The Fast Lane Car

2012 KIA Rio video review: Small fun attractive affordable but certainly not fast

The 2012 KIA Rio swims in a crowded pool of tough competition.

The new 2012 KIA Rio competes with such fun cars as the Fiat 500 and such clever cars like the Honda Fit, and such new sexy cars as the Ford Focus.

But the KIA RIO has a lot to offer with a new sporty design, a six speed manual or automatic transmission, and one of the best new car warranties in the business.

So does the 2012 KIA Rio have the performance, the styling, the ride and handling, the engine, the economy and the value for money to swim with the big selling fish in the pond?

Check out his speedy seven video review to find out.

Video: 2012 Audi A3 TDI versus KIA Forte SX Mashup Review

The 2012 Audi A3 TDI has been around for a half a dozen years and in that time many small five door cars have tried to copy the Audi's blend of sporty driving fun and luxurious appointments.

One of those cars is the new KIA Forte SX.

It looks, drives and even has many of the same features of the Audi. It also cost $15,000 less  than the upstart KIA Forte.

But does it have the moves and the value to keep up with the German car?

Check out this review as we mashup the KIA Forte with the Audi A3 TDI to see if imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery.

Video Review: Top 5 Fun Facts you probably don't know about the 2011 KIA Sporatge

The 2011 KIA Sportage Turbo is a small crossover that with a all-wheel-drive and a 260 horsepower turbo.

But you probably already knew that, but did you know that the KIA's turn signals are up-side-down?

This may seem odd but 2011 KIA Sportage Turbo is a very unique car. It is available with a giant panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled seat (that's right seat) and perhaps most interesting of all it will blow the doors off many sports cars in a drag race.

In fact the 2011 KIA Sportage Turbo is the fastest KIA sold in America.

We recently had the chance to drive the Sportage Turbo both on and off-road and we came away impressed at the tidy package and unique styling.

Check out this first drive review as we reveal five fun facts about the KIA Sportage that you didn't know.

American vs Korean muscle: HEMI Dodge Charger takes on the KIA Sportage Turbo

American or Korean muscle? Which is faster in  a straight line?

The 2011 HEMI Dodge Charger R/T has 370 horsepower and enough grunt to stop the earth's rotation.

The 2011 KIA Sportage Turbo has 260 horsepower and goes from 0 to 60 in just a tic under 7 seconds. Both cars have all wheel drive, but the Dodge weighs about 1000 pounds more.

So which one is faster in a straight line...on a dirt road.

Watch the TFLcar mashup video below to find out.

Video review: 2011 KIA Optima takes on the 2011 Chrysler 200 in quirky battle

Let's say that you have 2.5 kids and a dog, and you want a traditional family sedan to haul around the kids and to drive to work.

You could go for the Toyota Camry or perhaps the Honda Accord, but for you that's so yesterday.

Instead, you want something a bit more multi-national.

For 2011 both KIA and Chrysler have two new cars that fit the bill.

Both the 2011 KIA Optima and the 2011 Chrysler 200 have six speed transmissions mated to a 2.4L engine.

Both cars cost about $25K and both are front wheel drive.

So which of these two brand new sedans is the right choice for you.

Review: the 2011 KIA Optima Turbo packs a gun to a knife fight

MIAMI—The impressive turbocharged four-cylinder engine offered for the KIA Optima Turbo turns the standard recently introduced  all-new 2011 Optima into a genuinely hot model.

The 2-liter engine is in the $24,495 Optima EX Turbo and the $25,995 SX Turbo versions. The standard front-drive, mid-size Optima sedan—covered elsewhere in this auto site--has a non-turbo 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 200 horsepower. Non-turbo Optima list prices start at $18,995 with the standard 2.4 engine. 

While the regular engine provides good performance, the Optima Turbo engine is a pistol. It has very efficient direct fuel injection and other nifty features, such as a .turbocharger with a unique twin-scroll design that offers better combustion efficiency and  more available low-end power, compared to more traditional single-scroll turbo systems.

Review: the 2011 KIA Optima is sultry and exotic Korean Kimchi

Forget about the last KIA Optima – just put it out of your mind. Tell yourself it was a bad dream, a mistake, a hullabaloo covered in bad Kimchi. It wasn’t exactly a horrible car, but it managed to have less personality than an old, four-cylinder Camry – which is hard to do.

This new model has taken an odious name and made it great. How good? Public reaction to my tester was more enthusiastic than a recent drive in a new Corvette Grand Sport. People from their late teens into their hip-replacement years approached; baited by a metal skin sultry and exotic.

Review: Is the 2011 KIA Sportage a car that's more style than substance?

There’s a lot to be said for style over substance.

Take for instance the 2011 KIA Sportage. The Sportage is probably the most attractive car in its highly popular and competitive small crossover segment.

No make that the Sportage is the best looking car in its segment. With chiseled features, a bad boy on the block lowered roof line and “look at me know” sparkling LED accents the Sportage is both youthful and refined when viewed from almost every possible angle.

Video Review: Can the premium 2010 KIA Sorento compete with the big boys on the block?

There's no doubt that Korean car manufactures now build some of the best cars you can buy today.

But with better cars, comes a higher price tag, and that's certainly the case of the KIA Sorento.

The top of the line model the AWD Sorento EX costs almost $35,000 dollars.

Review 2011 Kia Sportage: a manly man in a world of cushy girly girl crossovers

The 2011 Kia Sportage EX AWD was a manly man in a world of cushy girly girl small crossovers. It was angly and grimacing with sharp LED daytime running lights. It didn’t look tender and sensitive. Finally, all you manly dudes out there have a small, crossover you can buy without getting crap from your buddies.

Video review 2010 KIA Forte SX: dependability, comfort, style, and safety on a budget

In the past some Korean car manufactures have blatantly copied much more expensive competitors like the Mercedes Benz or Jaguar, but the Forte only takes the better design cues from the Civic and builds on them with a unique, original, and perhaps sexy spin on the standard Civic.

So does the new Kia Forte SX offer dependability, comfort, style, and safety at an MSRP that won’t bust the typical budget?

Review 2010 KIA Forte SX: a nimble, spacious, and comfortable car for under 20K

I looked at the tree for a moment. It was covered with snow on one side for the surprise late fall snowy gale. The other side, which should have been covered with wet bark, was instead covered with the carcass of what used to be a Honda Civic. The thick Cottonwood stood its ground and looked none the worse for wear.

That tree was going to be damned if a tiny Honda was going to dislodge it.

In my Black KIA Forte SX, I sat silently as I watched the sheriff’s deputies clean up what remained from the wreck (which was little).

Review: 2010 Kia Soul: The name just seems to fit the car perfectly

Designed in California and manufactured in South Korea for a global market, the Kia Soul joins the expanding and economical box-style segment manufacturers prefer to call mini MPVs (multi passenger vehicles). The Scion xB and the Nissan Cube are competitors.

The Soul debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2008, it was first available in February 2009 in Europe and a month later debuted in North American dealerships.

With its varied trims, engines, colors and accessory options, Kia proudly declares the 2010 Soul is available in more than 10,000 combinations.

Review 2010 Kia Forte EX : Don't even think about calling it just another rent-a-car

I have to be honest and admit that when I first learned that I was getting a Kia Forte EX for my weekly driver I was somewhat disappointed.

Words like:

- Rent-a-car
- Honda Civic knock-off and
- Buzzy four banger

came flooding into my mind as I contemplated spending a week with the new Korean compact car.

Review 2010 Kia Soul Sport: a bigger mousetrap at a smaller price

Perfect.

That's perhaps the best way to sum up the 2010 Kia Soul's size.

If you could have only one car for the rest of your life the Soul would be perhaps your best choice for a vehicle that manages to meet all of your ever changing needs in a car under 20K.

Of course that's not to say the Soul is perfect.

So let's get the bad news out of the way first: