Continuing its long-term assault on the market, Kia blew the covers off the production version of the Koup concept that was unveiled during last year’s New York Auto Show. The Korean automaker’s first-ever two door coupe model is based on the new Forte Sedan with which it shares the mechanical hardware as well as the interior design. On the outside, it’s another story as Kia has come up with a sharp looking design featuring a lower stance and a series of unique styling cues that differentiate the Koup from the sedan.

And while it’s evident that the Kia’s small coupe bears a few design similarities with Honda’s European Civic hatchback (front) as well as from the Acura RSX (rear), overall, the 2010 Forte Koup looks pretty neat.

“On the heel of the introductions of the Soul and Forte sedan, Forte Koup represents the next exciting step in the transformation of Kia design and offers a blend of sporty and emotional appeal,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing, KMA. “We believe our new design evolution coupled with standard Kia value and safety features will continue to attract customers to the Kia brand.”

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The Kia Spectra, last redesigned for 2004, is the oldest model in Kia’s range. In tacit acknowledgement of the Spectra name’s lack of cachet, its replacement is called Forte. Debuting at the 2009 Chicago auto show, the 2010 Kia Forte is dressed in sheetmetal that looks strikingly similar to that of the current Honda Civic.

The Forte is offered in three trim levels: LX, EX, and SX, and the latter sports a newly offered 2.4-liter inline-four with 173 hp and 168 lb-ft of torque. Buyers cross-shopping the Kia should take note that the 2.4 offers more horsepower than the 2010 Mazda 3 s and Toyota Corolla XRS. The SX comes with 17-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, and larger front brakes than lesser Fortes. LX and EX models receive a 2.0-liter four with 156 hp and 144 lb-ft of torque, up 18 hp and 8 lb-ft from the outgoing Spectra. Opting for the LX or EX yields customers their choice of a five-speed manual or an optional four-speed automatic transmission, while the SX offers a standard six-speed manual or an optional five-speed auto. A Fuel-Economy Package will also be offered on the 2.0-liter that includes the five-speed slushbox and low-rolling-resistance tires with “aero enhancements,” which Kia says will result in 36 mpg on the highway.
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The Kia Soul has people talking. Specifically, you. Kia’s media presentation here in Detroit highlighted feedback from the Autoblog commentariat. No, we didn’t know in advance, but you won’t hear us complaining either. However, the star of the show for Kia wasn’t the Soul — it’s a new concept derived from the boxy people-mover.

After some dancing fanfare involving large placards, the Kia Soul’ster drove onstage. Put simply, it’s cool. The two-door design study looks like a pickup from the side, but the “cab” is open-air, much like the old Isuzu Amigo. Pretty much everything on the car is manual: the gearbox, the window cranks, and the two-piece canvas roof. Other details set it apart from its wagonoid brother, such as a slightly chopped roofline and dual exhausts with carbon fiber sleeves. The roof lamps integrated into the roll bars are a nice touch, too. Cantilevered seats mounted off the center console free up storage room beneath them, and there’s a small cargo space aft of the second row. The Soul’ster’s meant to be an economical four-cylinder, tarmac-only, front-wheel-drive plaything whose primary mission is fun. It sure looks the part, so now the ball’s in Kia’s court. Do they have the stones to actually follow through and build something like this? Tell them what you think below. One thng’s certain: they’ll be reading.

The Soul is a five-door hatch about a half-foot shorter than a Scion xB, one of the youth-market vehicles that likely inspired Kia to enter this little niche (the Honda Element is another, ditto the Nissan Cube; the all-new version of the latter will arrive here next spring as a 2009 model). The Soul began life as a very cool concept car in 2006, but the powerful, big-haunch look and a lot of the trick, appealing aspects have been finessed out in the obligatory production compromise.

Looks are the whole ballgame here, because beneath the radically angled window line and the buff fender bulges and the seat fabric that glows in the dark with the word “soul” is basically a good-sized but unspectacular economy box.

Two Hearts for the Soul

The five-place “urban crossover vehicle” goes on sale here in March. Two engines will be offered: a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine making 122 horsepower and 115 lb-ft of torque, and a 2.0-liter four putting out 142 horses and 137 lb-ft. The smaller engine comes only with a five-speed manual gearbox, while the larger has an optional four-speed automatic. A four-wheel-drive option would have been cool, but no go: it’s front-drive only. Read more »

Almost a quarter-century ago, Chrysler rocked the automotive scene by putting a two-box body on the K-car platform, calling it a minivan and inventing the soccer mom. Unfortunately, the intervening years haven’t been kind to the concept; the mini minivan is no more. In fact, the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan is almost two feet longer than the full-sized 1984 Dodge Ram van. If you’re looking for a three-row people mover that won’t max out your garage, you can always go the CUV route– if you’re into poseurmobiles. Or you can consider the Mazda5 or Kia Rondo. But do these reborn minivans carry the torch, or has the genre’s flame fizzled-out?
The Mazda5 Grand Touring and the Rondo EX adhere to the original formula. Both are built on passenger car platforms and share drivetrains with economy cars. Both are within a couple of inches of the size of the original Chrysler minivan. Both have three rows of seats; like the original Caravoyagers, the third row is optional on the Rondo. And like those early minvans, you can have a flat cargo floor if you desire. But that’s where the similarities between them end.

Mazda and Kia took decidedly divergent design directions. The Mazda5 looks like the love child of a Mazda3 and the space shuttle. The family DNA shows in the grille that precedes a steeply sloping hood and windshield. While the more traditionally minivannish of the two, it shows some style with a beltline that swoops upward from the obligatory swept-back headlights, past the dual sliding doors and toward the rear– where you’re greeted by two huge silver… things… mounted next to the rear window. These pods contain the LED taillights and backup lights. They’re easy to see, but look oh-so-last-decade. Read more »