USAA Names Kia Sportage To 2012 Best Value List

Being a younger sibling myself, I know the feeling of sometimes being overshadowed by an older sibling.  In the overall Hyundai Corporation, which includes both Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors, it is Hyundai (especially the Elantra) that has been accumulating accolades and awards left and right.  But little sister Kia is catching up and making a name for herself as well.

2012 Kia Sportage

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) came out with their second annual "Best Value" vehicles list, which identifies the top 2012 automobiles in 16 categories that give consumers the most bang for their buck.  The Kia Sportage was crowned "Best Value" in the small SUV category for the second consecutive year, recognized for offering a competitive price and low insurance costs as well as being one of the Small SUV Top Safety Picks for 2012 from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

"The goal of the list is to help members identify vehicles that typically offer better safety ratings, lower insurance premium costs, higher fuel economy, better overall reliability and lower MSRP compared to other vehicles in the same category," said Steve Thompson, an assistant vice president at USAA.  "The Kia Sportage rose to the top as a vehicle that offers these key elements, making it a great buy for the value-minded consumer."

In addition to the "Best Value" list, the USAA also compiled a Top Ten for Teens list. The USAA commissioned a survey of parents asking what they value most in a car for their teenage children.  The top three parental considerations are reliability (81%), safety (73%), and affordable auto insurance (62%).  Another Kia model, the Kia Forte, ranks as one of their top ten cars based on these factors.

These new titles of high value are just some of the latest positive press Kia Motors is garnering.  Kia Motors America (KMA) has seen 20 consecutive months of year-over-year sales growth, and has been saluted by NADAguides, a leading provider of vehicle pricing and information, by having three of its vehicles - Rio 5-Door SX, Forte SX and Soul + - named to the publication's "Most Versatile 2012 New Cars Under $20K" list. Kia placed more vehicles than any other automaker on the top ten list.

"Having three of our vehicles named to NADAguides' 'Most Versatile 2012 New Cars Under $20K' list validates how far our brand has come in terms of quality, packaging and features development in such a short period of time," said Orth Hedrick, director of product planning, KMA. "With the presence and eye-catching style of Rio, Forte and Soul, Kia's complete vehicle line is comprised of a wide breadth of capable offerings at very affordable price points."

Kudos To Kia

Kia Motors has continued its rise to brand stardom in recent months, racking up awards and accolades for various achievements. Design, safety, eco-friendly -- Kia has it all.

In November, the Kia Picanto won the International Forum (iF) Design award. The three-door Picanto, only available in Europe, won the award for its "pure design quality, workmanship, innovation and eco-friendliness." The Picanto boasts a sporty exterior, Bluetooth voice activation, and other nifty features, as well as a low CO2 emissions rate of 95 g/km. Along with its 7-year/100,000 mile warranty, and low price, it's no wonder the Kia Picanto won the fourth Kia iF Design Award in three years.

Kia's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer said: "Receiving the iF product design award for the new Kia Picanto is a great success for our design team and it is welcome recognition of our brand's design-oriented strategy."

A month later, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named their Top Safety Picks for 2012. A record 115 models all made the cut for various vehicle segments. The IIHS rating tests include:

• 40 mph frontal offset crash tests
• 31 mph side-impact tests
• A roof test requiring the vehicle to withstand a force of four times the vehicle's weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. (The IIHS roof test is more severe than the government's, though a tougher federal rule takes effect for 2013 models.)
• A 20 mph rear crash that also tests the head restraint protection

The Kia Soul and Forte sedan both won Top Safety Pick awards for the small-car classification. The Optima won for midsize moderately priced cars, the Sportage for small SUVs, and the Sorento for midsize SUVs.

Vroomgirls.com came out with their first ever Cars of the Year Awards for 2011. Who did they choose for Best Hatchback? The Kia Rio SX! In their words the Rio is "fantastically roomy, agile on the road, zippy and low priced. Honestly, what more could any driver want?" We couldn't put it better ourselves. The Rio also gets great gas mileage at 30 mpg-city/40 mpg-highway.

Two weeks ago Kia scooped the What Car? Ultra Low Carbon Award for its environmentally efficient range of cars, in particular the Rio and Pecanto models. The Rio, with CO2 emissions as low as 85 g/km, making it the cleanest non-electric car in the world. What Car? Magazine honored the Picanto last summer at their Green Awards ceremony.

Paul Philpott, Chief Operating Officer of Kia Motors Europe, received the Ultra Low Carbon Award saying, ”Kia has been striving over recent years not only to deliver exciting, attractive, high-quality cars - but also to deliver real benefits to customers in the form of cleaner technologies that don’t carry a price premium. We are delighted that What Car? – one of Europe’s leading consumer magazines – has recognized our efforts.”

To learn more about buying your own amazing Kia contact Gary Rome Auto Group today!