WomanOnWheels.ca

First Drive: 2024 Kia Seltos

For 2024, the Kia Seltos is refreshed with new styling cues, more features, and a power boost to its available turbocharged engine. Find out more in my "First Drive" story over at AutoTRADER.ca.

In Review: 2023 Kia Telluride X-Line

The Kia Telluride introduces two new "X-Line" trims for 2023, and while they hint at more off-road capability, they're really more about appearance. Find out more in my review at Driving.ca.

In Review: 2023 Kia Soul

The boxy Kia Soul has grown up over the years, and while it's still funky-looking, it's matured into a handy little hatchback. Find out more in my review at AutoTRADER.ca.

In Review: 2022 Kia Forte

The 2022 Kia Forte is a comfortable car and fun to drive, but it doesn't earn the highest safety ratings in crash testing. Find out more in my review at AutoTRADER.ca.

In Review: Kia Seltos vs Toyota Corolla Cross vs Volkswagen Taos

Three little hatchbacks, all in the same segment but with differences in price, power, and driving feel. Which one wins? Find out in our comparison at Driving.ca.

In Review: 2021 Kia Niro EV

Electric vehicles aren't for everyone - no vehicle is - but they're great to drive and will fit a lot of lifestyles. I got into the Kia Niro EV, and here's what I thought of it, over at Driving.ca.

In Review: 2021 Kia Sorento

The Kia Sorento is redesigned for 2021, and it's what a good makeover should be. It drives well, the cabin is very impressive, and the seats are comfortable, at least if you're not sitting way at the back. Find out more in my review over at Driving.ca.

In Review: 2021 Kia Sportage

The Kia Sportage is a fun-to-drive little thing, with an intelligent price to match, although it does have a couple of little flaws. Find out more in my review at AutoTRADER.ca.

Do you remember these eight short-lived cars?

Sometimes automakers hit home runs with their vehicles, and then sometimes -- they don't. I've rounded up eight vehicles that didn't resonate with buyers in my story at Driving.ca. 

In Review: 2021 Kia Seltos

An all-new entry for 2021, the Seltos is a fine little performer with only a couple of missteps, and it's definitely worth a test-drive. Find out more in my review at AutoTRADER.ca.

In Review: 2020 Kia Sportage

Small sport-utes are all the rage with buyers, and overall, Kia makes a pretty decent one. But there's one aspect where it lags behind most of its competitors -- and you can find out what that is in my review at the National Post (Driving.ca).

Affordable new cars coming for 2020

Sports and supercars make the headlines, but it's the bread-and-butter cars that end up in driveways, and automakers are constantly adding to or improving their portfolios to be sure they will. Here are some of the lower-priced vehicles coming for 2020 in my story at the National Post (Driving.ca).

In Review: 2020 Kia Telluride

If you need a big, three-row sport-ute, you need to test-drive this one. Kia stuffs in a huge number of goodies for the price, and while just a little bit more power wouldn't hurt, it's a decent driver that returned good fuel economy on my trip with it. Check out my review at the National Post (Driving.ca).

First Drive: 2020 Kia Forte5 and Forte GT

It's fun, it's well-done, it's packed with features and a relatively small price tag, and it's a Kia. Find out more in my "first look" over at the National Post (Driving.ca).

In review: 2019 Kia Forte

The Forte is made over for 2019, and it's a decent car at a respectable price point. And what I really like is that it's simple to operate and easy to drive -- what most commuters want from their automobiles. Find out more in my review at the National Post (Driving.ca).

In review: 2018 Kia Soul Turbo

The Soul is a great little box on wheels: roomy, comfy, and practical. You get your choice of three engines, and many will opt for the top-line turbo based on the numbers alone, but try the mid-range 2.0-litre before you make up your mind. Find out more in my review at the National Post.

Buying an accessible vehicle? Here are some of your options...

While you can get almost anything converted to at least some sort of accessibility, getting the right vehicle for your needs can require expert advice and, in most cases, a fair chunk of change. None of the mainstream automakers convert vehicles themselves, but some offer rebates if you have it done. And there's even one that's purpose-built for wheelchair passengers -- find out more in my story at AutoTRADER.ca.

First Drive: 2018 Kia Stinger

The company that made its mark with value is doing it again -- an all-wheel (rear-biased) sports sedan that can run with the big boys but costs far less. Find out more in my review at the National Post.

What's the best compact hatchback?

Okay, so you've got seven compact hatchbacks: Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic, Kia Forte, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla iM, and Volkswagen Golf. Which one's the best? I was one of the writers tasked with finding out -- see what won over at AutoTrader.

In review: 2016 Kia Sedona

It's not the best-handling minivan on the market, but it's comfortable, it's loaded with features, and it's well-priced for what you get. Find out more in my review at the Toronto Star.

In review: 2014 Kia Sorento

Although the new Sorento doesn't look all that much different from the old one, it has a new platform and engines that improve the performance. I still found it a bit too soft in the springs, though. Find out more in my review over at the Toronto Star.

A first look at the 2014 Kia Rondo

Although it didn't sell well enough to stay in the U.S., the Kia Rondo has been a decent enough seller in Canada that an all-new model is coming out for 2014. I always liked the old one, and the new one's pretty good, too: nothing fancy, just functional. Read more at the Toronto Star.

An interview with Peter Schreyer

I recently had the opportunity to interview designer Peter Schreyer, who transformed Kia and is now heading up Hyundai's design centres as well. Read all about it in my Toronto Star story.

A visit to Hyundai-Kia's Michigan technical center

A Korean automaker with a technical center in Michigan? Indeed there is, in the middle of rolling cornfields. You can read all about it by clicking here.

Corporate-Speak Translation: Kia

Kia Canada has introduced a new customer rewards program. Here's how a representative describes it:

 "We are committed to enhancing the purchase experience and positively impacting consumer expectations through key strategic initiatives designed to mitigate defection and turn one-time customers into customers for life."

I'm just truly in awe of anyone who could write something like that.

Women at work: Some Canadian sole

This coming Tuesday, I'm going to be helping to build a house with Habitat for Humanity, on an all-women event that will feature head office and dealer staff from Kia Canada. I'm really looking forward to it.

I need to wear steel-toed work boots, and while H-4-H has boots to lend, the selection is naturally limited. I'd always wanted a pair for the odd time I'm messing around with work at home (and work boots are just so downright cool), so I figured this was a good excuse to buy myself a pair.

And since I'm one for putting my money where my mouth is, I wanted made-in-Canada boots. Shouldn't be so hard, huh?

Ha.

I went to Zeller's, which advertises itself as a Canadian company. The choices came from China, Vietnam and Cambodia.

I went to Mark's Work Wearhouse, again, another Canadian company. This one threw a pair from Bangladesh into the mix.

I went to Canadian Tire. Check out the first part of that name. Not only were all the boots made offshore, but they were all for men. Canadian Tire does not carry any workboots for women.

Now, in fairness, I might have easily found some at the specialty workboot shop in town, but they'd closed for the weekend, and I'm not going to have a whole lot of time on Monday. So, more out of curiosity than anything, I stopped in Wal-Mart. Yes, Wal-Mart, that great American tradition.

And I bought one of the two Canadian-made brands of boots that they had for sale.

As they say, go figure.

A topsy-turvy world ...

Twenty years ago, if you'd told me this was going to happen, I would have laughed out loud. This is a ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place in Georgia yesterday. It's the beginning of a Kia assembly plant.

It's an upside-down auto world in which we're living these days. Ford, GM and Chrysler are cutting back shifts and closing plants in North America, and at the same time, they're opening facilities in China, in Thailand, in India, in Korea, in Romania, and in yesterday's news, in Uzbekistan (I'll admit, I had to look that one up on a map).

And while the domestics are moving overseas, here at home we've got Toyota and Honda expanding in Ontario, Hyundai in Alabama, BMW in North Carolina, Nissan in Tennessee, and Mitsubishi in the improbably-named town of Normal, Illinois.

You really have to sit back and wonder where everything's going, and where it's going to end. It's obvious that labor costs are playing a part in this, although I'd imagine even the poorer workers in the South (because no one's building these plants in rich cities) are making more than workers at plants in Thailand and India, which tells me tariffs are part of this too. And I would expect that eventually these plants will start to outsource some of their production materials, just as the Big Three have done. The domestic auto plant in the city where I live used to build its cars almost from scratch. Now many components are coming in already built up, from independent companies that make the parts for the price the automaker's willing to pay.

And while we all want a car that doesn't cost much, there's a flip side to all of this. Maybe unionized auto workers do make too much. But at the same time, many of them pay as much in taxes as someone greeting customers at the local big-box store takes home in a year. When it comes to the quality of municipal services, I'd rather have a tax base of overpaid auto workers than a tax base made up solely of "would you like fries with that?". Think about who pays for your police, fire, schools, health care and social programs next time you complain about wages.

These days, I don't know what to think. Every new ground-breaking ceremony gives me hope, and every idled plant and reduced shift makes me worry. I'm guessing that a few decades ago, the people who made television sets in Canada and the U.S. wondered what was going to happen to their industry. I don't think I have to tell you how that went.