Kia Canada Inc. recently held an exclusive event to reveal their new line-up of upcoming vehicles and I had the pleasure of being invited to the ‘experience.’ I say experience because Kia Canada hosted a classy and exciting day for the Western Canada media. Some media were flown in while locals were picked up in limos and whisked away to the chic and quality unveiling. You could say that Kia really pulled off their brand slogan, The Power to Surprise.

Kia The Power To Surprise

Kia The Power To Surprise

Hosted in a hangar at Abbotsford Airport, we were greeted with mimosas and an elaborate brunch setting. The tables were set beautifully with extra little touches. For instance, each of us had reserved seats marked by personalized name stencils. We were also greeted with a strategic display of the 2019 Kia releases surrounding us. The luxurious vehicles were in the room while we brunched, giving us time to eye them up and choose our favourites. I immediately fell in love with the Telluride, as I do have an affinity towards SUV’s.

Kia The Power To Surprise

2020 KIA TELLURIDE

The new Telluride is a versatile 8-seater Sport-Utility Vehicle with all-wheel drive, “Terrain” modes and a potent 3.8-litre GDI V6 delivering 291 horsepower and 262lb.-ft. of torque, making it a great option for rugged road trips. Seating was comfortable, roomy and family friendly. Cup holders, seat adjustments and USB ports are accessible for all passengers. You can also create more storage space by folding the seats down. The doors were easy to manage with your hands full and made to take a beating. This is a great family and travel vehicle. It gives you the comforts of a mini-van with the look, feel, style, and power of an SUV.

Kia The Power To Surprise

Kia The Power To Surprise

Kia The Power To Surprise

2019 KIA STINGER

Next, I was distracted by the 2019 Stinger. This performance vehicle is already released and has won the prestigious award for the 2019 Canadian Car of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The Stinger has a GT-Line which is powerful and smooth. It comes with high-performance tires, all-wheel drive for more traction, a twin-turbo V6 engine, 365 horsepower and 376 torque. There are 3 GT level options, each one progressively offering more bells and whistles such as a chrono lap timer, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with 15 speakers and satellite navigation, heated rear seats and foot-sensing power trunk lid. There are plenty of options and upgrades for the GT line but even your base model will be sleek, sexy, powerful and safe with blind spot monitoring. The interior of this car was spectacular. With large dials, comfort and space it felt like I was in a high priced sports car. The 2019 Kia Stinger is luxury that goes beyond expectations for its reasonable price point.

Kia The Power To Surprise

2020 KIA FORTE5

The all-new 2020 Forte5 also made its debut at this private event. This sporty compact hatchback has an updated styling both inside and out. The design itself is more sporty, dynamic and sleeker. The interior is stylish and offers a lot of space and comfort. Also offered are D-cut steering wheel with paddle shifters, front GT embossed sports seats and alloy sports pedals. The safety features are abundant and include:

  • Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW)
  • Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
  • Driver-Attention Warning
  • Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA)
  • Smart Cruise Control (SCC)

Generally, I avoid hatchback vehicles. Personally, other hatchbacks have not felt roomy to me and the design of the hatch created viewing problems and blind spots that left me with too many safety concerns. I did not feel any of these concerns in the Forte5. I tested the viewing and found that I was very comfortable and the hatch design or shape did not limit my view. The advanced safety technologies that Kia Canada Inc added to this model shows me that they care about their customers having a safe and high performance based experience. You can get your hands on a Forte5 in the Fall of  2019 and choose between a 1.6L Turbo GDI or 2.0L MPI engines.

Kia The Power To Surprise

2020 KIA SOUL

The Soul stays true to its original design with its boxy silhouette and confident stance, taking you up a bit higher in your experience, much like an SUV Crossover. With power and an enhanced forward design, Kia Soul is back with a  third generation. The 2020 Soul is available in five trim levels – LX / EX / EX+ / EX Premium / EX Limited, a 2.0-litre engine and new intelligent variable transmission (IVT). To enhance your sensory experience, the interior space is designed to provide a visceral musical experience through its technological advances. The very cool features and young-at-heart elements for the Kia Soul include sound mood lighting that emits soft light from the centre door panels and a unique 3D pattern surface on the upper door panels, with the ability to synchronize to the beat of the music playing through the Soul’s audio system.

Kia The Power To Surprise

2019 KIA NIRO EV1

Finally, we come to the all-new 2019 Kia Niro EV1, the electric car option. It seats 5 and has a range of up to 385 kilometres. This zero-emissions model has a 64 kWh battery and 201-horsepower electric motor. It takes approximately 9.5 hours for a full charge but with the Combined Charging System (CCS), shorter charges are approximately 135 km in 30 minutes using a 50kW charger or 193 km in 30 minutes using a 100kW charger. The technology and sleek finishes are not lost on this model. The Niro is comfortable and stylish both inside and out and offers 4-drive modes. There are a vast number of features with Advanced Connectivity, Safety Features, and Driver Assistance Systems.

Overall, Kia’s new line-up surprises the consumer with sleek and stylish designs, high performance, family-friendly technology and reasonable prices. The same way that Kia Canada Inc took great care and detail in planning the exquisite brunch and vehicle unveiling for a select few is how Kia presents their vehicles to all of their customers. The old image of uncool Kia cars is just that – outdated. Kia’s new line-up offers stylish, detailed and high-performance quality vehicles. Look for new releases in the Fall, Spring and Summer of 2019. Updated information on releases plus specs and pricing can be found at www.kia.ca