2020 Kia Sportage Fine Details and Specs Courtesy of Carsguide.com

As the colors on the trees will be changing any day now, many St Louis area families are going to be piling in the car and enjoying the abundance of great outdoor space here in the metro area. It's easy to forget that right in our own backyard is Forest Park: just west of downtown, there are more than 1,200 acres of green space, a startling 500 acres larger than New York City's Central Park itself! The mid-size SUV is one of the best to load up the family and friends in to enjoy everything fall has to offer, and the team on staff at Carsguide.com took an up close look at the 2020 Kia Sportage this past week.

The Sportage comes available with a 2.4-Liter 4-cylinder with 181 horsepower, or the option of a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with a class-leading 240 horsepower. Both engines are paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission, with front-wheel drive in base form and all-wheel-drive available as an option. Within the standard entry-level S trim, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED DRLS with halogen headlights, auto rain-sensing windscreen wipers, leather steering wheel, a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with AppleCarplay and Android Auto connectivity, and dual-zone climate controls are all included.

Automatic emergency braking with forward collision warning, lane keep assist, driver attention alert, and high-beam assist are all included as standard active safety features within the S trim level. Formerly known as the Si Premium, the SX trim level features 18-inch alloy wheels, an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with DAB and digital radio support, built in sat-nav and a premium 8-speaker JBL audio system. Here you also see the addition of front parking sensors on automatic models only. The SX Plus grade is where true upper-end comfort sees its lavish touch inside: it adds leather seat trim, upgraded chrome and gloss exterior highlights, privacy glass for the rear windows, push-start, keyless entry, an electronic parking brake, and the addition of a first for Kia: an automatic powered tailgate.

When you are checking out the Sportage at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis this fall, make sure you see how feature-rich and luxurious the top-spec GT Line is. This is where you gain the more powerful 2.4-liter engine, 19-inch alloy wheels, an automatic parking suite, full LED auto-leveling headlights, LED fog lights, satin silver design touches, a panoramic sunroof, a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, and a wireless phone charging bay. The active safety suite is also upgraded to include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane change assist, and active cruise control. We always stand behind our warranty and are proud as it is one of the best in existence: the Sportage features a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, with an incredibly generous amount of standard and available equipment!

Autoguide.com Ranks 2020 Kia Forte GT as “King of The Sport Compact Sedan Segment”

Staff Writer of Autoguide.com Evan Williams began his blog feature this week by remembering the first time he encountered the Forte at the 2018 SEMA show. It sported a black lip spoiler and GT badges on the seatbacks, and there was no official announcement as to the car's origin or future until the later part of the day. Now that Evan has had a much closer look at the incoming Forte GT model, he first claimed that after a few lengthy spins he truly felt that there was “no detail left untouched”.

In place of the 2.0-Liter 147 hp 4-cylinder and CVT is a 1.6-Liter Turbo mill. This one is a favorite in the Kia and Hyundai family, delivering 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. That finishes as 37 percent more power and 48 percent more torque than the 2.0, and miraculously for a compact, it gets the job done with regular gas. Instead of the CVT from the Forte, the GT now comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch box, and while in manual mode the car automatically switches the drive mode to sport. You can use the paddles without pulling the shifter over, and you still maintain manual control but the drive mode stays the same.

The testing team here on duty also reflected that there's more to the GT than just its robust engine and gearbox and that Kia has taken this all very seriously by replacing the twist-beam rear end with a multi-link independent rear. The tuning for the damper and spring have been revised as well, and makes for a pleasantly stiff ride. The brakes have also been upgraded, with 12-inch front rotors a full inch larger than the ones found on lower trim levels. 18-inch multi-spoke alloys with lower-profile rubber are also on deck to round out the noticeable performance changes.

Getting out onto the road with an engine that only had 300 miles on it, one of the first things the gang noticed on the GT package is a louder exhaust, especially with the windows down. It was a pleasant surprise that seemed to get a bit louder as the day went on, in unison with a distinct whistle from the turbo from about 2,000 to 3,000 rpm. As far as steering, the group ranked the Forte GT as “well-damped and solid”, and did a fine job of embracing the natural rhythm of the roadway.

This is by all means not the Stinger, and deep-seeded value plays a tremendous role here in the appeal. For the lower price, you are still getting to enjoy most of the usual driver aids such as forward collision warning and avoidance, lane-keeping assist, and lane departure warning. The Forte GT is our favorite here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis in regards to “no compromise” engineering: you get all the oomph and extra sport you desire, without any trade-offs when it comes to ride and comfort!

2020 Kia Forte Deemed By Kelley Blue Book as a “Feature-Filled Value for the Money”

It was during 2009 that Kia introduced the compact Forte to the U.S. Market, and since then it has been our third-most-popular vehicle, falling behind only the Kia Soul and Kia Optima. The experts on staff at Kelley Blue Book are always great at depicting what features and form a new car model possesses without being too personal or opinionated, and they still claimed right away that it is “an extreme value for the money when compared to the Honda Civic Si, Mazda 3, and Subaru Impreza”.

The 2020 model year brings a few trim changes for the Kia Forte, plus the addition of a new turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that is only available on the GT. Last year was when the larger overhaul took place, yet the EX Special Edition trim now sees the 2-tone interior, upgraded Harman Kardon sound system, voice command navigation, power sunroof, and wireless charging. The GT-Line and GT with the new turbocharged engine are the two sport lines added to the lineup: the GT receives the same engine as the base FE 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder that cranks out 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque with upgraded trim bits on the interior and exterior.

The 2020 Kia Forte GT-Line boasts 17-inch alloy wheels, gloss black accents, LED daytime running lights and taillights, blind-spot warning with lane changing assistant and rear cross-traffic collision warning. Fans of manual transmissions won't be disappointed: the 2002 model can be equipped with the manual 6-speed as standard in the base FE and as optional in the top-of-the-line GT. All other Fortes come standard with the same continuously variable transmission that carries over from the 2019 year.

Don't forget to ask us here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis about the benefits of the available GT2 package: it adds 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated and cooled leather-like front seats, blind-spot warning, forward collision warning, parking sensors, wireless charging, and optional Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires. Now standard across the entire Forte line is the Drive Wise safety suite: this equips you with forward collision avoidance and warning, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and driver attention warning.

Once you move up the line to the GT, you can equip yourself with lane changing assist, blind-spot warning, rear-cross traffic warning, smart cruise control, and parking sensors. The 2020 Forte will also come with our heralded 10-year / 100,000-mile warranty, one we deem the absolute best to protect your automotive investment in the business!

Automobile Deems Kia Telluride “So Rich In Style The Other Car Companies Shouldn't Bother”

Jamie Kitman of Automobile mag made it perfectly clear to her readers that SUVS and crossovers are not “her usual jam”, and that recent models from some brands seem more like generic people movers than ever before. When she got her hands on the new Kia Telluride, she exclaimed that it impressed her so deeply that she was “compelled to sing its praises”, and that she had finally found what she was after that was ideal for NYC traffic. She was getting about 26 mpg during around 300 miles of driving, and it felt like she was driving a smaller, nimbler vehicle.

Her cautious and slightly negative preconceptions of the vehicle were “instantly freeze-dried”, and she was only this greatly surprised after a test drive at one other time in her career. Smooth to drive with capable handling and body control that puts other brands to shame was the first reflections she had about the Telluride she took for a test drive, and she thought that some of the interior materials left even some high-end Europeans in the dust. For the most part based on the Sorento, it possesses the boxy, angular silhouette that has come to be the trademark of our brand, and usefully large proportions.

Under the hood is a 3.8-liter V-6 that makes 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, with an 8-speed transmission. It gets the Telluride from zero to 60 mph in around 7 seconds, with optional all-wheel drive and self-leveling rear air suspension. If you are planning to jump offroad and enjoy the trails and tests of the wilderness on a whim, the Telluride sports 8.0 inches of ground clearance for just these situations. There is room for eight with a second-row bench seat or room for seven using the optional captain's chairs.

You can add a 10.3-inch touchscreen as well as quilted Nappa leather seats, and many of our repeat customers here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis tell us frequently how thoroughly satisfied they are with first-class driver-assistance features that include blind-spot monitoring, automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, and rear parking sensors. We honestly don't see too many flashy characteristics in the competition such as a Honda Pilot or Volkswagen Atlas, and the handsome and very distinct looks of the Telluride boost its appeal, as well as it carrying the latest in practical tech. When you are here to test drive this super-sized and stunning new model, make sure to inquire about the SX Prestige package: it offers up Nappa leather on all three rows and the steering wheel, a premium suede-like headliner, and heated and ventilated front and second-row seats.