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2014 Kia Sorento SX: Family Road Trip Review

April 3, 2013 by The Mom Jen 2 Comments

About a year and a half ago, we review the 2012 Kia Sorento and loved it for our family of 5. It was roomy, it was sleek, it got great gas mileage, we were impressed. Last week we had a chance to test out the 2014 Kia Sorento SX on a road trip of over 800 miles to and from the Kia Classic. The upgrades and functionality was what we know and love from Kia and it’s a fabulous ride!

Some things my husband loves about the car is the engine of course:

New this year, the all-aluminum 3.3-liter GDI V6 produces a smooth 290 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and a stout 252 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm. Power is routed to either the front wheels or, optionally, to all four using an enhanced Torque On Demand all-wheel drive system that seamlessly directs power to the tire with the most traction and now includes the benefit of Torque Vectoring Cornering Control (TVCC) that aids stability under certain driving conditions.

I felt the power when I stepped on the gas, but the amazing thing is that as you drive you feel like you’ve levitated off the ground and are flying. The kids said on occasion, “are we even moving, it’s so smooth,” and “We’re already there? That was quick!” Highway 5 in central California is a long dark stretch at night and if you don’t watch out you’re going 85 and it feels like 55.

This is just bigger than the Sportage we just tried out and I could leap for joy when that 3rd row seat was pulled up from the trunk area. A full bench seat did not have to be exposed just one side allowing for our 7 year old to have plenty of room (plus needed air controls she can reach) while we filled the rest of the space with luggage!

Road trips need that third row, while buzzing around town we can tuck that seat down and have plenty of room for groceries, baseball bag and equipment, and even a scooter.

115V power converter…yes please! With 9 different electronics in the car on a road trip, something is bound to lose power. Here’s some extra power in a very convenient way. A switch in the center console activates the outlet. Brilliant.Having that 3rd row seat in use, the big kids sit in the middle and have their space defined by this console that with a push of a button turns into a drink holder. My oldest said it’s soft and works great as a pillow too!The touchscreen is better than ever. Low fuel alerts and the nearest gas station search takes one less step out of a necessary equation. The navigation system shows road speed limits, ETA for your route, and smart and accurate traffic alerts with detour information. Oh and look at that side mirror feature that lights up when a car pulls into your blindspot! This car’s brain is genius.Dialing hands-free with the Bluetooth is always a fabulous feature in the new Kias, I also love that my music apps stream through the system! No downloaded music, but it still works, that’s if I can’t find anything on the tons of Sirius Radio channels.From your key fob, open and close the liftgate automatically or use button on the liftgate itself to close.Along with the technical features, my husband loved cruising with the panoramic sunroof open. The improved sunroof has a soft mesh bug-guard, while another new feature is the pull-shades on the back windows.

Fitting that we encountered this sign on our trip!

Amazing ride, so comfortable, soft leather seats, the car will run about $36,700.00 with road trips giving you about 24 mpg with the specifications I noted. Head to your local dealer and try it out! I bet you’ll love it!

Kia loaned the car for a week that included our road trip to the Kia Classic, all opinions are our own!

2013 Kia Sportage SX Turbo Review

March 6, 2013 by The Mom Jen 2 Comments

The Kia Sportage is a fun flexible 5 passenger crossover utility vehicle built to impress. Our family of 5 spent the week with a signal red Sportage SX and where pleasantly surprised with its unique blend of style, power and safety.

We thought of the Sportage as a smaller version of the Kia Sorento that we absolutely loved. The exterior of the car has a sleek, sporty sculpture Kia should be proud of. The nice curves and profile of the car gets noticed, it runs smooth on the road and has some real kick when you step on the gas for the first time! Of course everyone was captivated with the awesome in-vehicle info-tainment system that includes premium audio, SiriuxXM, Bluetooth, rear camera display and navigation system. My two older kids continue to be amazed about how many music stations we can choose from but always come back to Top Hits and Radio Disney. My husband enjoys the numerous sports talk station, and I can listen to the 80’s all day every day. My seven year old wants to watch the red arrow move on the map the whole trip, so she’s set in the center of the back seat!

Less flashy but in my mind far more valuable is the amazing amount of cargo space that includes a cool under the floor compartment, and neat retractable cover. Shopping at the mall, taking packages back to the car for less to carry offers thieves ideas giving that cover a very smart, practical use. Taking food from the store is easy and there is a ton of room, using that cover again keeps temperature regulated as well.

The driver is truly in control, with a steering wheel that not only directs the vehicle, it also tilts, telescopes and has controls for all the info-tainment functions. I am a channel surfer, I can’t keep from changing the station or turning up the volume. I love that all the controls are literally at my fingertips, so I can safely keep both hands on the wheel.

A ventilated drivers seat tops off an impressive list of interior conveniences including a panoramic sunroof, and heated front seats. No more do you have to worry about your legs sticking to a hot leather seat in the summer, turn the car on and flip the seat cooler on and in seconds it is cooled down!

Something I really like that complimented the back-up camera was the warning alarm. Our garage is packed with bikes and scooters and tools and I noticed the first few days pulling out into the driveway I needed to jump out and move some things. The alarms shows you which side, left or right has something potentially in your way and to caution. This neat feature can really help from getting unwanted dents and dings on your car, and fold in the side mirrors for those tight garage squeezes!

Check out the manroney for this vehicle! With 28 mpg highway, this would be fabulous for a commuter like my husband!

Luckily we did not need to test out any of the numerous safety features including rollover sensor, reinforced body, electronic stability control, brake assist and force distribution and hill-start assist control but appreciate that they are there if necessary. The car fits four comfortably, according to the kids, when my youngest is placed in the center, elbow room is lost, but it isn’t a deal breaker. Something my family would enjoy is an DVD/Blu-ray player in the car, taking up less lap space for when they bring all their electronics!

The Sportage is an excellent example of Kia’s commitment to quality, durability and product innovation. The Kia Sportage SX Turbo sells for $30,900 with all the amenities we received.

The car was offered for one week to facilitate this review, all opinions our own.

2013 Kia Soul Review, Hamsters Not Included

October 13, 2012 by The Mom Jen 7 Comments

Urban Utility Vehicle? 4 giant hamsters clubbing it up? Mood light interior? Not necessarily selling points for a 40 year old engineer and stay at home mom with 3 kids, but we’re open to trying anything! Although our kids would consider us the most unhip people on the planet, Kia has yet again surpassed our expectations when we tried out the 2013 Kia Soul! Throw all the demographic specific marketing aside, the Soul is comfortable cruising on the freeway as it is slipping into a compact parking space and offers a wide range of utility for any driver.

What may look like a shoebox on wheels to some really is an agile comfortable and convenient ride, we were pleasantly surprised with its function, style and sense of fun.

Via my husband: During the commute I was pleasantly surprised to get roughly 30 miles per gallon and was even happier when I realized that a full tank of gas was only 12.7 gallons (half the size of my current car). The standard SiriusXM radio had more entertainment than I had time to evaluate. The sound system was pretty impressive, with speakers atop the dash, you really get a good surround-sound! Seating and driving controls all were comfortable and easy to operate.

Specs are as follows:

4-cylinder, aluminum block & head
164 hp @ 6,500 rpm
Front engine, front-wheel drive
Fuel tank capacity: 12.7 gallons
Estimated city/highway MPG: 26/34
UVO in-vehicle infotainment w/HD Radio™ technology, rear-camera display
Driver’s 6-way adjustable seat
Dual-level glove box
Power sunroof w/tilt
USB/auxiliary input jacks
12V power outlet
Luggage under-floor tray
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
Rear child-safety door locks

Mom’s Opinion: When this bright red car pulled up, I immediately nodded at the color and thought how perfect is the “Molten” description, just like lava! The car had a higher profile than I expected and surprised us on just how roomy it actually was. With 3 kids in the back, they weren’t on top of each other. Also, it fit so nice in our garage!

We enjoyed a weekend road trip to visit family with our 3 kids in the Soul. All 5 of us fit comfortably in the Soul and we enjoyed the speaker mood lighting while driving at night. The rainbow of colors changing was soothing and hard to look away from for the passenger. It didn’t light up the entire car and make a scene as the commercials seem to lead you to believe, we were glad for that. Check out the lights in action:

For a small car, there is a decent amount of cargo area (even has a light) for the day trip, extra sweatshirts, a cooler, and some toys fit nicely in the trunk area, while the space around everyone’s seat was just enough.

PERKS! Heated seats, tons of music choices, hand’s free Bluetooth, color options on the speakers, back up camera, and USB ports for charging our gadgets were all used and appreciated, probably the hardest part about going back to our regular cars, we love those perks! We found out what happens when you left the car running (keyless ignition) and the person with the key in his pocket gets away from the vehicle, an alarm noise sounds! Also the name stitched in the seats looked really nice, loved that touch!

Overall, short term, we adjusted to the car fine. Long term with 3 kids and the amount of traveling we do, I believe we need more space both in the seating area and in the trunk for stretching out and carrying luggage. It would definitely be something we’d look into as a commuter car-only for my husband, the Kia Soul’s selling price starts at $14,400!

Once again we were impressed with Kia’s craftsmanship and attention to detail. The Soul is a truly fun car that provides an amazing amount of style. I’m becoming comfortable being and looking cool in these sporty cars, and after a week with the Kia Soul I was proud to drive something that stood out on the road. We recommend anyone considering a new car purchase to stop by your Kia dealer and see what they have to offer.

All opinions are our own, we had the car on loan for one week.

Kia Optima Hybrid Review

August 15, 2012 by The Mom Jen 6 Comments

written by my husband
Our family of five just shared a wonderful week with a beautiful Kia Optima Hybrid. The old-faithful SUV got a week off while the Optima took over Mom/taxi duties including mundane trips to the grocery store, back to school shopping and an exciting trip to the Sonoma/Napa wine region. The Kia Optima Hybrid promises outstanding performance, a luxurious cabin, numerous features for entertainment and safety all within a stylish profile that really turns heads.

The Light Graphite exterior paint has an attractive blend of highlights including silvers grays and purples that really caught the eye of my wife and teenage daughter. Extremely beautiful up close yet not overtly flashy, Kia has really come up with an exterior color worth talking about. This color just sets the tone, exterior styling presents a unique mix of class and power that was a privilege to be seen in. [wife here…do I dare say that feeling like a young woman in this car rather than an old mom was a good feeling!]

During our week with the Kia Optima Hybrid we encountered a variety of driving environments including high speed freeway cruising, daily errand running in town and the dreaded Friday afternoon traffic jam. The Active Eco hybrid system seamlessly switched from electric to gas power to optimize efficiency without detracting from performance. You notice the change when you step on the gas and the slight pause/jerk is something you get used to as you drive.

The in-dash eco guide display encourages efficient driving and I was amazed to see the gas engine rpms at 0 so often. It felt really good to drive a hybrid. I commute daily, my SUV gets terrible gas mileage and it felt good to read both the eco guide and the fuel economy’s average gas mileage, it really makes you think! And, for some of us who tend to drive our cars with the gas light on, knowing more accurately how close your fuel tank is to empty can spare us some serious heartache!

Full of bells and whistles, the Kia Optima Hybrid features our family enjoyed the most were the Sirius Radio, air-conditioned seats, panoramic sun roof, in dash USB jack, safety features, integrated Bluetooth, push button start, and backup camera. Just a note on those a/c seats, they are very cool! I don’t have working a/c in my current SUV so when I commuted from work with 90+ degree heat, the air conditioning fans as well as the cooled seats almost sent me straight to the Kia dealership! Also, the glove box is chilled for things like your cell phones, notebook computers, or iPads so they don’t bake in a hot car.

Our experience with this vehicle left us impressed with Kia’s craftsmanship and attention to detail. Take the photos below for instance, we were completely baffled at the passage hole from the back seat to the trunk. If you are a skier, you’re in luck. The center console lays down for an armrest or drink holder, and opens further to allow for your skis to pass through from the trunk. Nothing short of impressed by the Kia Optima Hybrid on all accounts. For a sedan, we’re aware that a 5-seater and 3 young-ish kids is a hard sell just on the fact that they sit so closely together, lending itself to fighting and touching.

But as far as economical, eco-friendly, bells and whistles, this may easily be our next car when the kids are off to college!

Car was offered for a week in exchange for honest review. All opinions are our 100% true accounts, and it was hard to give the car back!

Our Spring Break Ride: The Acura TSX Sport Wagon Review

April 19, 2012 by The Mom Jen 8 Comments

Our Spring Break, though dreary from terrible weather, added a special temporary member to our family, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon! This blue beauty drove up to our house and it’s presence was exciting!

The Husband/Commuter’s Take:

Our no nonsense family car got a well-deserved reprieve and this sporty Acura put a little pep in our daily routine. Teenage daughter was evidently impressed with the stylish exterior which was at least presentable to friends. Tech savvy wife literally and figuratively connected with the TSX’s Bluetooth, GPS navigation system, real time traffic and weather as well as the XM radio. The spacious cargo area easily contained a sprawling array of baseball equipment, dance bag and scooter for son and youngest daughter, plus a plethora of groceries. The TSX impressed on all accounts and left me yearning for a driver recognition memory system for the cars we actually own. A sport wagon? I didn’t know what to expect yet I found the Acura TSX an exciting ride. I was surprised to see a 4 cylinder engine rated at 200+ horsepower, felt obligated to put it to the test on one of my 70-mile round trip daily commutes, and was impressed with smooth and powerful acceleration. This coupled with an excellent suspension/steering/transmission system tempted the lead foot and made frequent glances at the speedometer necessary. Low and sleek to the ground yet spacious and comfortable for our family of five we jumped from school to dance studio to baseball practice back to dance studio and all over again enjoying the heated front seats and steering wheel mounted controls. Having my commute daily, I appreciated the traffic updates on my route the day I drove the TSX giving me the exact heads-up I need that often the AM/FM radio doesn’t zero in on!

As we ventured out of our home territory, the Acura navigation system was an easy to use and effective assistant. Surprisingly the week flew by and we didn’t even burn half a tank of gas (22 mpg city / 30 mpg highway). The Acura TSX sport wagon provided all the style, comfort and sport we could handle. This is a striking vehicle worthy of your consideration when looking for a practical and fun family car.

The Mom’s Take:

The first thing I noticed was it’s low profile. Because our 7-seater has a 3rd row, our roof is higher and the TSX sport wagon is a 5-seater, this was becoming interesting. Being a mom of 3 children 6-13 years in age, our every day car has our youngest in the 3rd row, son in the second, and my oldest daughter up in the passenger seat. This is ideal on most occasions that they have their own space. In the Acura it was a test to see if all 3 kids could sit together on a car trip, rubbing elbows and thighs along the way. On our Easter getaway to a local theme park there were all 5 of us in the car and the kids were armed with electronics to remain busy but being in close quarters for anything longer than our hour trip would have been too much. We love to travel by car, and withmy youngest’s booster seat and the two older kids, personally we needed more room!On the flip-side our current vehicle has a narrow small trunk space in leiu of the 3rd row seating so we had plenty of room for dance bags, baseball equipment, groceries, and more. Normally the equipment is at the kids feet in our everyday car.

I LOVE the ability to push a button for the trunk to both open and close. This is helpful for parents with their hands full of groceries, or kids who need to run and grab something from the car, but they’re too short to properly close the tailgate. The tailgate will also activate from a button on the driver’s door, as well as by a button on the tailgate itself. Also for safety, when opening or closing, the tailgate will automatically reverse itself if it encounters a sufficient obstruction, so no smashed fingers or bumped heads!

Another feature I loved was the sunroof. The simplicity of having sun, warmth, and fresh air without the loud noise of the wind from the windows down on the highway is big! It gives the sportscar feel to a more practical family wagon vehicle! Seat warmers are a great added feature, the big kids would argue who got to sit in the front to enjoy them during our cold week, I seemed to keep mine on night and day.

Safety:

When the transmission is in “Reverse,” you can view various obstacles that are behind the TSX Sport Wagon and below your normal field of vision through the large, 8-inch navigation screen. I’ve hit a garbage can in my lifetime, but mostly I worry about the kids in our neighborhood, one specifically we call “Houdini!” The screen is large, my husband joked when he first got in the car, “great the driver gets to watch TV while we drive!”

Like every Acura model, the TSX Sport Wagon comes equipped with a security system. In the event of a break-in, the following events will occur:

The ignition will be disabled.
The horn will sound.
The lights will flash.

Interior:

My oldest daughter is a clean-freak and when her siblings bring food into the car she flips because we have cloth seats, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon all come with soft, perforated-leather front and back seats that provide the ideal balance of indulgence and support and easy ability to clean! Not to mention the perforation keeps air flow within the seats so they don’t get burning hot during hot weather!

Cargo Space:

With the rear seats up, there’s 31.5 cubic feet of cargo space as measured below the window line.
The 60 / 40 rear seatbacks fold flat with the head restraints in place, doubling the main cargo space to 66.2 cubic feet.
One large, hidden compartment flanked by two separate smaller ones lies beneath access doors in the cargo area floor.
An additional compartment inside the left wall is designed to hold emergency items such as road flares and a first aid kit that’s available as an accessory.
Flat sidewalls and a carpeted floor ease loading and unloading.
Cargo hooks in the floor make it easy to secure items in place.

Navigation:

The Acura Navigation System, the centerpiece of the TSX Sport Wagon Technology Package, is operated by a hard drive and viewed through a full VGA, 8-inch screen, making it faster, easier to read and more useful than ever before. It was slightly distracting to me, but at night you can dim the screen so the brightness doesn’t distract your eyes from the road.

Electronics-Friendly:

We all own an i-something or another and these following feature as “cool to have” as my kids would say!

It’s easy to take your digital music library along for the ride in your TSX Sport Wagon. A USB⁷ connection interfaces with Apple^® iPod^®⁸ players and other USB mass storage devices.

On a compatible iPod^®, music selection can be controlled through the audio system, including the steering wheel-mounted controls.
The USB will charge a compatible iPod^® while it’s playing.
You can plug in, select, and play music from a flash drive or other USB storage device.
Track and folder information appears on the center display to simplify music search and selection.
An auxiliary input jack can be connected to any personal audio device.
Both the USB and auxiliary inputs are within the center console-covered storage area, where devices can be conveniently carried and discreetly stored.

The only negative we can complain about is that our 3 kids would be too close for comfort in this car, otherwise it’s sporty, it’s fast, it’s great looking, and the trunk space is something I crave over toting a hamburger box on the roof for trips! The car starts at $31, 360 and for more information, visit the Acura website for full features and specifications.

The car was offered to us for a week in exchange for our honest review!