First Drive: 2011 Kia SX Models

Kia Adds SXy Moves to the Forte, Optima, Sportage, and Sorento Kia is on one helluva roll. A fleet of new vehicles clothed in the latest Peter Schreyer fashion leaves no visible evidence of platform sharing with sister brand Hyundai. Savvy packaging, class-competitive drivetrains, and soaring quality and reliability ratings have helped boost the brand's market share by 48 percent since 2008. Even more impressive, Kia's once-pitiful bargain-basement residual values have climbed 38 percent on average (66 percent for the Optima), making leasing an attractive option. Now, at long bloody last, the company is getting serious about providing some sporting cred to back up its sporting looks. Henceforth, when you see the letters SX emblazoned on the rump of a Kia, you can expect to find performance enhancements to go along with the slightly more aggressive fascias and trim that visually distinguish SX models from their lesser brethren. Those enhancements include a healthy dose of vitamins H and T under the hood and/or a bit more starch in the suspension. Heretofore the SX designation simply meant top-of-the-line trim, options, and features, and that tradition continues. Launching this fine new tradition are four new or newish models: the Sportage cute-ute and Optima sedan, the Sorento crossover, and the Forte compact sedan, "Koup," and new 5-door. The Sportage and Optima share Hyundai/Kia's impressive 2.0-liter Theta II engine fitted with direct injection and a state-of-the-art twin-scroll turbocharger to produce 274 horsepower and 269 pound-feet in the Optima, with 256 hp and 264 lb-ft in the Sportage (due to differences in exhaust packaging, heat management, and tuning to suit the SUV's duty cycle). The Sorento's standard 3.5-liter V-6 (276 hp/248 lb-ft) is optional on the EX model, but the SX's unique suspension is lowered 0.4 inch and tuned for more sporting ride on its 18-inch rolling stock. All Forte SX models share a 2.4-liter four good for 173 hp and 168 lb-ft (165/161 in SULEV trim). That represents a reasonable bump of 17 horses and 24 lb-ft over the base 2.0-liter. The Forte Koup and five-door are the only SX models offered with a manual transmission, though the others offer manual shifting via paddles (Optima) or a plus/minus shifter gate. Everyone is kindly asked to excuse the lame-duck Rio SX, which Kia promises will get truly SXy with the new model, debuting in a few weeks at the 2011 New York International Auto Show. Motor Trend Rating:

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