Superman joining Kia's Justice League-themed fleet of vehicles

Kia is teaming up with the Justice League once again to create another show car that will be on display at the Chicago Auto Show. At the 2012 SEMA Show, Kia showed off various models inspired by DC Entertainment characters Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Cyborg, but a Superman-themed Kia Optima Hybrid will roll into the Windy City for next week's show.

In the above drawing, we only get to see a small portion of this car inspired by the Man of Steel, but it will have the requisite red-and-blue paint scheme with Superman's shield on the hood (subtle, it is not).

The previous cars include the Batman Optima, Aquaman Rio, Flash Forte Koup, Green Lantern Soul and Cyborg Forte. All six cars were created to raise awareness for the "We Can Be Heroes" campaign, which helps families in eastern Africa affected by drought and famine.

Courtesy of autoblog.com

Maintenance Tip of the Week

Wheels and tires

Rotate your tires!

Every 5,000 miles or 8,000km, rotate your tires.

Clean brake dust off regularly

Brake dust contains all sorts of nasty stuff. If you leave it too long, the combination of road grime, moisture and heat from your brakes will bake it on to your wheels. Brake dust normally clings to wheels with static electricity so a damp sponge and clean cold water is the best way to get it off.

Check your tire pressures

Check your tire pressures regularly - once a week is ideal. Bad tire pressures can affect fuel economy, handling and comfort. It's easy to do and there is no excuse not to.

Check your tread depth

Bald, slick tires might be good for motor racing but they're no good on the road. Most tires come with tread wear bars built into them now - find one, examine it and if your tread is too low, replace your tires. Four new tires might seem expensive but they're cheaper than a fine or an accident.

Kia Optima SXL – Good Looks & Quick Moves

To follow up our review of the Kia Optima Hybrid, we decided to go in a week with a the SXL model to see how a little extra pep in that step might do it. From our review of the Hybrid I talked about not really being a fan of Kia and how the Optima was the first car in the lineup that caught my attention. By the end of that review, I was quite surprise and it was a great ride in terms of looks and experience. Will the SXL fare the same?

Style

I can’t dive too into this one as the SXL looks just about the same as the Hybrid we took for a test drive. The one we had for this week was an all white model. Not really a fan of white, it looks great when it is fresh and clean, but the first hint of dirt and that off white isn’t as attractive.

Just like the Hybrid, the Optima is hands down the most attractive car in the Kia lineup! The Optima has a very modern feel and the accents on the car wraps it all up in a nice little package that is just sexy. Again if you want a fashionable vehicle from Kia, the Optima should be your first pick. 

Tech

Now that this will be second time kind of using the Optima line, I can say that I’m not really a fan of the Optima’s center console UI. When you have a car that looks sleek, smooth, and sexy from the outside to have this UI on the inside is eh. The UI in the Optima makes me feel like I’m looking at some huge hotel which looks great on the outside, but once I get in the room it looks old and non-updated. The UI needs to be spiced up. It is functional, yes, gets the job done yes, but need some visual flare to make the outside!

Other than that the SXL share many of the same features as the Hybrid we reviewed. There was the usual FM/AM, Bluetooth In/Other AUX In/ Satellite Radio, and CD. Outside of entertainment, dual climate control, and heated seats where present. 

Experience

Driving the Optima SXL was quite enjoyable. Sharing many of the comfortable as the Hybrid mode, and also a snappy acceleration for this mode. The handle and ride was smooth, and though it wasn’t as gas saving as the Hybrid, I still found the fuel economy pretty decent. And again this is one ride you’d be happy to show off as you travel around.

The Kia Optima SXL starts out around $26,800 but this will vary depending on your destination. It is no doubt a good looking car, average at best when it comes to it entertainment console, but overall a very nice ride. 

Courtesy of gstylemag.com

Maintenance Tip of the Week

Checking your coolant level

Something everyone can do. The coolant is the other thing your engine cannot go without. Every engine is different but if you check your handbook you should find where the coolant reservoir is. It will normally be bolted to one side of the engine bay or the other, and be a white semi-transparent bottle. Wait until your engine is cool and take a look at it - the outside should have 'low' and 'high' markings on it and the level of coolant inside should be between the two.
Do not take the radiator cap off to check coolant levels. If the coolant system is still hot then it is still under pressure and the pressure release will burn you.

 

Courtesy of carbibles.com

Maintenance Tip of the Week!

Brake warning light 1

Most cars nowadays have a brake warning light on the dash. Its purpose is to alert you that something is wrong in the braking system somewhere. If it comes on, check your owner's manual to find out its meaning. The brake warning light doesn't have a standard meaning; it could be used for multiple purposes. For example, the same light may be used to show that the hand brake (parking brake for the Americans amongst you) is on. If that's the case and you're driving, you ought to have noticed the smell of burning brake dust by now. The light can also indicate that the fluid in the master cylinder is low. Each manufacturer has a different use and standard for this light. Which is nice. Because it would be such a drag if the same indicator meant the same thing in every vehicle.

Brake warning light 2

If you've got an ABS-equipped car, you also have a second light - the ABS light. If it comes on, get it seen to as soon as possible. It means the ABS computer has diagnosed that something is amiss in the system. It could be something as simple as dirt in one of the sensors, or something as costly as an entire ABS unit replacement. Either way, if that light is on, then you, my friend, have got 1970's brakes. It's important to note that this light normally comes on when you start the car and then switches off a few seconds later. If it blinks, throbs, flashes or in any other way draws your attention to itself, then take note. It's not doing that just to please itself. Compared to a steady light, a blinking ABS light normally indicates something more serious. In some cases it could be as bad as "you have no brakes at all."

 

Keep working hard team! Our customers are taking notice!

"Go see Adrian at KIA downtown!  Awesome experience! We are now owners of a brand new KIA soul." - Kelly C.

Click HERE to read the full review and more on Yelp.

2014 Kia Quoris Exterior 720° VR

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