maintaining he was innocent.
The four-day hearings to determine whether Lee should get a new trial attracted scores of demonstrators, who demanded he be released immediately.
Lee was convicted for a 2006 crash after his Camry sped up an exit ramp off the highway, and hit a Oldsmobile. The driver, Javis Adams, and his 10-year-old son died. Adams’ seven-year-old niece, Devyn Bolton, survived but died a year later from her injuries.
Lee told police at the time that he pressed the brakes repeatedly but the car would not stop.
His attorney, Brent Schafer, took up the case following Toyota’s sudden acceleration recalls this past fall and winter. An expert Schafer hired said the brake filaments in Lee’s car exploded during the accident, indicating the brake lights were on even though the car was accelerating.
A new promotional campaign has launched in Australia for the Honda Jazz (Fit) that’s pretty funny. I thought you might like to see some of these cute videos. Here’s what AutoBlog had to say about them. Also if you would like to test drive the new Fit be sure to stop by your local Cincinnati Honda dealer and give it a try!
It’s no secret that the Honda Fit is one of our favorite small cars. It blends nimble handling, good fuel efficiency and an amazing interior package. Few cars with such a small footprint can accommodate four adult passengers and their stuff in such comfort. Now the folks at Honda Australia have launched a new promotional campaign and contest they’ve dubbed Jazz-packing (remember, the Fit is marketed as the Jazz in numerous other global markets).
Just as college students back in the 1960s and 1970s used to stuff phone booths (you do remember what those are, right?) and Volkswagen Beetles, a particularly nerdy looking “scientist” named Rodney oversees the packing of a Honda Jazz with everything from hipsters to ninjas, rappers, and even strongmen and women – you can see all of the clever videos after the jump.
If you’ve got an idea of what to pack in a Jazz and you live in Australia, just upload a photo to the site where visitors can vote and the entries that get the most votes will get produced into a video like the ones you see after the jump. Whoever suggests the most popular entry will win the car used in the making of the ad.
Who’s excited about the new Honda Odyssey? Well I am!! And so is Superior Honda! We just read an article on USA Today and it gets us even more excited! The new Honda Odyssey will have an amazing MPG which could send everyone into a frenzy.
Check this out:
Honda says it recently got the good word from the feds that at least one version of its 2011 Odyssey minivan will be rated a remarkable 28 miles per gallon on the highway, just what Honda had predicted.
That makes the 2011 Odyssey, a major overhaul due in showrooms this fall, three mpg better than the current champ, Kia Sedona, and four mpg better than the four-cylinder version of the 2011 Toyota Sienna, a model Toyota launched to have a lower-price, higher-mpg model. – USA Today
Have you been over to your Cincinnati Honda dealer lately and seen the new cars? I know you want to test drive this new Odyssey, i’ve already shown you how awesome the interior is and all the new features. Well, what do you think? 28 MPG HWY is pretty great for a minivan!
Well it seems like we are getting closer and closer to manufacturer’s putting black boxes in our new vehicles. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it’s to big brotherish or do you think it’s for the better of the community? Well here’s the latest report from AutoBlog.
Intel is currently hard at work on the next generation of vehicle event data recorders, the infamous black boxes that Congress has clamored for since Toyota’s unintended acceleration problems dominated headlines earlier this year. According to The New York Times, these new black boxes may do a lot more than just record things like vehicle speed and whether you’re wearing your seatbelt. Intel’s prototype will incorporate GPS and all of a vehicle’s onboard cameras for real-time mapping of the road conditions.
As if that’s not intrusive enough, Intel proposes that the EDRs record up to 30 seconds of interior video as well. While this level of information would likely prove helpful in determining who’s at fault in an accident, there’s the prickly question of who owns that information once it’s stored in the vehicle. Does it belong to vehicle manufacturers as it does now? Should the government be able to lay claim to it without a warrant? Will insurance companies be able to use EDR data any way they see fit, or does it belong to the owner of the vehicle? This could get ugly, and it probably will before all’s said and done.
[Source: The New York Times]
Seriously what are your thoughts on this? I think this could be a very good discussion.
I came across this article the other day and it got me thinking. It’s not that it’s not a bad idea but is it a good idea? I wanted to hear your thoughts on what congress is thinking about. Is this too big brotherish or is this the smartest thing ever? What are your thoughts? Yes you should NEVER drink and drive in your new or used car but could this be too far? Let’s discuss.
The New York Times reports that the U.S. Congress is considering a six-fold increase in the annual funding of in-car devices to detect drunk drivers. The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program’s budget would increase from $2 million per year to $12 million for the next five years, likely expediting the development of an effective device.
296diggsdiggHistory suggests that such a device would save thousands of lives. In 2008 alone, nearly 12,000 people died in alcohol-impaired car crashes. Many of those deaths would likely be preventable if there were a way for a vehicle system to seamlessly detect elevated alcohol levels in drivers. Scientists are working on a device that could instantly detect a driver’s blood alcohol level by reading alcohol levels on the breath or use a light beam to assess alcohol levels on the skin.
Program Director Susan Ferguson says that said device should be “very fast, very accurate, highly reliable and precise,” adding that achieving a high level of precision is going to take a lot of money. Ferguson feels that the alcohol detection system could be the safety equivalent of the next seatbelt, suggesting that it could save 8,000 to 9,000 lives per year.
A total of 13 automakers are behind the project as well, and the goal is for drivers to voluntarily add the mechanism to their vehicles as an added safety measure. We’re guessing that adding such a system could greatly reduce the cost to insure the vehicle, giving drivers a financial incentive to add the device. Of course, adding the cost of the device to new cars will likely cost automakers (and in turn, consumers) a fair bit of money, but the hope is that reduced insurance costs could cover the difference. – AutoBlog
Let us know what you think. Leave a comment. We’re taking a poll. Is this good? Or bad?
Thanks to Car Of The Future for letting us know we won’t be getting this new Kia early ha. You better know that your Cincinnati Kia dealer will keep you posted on it’s anticipated arrival date!
Kia’s all-new Sportage SUV is scheduled to go on sale 1st August.
At first, the Sportage will be offered with the 2.0 litre CRDi engine; each of the first all wheel drive Sportages in the UK will be badged First Edition. The 2.0 CRDi will average 47.1mpg and emit 156g/km of CO2. The First Edition models will feature leather interior w/ heated front seats, dual zone climate control, automatic wipers & headlamps, 18” alloy wheels and LED daytime running lights. Upto 5 exterior colours will be available, along with a choice of an automatic or manual transmission.
What are you looking forward to with this new Kia Sportage? Is it the sleek new design? Is it the interior that will compete with any SUV on the market? All I know is I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of this thing!
The Superior Automotive Group and Mike Albert Direct have been serving Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky since 1928. We care about you, your cars, your safety, and our community.
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ha. You better know that your Cincinnati Kia dealer will keep you posted on it’s anticipated arrival date!
