Kia Telluride and Stinger Both Claim Victory Via J.D. Power “APEAL” Study

The Telluride SUV and Stinger sports sedan are definitely two of our most-talked about and highly-awarded models, and for good reason: they offer up raw excitement, top-of-the-line tech features, and an industry's best warranty. They have both just earned another prestigious honor in the form of the J.D. Power Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) award for each of their segments. This announcement follows directly on the heels of Kia also being named the highest-ranked and champion of all brands in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.

Everyone on staff here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis takes pride daily in delivering a world-class ownership experience, whether the customer is ultimately interested in a capable and modern three-row SUV like the Telluride, or the very sporty and aggressive Stinger. We are very honored to claim not just one, but two segments in the APEAL study, which further solidifies our brand's longstanding commitment to giving more than 100% during every research session, in-factory building progress, and final drive testing.

Seeing a few enhancements as well as the addition of the Nightfall Edition appearance package for the 2021 model year, the Telluride continues to win many over with its value, design, and quality. The latest generation of the Telluride also sees gains in heightened towing capability, a remote engine start button, and available LED headlamps. The Edmunds.com staff were immediately impressed by the Telluride's spacious interior, an abundance of standard tech and safety features, and very plush ride with some of the most comfortable seats they had ever encountered. Boasting 21 cubic feet of cargo space, the Telluride has more storage room behind the third row than any of the fierce competition.

Just a few of the other awards the Telluride has seen are the “2019 Top Safety Pick” and “North American Utility Vehicle of the Year”. We know there is consistent resistance and push in the marketplace from the Chevy Traverse, Honda Pilot, and even the relative in the form of the Hyundai Palisade. But this is a vehicle that is brimming with its own sense of personality, and we are also very excited to announce that the new Nightfall Edition can be had in 8 colors: Snow White Pearl, Everlasting Silver, Gravity Gray, Ebony Black, Sangria, Black Copper, Dark Moss, and the newly introduced Wolf Gray.

Enjoying its third high-octane and very thrilling year of existence, the 2020 Stinger hails as Kia's highest-performance number in a segment ripe with competition. To further lure enthusiasts and buyers alike, the GT line now features the track-bound enthusiast's appeal of the 3.3-Liter V6 GT with the design and driving capability of Grand Touring vehicle caliber. More than a sports car and still loaded with a sense of practicality, the Stinger offers a spacious cabin, large cargo area, excellent safety scores, and a 10-year/100,000 – mile powertrain warranty!

Motortrend Doles out Thumbs Up For the Dark Touch: Kia Telluride Nightfall Edition

As our sights are set on the coming of fall but we are still fully enjoying the long and warm days of summer here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis, we all agree that it is one of the best seasons to get out and drive! It may be the newest crossover, SUV, or sedan that you have your eyes set on for a brand new car, and there are so many great features on every type that you may even change your mind. The staff on hand at Motor Trend has had much praise for the high-altitude and lakeside-ready Kia Telluride already, and this week they took a close-up look at the Nightfall Edition.   

Now available on the mid-and upper-level SX and EX trims for the Telluride, this package gives a darker vibe and looks cheerfully formal, stealth, and fantastic. The grille painted black now features a pattern unique to the Nightfall Edition, and it's rounded off perfectly with 20-inch black wheels and LED headlamps and fog lamps sporting black inner bezels. Most of the competition's after-hours hued packages only come in the signature black, and from Kia, you can also opt for white, silver, gray, dark red, or dark green.

Similar to last year's model, the 2021 Telluride is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 engine that doles out 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. We would expect the all-important fuel economy numbers to stay around the same, averaging around 20/26/23 mpg city/highway/combined for front-wheel drive and 19/24/21 mpg for the all-wheel-drive variants. A remote engine start button has now been added to the key fob and LED headlamps are also included in the EX Premium package. There is now the choice of Black Copper for S and EX trims, and Sangria can also be chosen for the SX.

The harness for the towing trailer has also seen an upgrade from a four-pin connector to a seven-pin setup. The Car and Driver crew had plenty of great things to say about the Telluride including the fact that this number simply “provides unrivaled levels of luxury and remarkable utility,” and all at an incredibly reasonable price. In the top-of-the-line SX, this testing team reached 60 mph is just 7.1 seconds and attributed the ideal firmness of the ride as a solidly valuable component in the perfect setup for a daily driver. 

2021 Kia K5 Post Motor1.com Test-Drive: “Sharp and Sporty, and Loaded with Style”

Jeff Perez was eager to “pour one out for the Kia Optima” in the form of celebration and praise last week on the Motor1.com blog for sweeping the core values of the Optima and coming up with a sedan that dials things up a notch in the style department. Solid equipment, a comfortable ride, and loads of safety features carry over to the new K5, coming for the 2021 model year. Boasting visually-appealing new elements like sharp LED “Heart Beat” amber running lights, a slimmed-down “Tiger Nose” grille, and a full-width light bar in the rear, Jeff claims there that the K5 looks even better than the crosstown competitor Mazda6!

The Motor1.com team tested both the GT-Line and the EX, which came with an eye-catching blue paint job and 18-inch wheels. They had to admit that the GT-line looked even better with sporty cues such as a shark skin-inspired grille mesh, 18-inch wheels, and exhaust tips with aggressive new styling. The K5 GT-Line also gets a Wolf Gray paint job that some even thinks draws influences from legendary trackster Porsche. The interior on the GT line is the only trim that now comes standard with red, faux leather seats, a flat-bottomed, leather-stitched steering wheel, and a shifter with aluminum fixtures.

 

The EX model seems at first more basic in appearance, but it does offer a few materials that are more high-quality. There is the addition of standard black leatherette, soft black plastic on the door panels, aluminum and wood trim on the dash, and piano black plastic around the touchscreen and instrument cluster that feels more durable to the Motor1.com team that what is found in the GT-Line. And thankfully for all of our customers here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis, the team here claims that “You can't go wrong with either” when discerning the two models.

The K5 has a clean, spacious cabin layout that provides more than enough comfort for both front and rear passengers, and the exquisite leatherette feels as close to cowhide as anything as the team had ever been planted in previously. There are two available touchscreens: the 8.0-inch and optional 10.3-inch. The response time on the UVO entertainment system is rated as excellent, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect instantly once you hop inside.

Both models have wireless charging, one of the most useful features of a car when you just

want to kick back, not dig for a port, and assure that you are rejuvenating the juice in your

device. If you are waiting on the model that is truly like a “mini-Stinger”, the full-fledged K5 GT with 290 horsepower and all-wheel drive is going to deliver on the promise of a quick launch off the line and robust track-ready handling. Cornering is great for its class – the K5 is flatter and smoother than rivals like the Subaru Legacy and Nissan Altima. We’ll keep you posted on all-important arrival dates and spec changes, and hope the St Louis area summer is finding you safely distanced outdoors and soaking up rays whenever possible!

Autoblog.com Highlights The Kinetic Energy and Performance of the Kia K5

We saw some unbelievable fireworks over the 4^th this year at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis, and were able to squeeze in a few safe and distanced backyard events with our family and friends. It was fantastic to enjoy the rays and heat, think about the laurels our nation was built on, and also talk about what we love to talk about all day: incoming car models! This week the staff on duty at Autoblog.com cranked out a feature about the coming K5 and immediately began by saying it was poised to be the next-best thing.

Delivering the practicality and comfort expected of a modern midsize sedan, the “K5” has been the name of the Korean-market Optima since its major redesign ten years ago, and with the coming of the 2021 model, it's will see presence in the States. Along with the re-branding comes an entire overhaul to the four-door family car, including available all-wheel drive and a new performance GT model that everyone who already has great love for the Stinger should well appreciate. On the outside, you still are greeted by the “tiger face” design Kia is known for, but there is also plenty more to see underneath the sheet metal.

The incoming sedan will be offered with two turbocharged engines and for the first time in a front-wheel-drive Kia, an all-wheel-drive option will be on deck for those who are looking for more all-weather capability. The base engine will be a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder that produces 180 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. The base model LX will see that engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. On the LXS and GT line, there will be the availability of all-wheel drive.

If raw and heart-pumping performance is what you are after, the GT model is the way you want to go. It is powered by Kia's new 2.5-liter turbo-4, cranking out 290 hp and a class-leading 311 lb-ft of torque powered with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This combo boasts a 0-60 time of just 5.8 seconds, enough to assure that you have about the furthest thing from a snail's presence in automotive existence.

 

Inside, the K5 sees several different upgrades over the outgoing Optima. Shown here in the GT-Line and GT guise, the interior is now going to be available with perforated leather seating options with contrast stitching for a little added flavor in the style department. The flat-bottom steering wheel pictured is also exclusive to the GT and GT-line trims. We definitely think that the sporty GT trim is the most exciting: borrowing elements from the thrilling and track-ready Stinger, it will inspire you to embrace every inch of asphalt with the raw enjoyment that only a sedan can convey!

Carbuzz.com Features Kia Stinger GT Indigo Edition With Drift Mode

We have really enjoyed the excitement and buzz surrounding the release of the Stinger: It is, by all means, one of the best-looking sedans on the market, and a true testament to what can be accomplished with in-depth engineering. The staff on duty at the Carbuzz.com blog provided a feature this week about the special edition of the Stinger that will be limited to just 500 units, each even equipped with drift mode. The next generation will see more power combined with its aggressive new looks and has already been spotted testing on the track.  

The special edition is loosely based on the regular GT AWD, but with a few other changes inside and out. Deep Chroma Blue is the color that it will come in, with a very unique metallic finish. The 19-inch wheels are also new for the US market, and inside the interior sees brown leather upholstery and new brown carpeting. The Chamude headlines from the GTS special edition are carried over as well, and you also get to enjoy a sunroof with a power shade, 8-inch infotainment display with navigation, wireless charging, and a Harman Kardon 15-speaker sound system.

 

There is still the presence of the 3.3-liter V6 engine mated to the 8-speed automatic, and the transmission has been tweaked for more performance and smoothness. There is now no longer a premium trim with the 4-cylinder, instead, the GT-Line offers the Sun and Sound package that sees the addition of the Premium's content and includes navigation, LED headlamps, and sunroof along with the 8.0-inch display. All GT models feature powerful Brembo brakes, and Kia's UVO infotainment is a very user-friendly and simple interface to live with on the daily.

Key safety features you'll get with the Stinger include Standard blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning with automated emergency braking, and available lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist. Everyone on staff here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis has long known that the powertrain warranty as deemed by Car and Driver themselves is “legendary”, and easily outdoes every other car in this category for actual length of coverage. This is the sedan that Motor Trend claims “You have to buy before it's too late”. Their tester accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and conquered the quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds at 104 mph. When pushed hard, the Stinger is always fun and eager to tackle the next bend and a superb choice of sedan for anyone wanting to combine raw aggression with everyday flair and usability!