2014 Kia Optima at the 2013 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fusion, Mazda6
• Looks like: Updated enough to stay current with the competition
• Drivetrain: 2.4-liter four-cylinder, 2.4-liter hybrid, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder; six-speed automatic transmission
• Hits dealerships: Third quarter of 2013

Debuting this week at the 2013 New York International Auto Show is a refreshed 2014 Kia Optima. The changes to its appearance are few but across its four trim levels, the new Optima has added and updated features in an attempt to stay competitive in the booming midsize-sedan market.

The Optima's exterior has alterations to the front and rear including the brand's signature tabbed grille. There are also refreshed rear diffusers, a sweeping trunk lid and new front-LED positioning along with fog lights and newly designed taillights.

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Tech features include push-button start, a new 4.3-inch LCD instrument cluster and an optional 8-inch multimedia screen featuring Kia's UVO eServices, an eight-speaker Infinity sound system, HD Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio and SiriusXM Traffic. An optional blind spot warning system includes rear cross-traffic alert and rear parking sensors. Kia says newly designed seats should improve comfort.

When the 2014 Optima arrives at dealerships in third quarter of this year — pricing will be announced closer to the sale date — it will offer car shoppers a choice among LX, EX, SX and a new SX Limited trim levels. Base-model features include dual exhaust with chrome tips, solar glass, side mirror turn-signal indicators, front fog lights, heated side mirrors, chrome-accented exterior door handles and 16-inch alloy wheels. Upgrades reserved for the top-level SX Limited trim include unique 18-inch chrome wheels, LED fog lights, red brake calipers, an electronic parking brake, chrome-accented side sills and premium Nappa leather seats.

Kia Updates Optima Hybrid for 2013

South Korean automaker Kia has announced some updates to its 2013 Optima Hybrid model; changes to the sedan should make it more fuel efficient and more powerful. Most of the updates are mechanical: The hybrid now has a 47-horsepower electric motor, a stronger stop-start generator and a more powerful lithium-polymer battery. This translates into slightly different numbers for the Optima Hybrid: Total system horsepower drops a bit to 199 from 206, but combined torque is increased significantly from 195 pounds-feet to 235. That should make for more responsive off-the-line acceleration.

The new Optima Hybrid is also now available in two trim levels, base and EX, with differences in equipment levels and even fuel economy. The base model is more efficient than its predecessor, earning an EPA rating of 36/40 mpg city/highway. The EX model -with additional equipment like a navigation system, backup camera, eight-speaker Infinity premium audio system, panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats and 17-inch aerodynamic wheels — gets 35/39 mpg. Both models now feature more trunk space as well, thanks to a repackaged battery pack that no longer intrudes as much into the cargo area.

10 Cars for $10K: The Best Used Cars for $10,000

At Cars.com, we focus on new cars, but when it comes to overall car sales, used cars own the field. CNW Marketing Research reports shoppers bought more than 40 million of them in 2012, the highest total since 2007. For every new car sold, nearly three used cars changed hands.

Shoppers are still taking the used route despite near-record used-car prices, which soared so high that we suspended our $10,000 used-car recommendations — once a regular Cars.com feature — for two years. Blame the recession, which slashed new-car sales and the resulting supply of late-model used cars that are typically traded in for them.

Used-car prices are coming back to earth, according to Manheim's Used Vehicle Value Index, but that's not to say used-car prices are low again. They have ebbed enough to give $10K cars another go.

Affordable Sedans Add High-End Features to Backseats

Nothing makes a person feel neglected like sitting in the backseat. Unless you are being driven by a chauffeur, most rear passengers in a sedan feel more like second-class citizens. Until now.

A recent automotive trend has my kids jumping for joy: seat heaters for rear passengers. This feature seems to be an indicator that things are movin' on up for those in the back. What's even better is this feature, once common only in luxury cars, is now available in cars that cost less than a bazillion dollars.

2013 Chicago Auto Show Winners and Losers

The Chicago Auto Show is traditionally big on floor space and short on new product debuts, and the 2013 edition is no different with just a handful of all-new production and concept cars making their premieres. Editors Mike Hanley, Aaron Bragman, David Thomas and Joe Bruzek crisscrossed the expansive show floor in search of the hits and misses.

2014 Toyota Tundra

Mike Hanley: Winner
It would have been nice to see some frame or powertrain improvements, but the styling changes nicely update the truck. The taller hood makes for a bold front end, and the stamped badge on the tailgate is something you'd typically see on a concept truck. On the show floor, the changes work. Whether it stands a chance in the real world with updated domestic competitors is another thing.

Aaron Bragman: Loser
Lots of us thought that the new 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra updates were tepid, but this makes GM's changes look revolutionary. Two elements one can point to — the new grille and the new interior, and neither one looks good. The new headlights and body-colored grille make the Tundra look like a bigger Honda Ridgeline, which is not a positive change. The interior is practically a direct rip-off of the current Ford F-150, and with no changes to the structure or powertrain (a five-speed automatic transmission? Still?), one wonders why Toyota even bothered to change anything.

David Thomas: Winner
I like the updates to the Tundra because it maintains a modern look versus the traditional styling of the domestic trucks on the market. The Tundra is what you think a truck in 2013 should look like. The different treatments to the grille are interesting, too, and everyone seemed to love the stamped-in name on the tailgate. Inside may be a "ripoff," but it is well-executed.

Joe Bruzek: Loser
Is Toyota giving up on the Tundra? It looks that way with hardly significant styling improvements and rip-off of the F-150's interior styling plus no mechanical changes to the truck's capabilities. The Tundra's old interior at least differentiated itself from other pickups with a unique, clean and swoopy design instead of the blocky industrial look it now uses.

Superman Kia Optima Hybrid: Photo Gallery

The Superman-inspired Kia Optima Hybrid, revealed today at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show, might have been the Man of Steel's sweet-16 present from daddy Jor-El if only Krypton hadn't been destroyed. The Supes-style sedan is instantly recognizable, adorned in the hero's signature blue with red accents on the grille, wheels, rear bumper and elsewhere, with glowing red undercar lighting and "heat vision" headlights.

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To further guard against mistaken identity, the Last Son of Krypton's signature S shield is displayed in multiple places, most prominently on the hood and seats, and a shadowy black image of him is incorporated into the rear windshield. Despite all their similarities, Superman gets his power from Earth's sun while the Kia Optima Hybrid runs on gas and electric — and cannot fly. The car is the sixth in a planned eight-car Justice League series born of a partnership between Kia and DC Entertainment. Check out the gallery below.

2013 Chicago Auto Show: What to Expect

The Windy City is considered one of the fan-friendliest destinations during auto-show season, and to that end the 2013 Chicago Auto Show is unlikely to disappoint. This show will give visitors a first glimpse of a few new vehicles along with a closer look at a host of exciting cars that made flashy debuts at the Detroit auto show.

The 2013 Chicago show — the 105th time the event has been held since 1901, according to organizers — will be open to the public 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 9-17 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 18, with media and charity previews Feb. 7-8, at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive. Organizers promote the Chicago show as the largest in terms of exhibit space used, as it occupies 1 million square feet of floor space and hosts about 1,000 vehicles.

For those most interested in the latest thing, the Chicago show will host the world debuts of the redesigned 2014 Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck and the Kia Cross GT Concept. That's in addition to the North American reveal of the new Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. The 2014 Ram ProMaster van and the custom Superman-inspired Kia Optima Hybrid also are expected to be unveiled.

Kia to Unveil Crossover Concept, Superman Car at 2013 Chicago Auto Show

Kia's showing in Chicago next week will be a mix of concept, in the Kia Cross GT, and just plain conceptual, in its Superman-inspired Optima Hybrid. Both cars are set to be unveiled at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show, which runs Feb. 9-18 at McCormick Place.

Kia released a sneak peak of the Cross GT concept this morning. The photo shows what appears to be a seven-seat crossover larger than the 2014 Kia Sorento. Kia describes the Cross GT concept as "inspired by nature, driven by technology" and stated that it "hints at the future of Kia’s design language in the form of a premium Crossover Utility Vehicle." We’ll have full coverage of the concept next week from the show.

The Cars.com $26,000 Midsize Sedan Showdown

It's been two and a half years since we conducted our very first multi-car comparison with USA Today and "Motorweek." That showdown featured eight midsize family sedans competing against each other, with the Hyundai Sonata taking first and the Ford Fusion coming in last.

A lot has changed in that amount of time, with four of the six contenders in this year's contest sporting completely new designs.

How did they do?

Read the full showdown to find out.

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Cars.com $26,000 Midsize Sedan Showdown: Mileage Results

We took six of the top-selling, most fuel-efficient cars in the U.S. and pitted them against each other. How’d they do in our mileage drive?

While Nissan's redesigned 2013 Altima may have the highest EPA-estimated mileage rating among family sedans, its trip computer had the largest discrepancy with our calculations at the pump. After a 185-mile loop, the Altima's trip computer read 4.38 mpg above our calculations — far higher than the variances we observed for the 2013 Ford Fusion, 2013 Honda Accord, 2013 Hyundai Sonata, 2013 Kia Optima and 2012 Toyota Camry. The Altima won the day's trip-computer mileage with an observed 35.9 mpg, but its calculated pump mileage — 31.52 mpg — landed it a third-place finish behind the Camry and Accord.

Cars.com/USA Today/MotorWeek $26,000 Midsize Sedan Showdown

We took six contenders on a daylong mileage loop in mixed city/highway conditions. Per our usual mileage-challenge procedures, we began and ended at the same gas pump, swapped drivers over roughly equal chunks of seat time, kept windows and sunroofs closed and avoided cruise control. With cool temperatures and low humidity, we kept air conditioning off this time.

At day's end, our calculated pump mileage amounted to less than 1 mpg difference from what the trip computers read for five of the six cars, but the Altima's was off by 4.38 mpg. Why the discrepancy?