by Zahra Alani 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
13 Comments on “Kia: The Power To Surprise”
The table arrangements are so cute! Looks like a fantastic event. The cars look amazing too!
How does their new electric compare to the Tesla Model X? How much is the KIA electric?
That is one beautiful vehicle. I love all the amazing features.
I must admit after my son bought a Kia, I am wary of Kia. His brand new vehicle began leaking oil after around 3 mths, Kia did fix it but there was no replacement vehicle loaned out which I found atrocious and very poor customer service.
oooo fancy!! i want that telluride WOW!!! never thought i would have wanted a kia but heck ya they;ve improved
I am very enpressed by Kia and they were named car off the year
Sounds like an amazing event with great food and luxurious car!
Sounds like a great car, I would have never ever thought about a kia but I love the size of this one!
I could actually see myself in the Telluride, but sadly my husband is a Chevy man and that is all he will look at, he says the parts are cheaper and easier to get
I have always loved the KIA Soul, its just unique.
I love the KIA NIRO EV1. So many innovative features and the sleek design is fabulous!
Sounds like a great event. I am surprised the amount of room in these vehicles, great choices for families.
Cool! I’m looking for a car now, and I might consider this option. By the way, I’m using a rental car until I have my own car, and this service also has many advantages. The biggest one is that you can change models frequently and rent a car according to your trip. For example, recently my family and I needed to go out of town, and we rented a 7-seater car in Nottingham click here which was perfect for our trip