Canada is known for having harsh winters. Poor visibility, deep snow, icy surfaces, and winding turns make it difficult for a lot of vehicles to traverse Canada’s landscape when snow-capped roads are the norm. When talking about specific brands versus specific regional climates, one can easily question if the Korean brand, Kia, can tackle some of Canada’s harshest environments? Well, that’s what this article is here to discuss. For those of you wondering, “which Kias are best for Canada?” or “is there a car dealer near me with cars that can make it through Canada’s winters?” this article will address those concerns by going over which Kias are the best for toughing it through Canada’s harsh winters.
If you want the best that Kia has to offer when it comes to tackling snow-filled roads in Canada, there are a few options that stand out above the rest. Now you might be thinking about some of the popular Kia nameplates from the brand’s lineup, like the Niro, Soul or Forte, but the sad reality is that they’re front-wheel drive, and not necessarily best suited for a lot of heavy snowfall. The K5 is a beautiful midsize sedan that offers all-wheel drive, but only when it’s configured with its base 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, which isn’t the best when it comes to powering through snow banks or unplowed roads. Do you want to know which Kia cars are the best for Canada’s snowy seasons? Here are the five best options available right now.
#5 – Kia Stinger
Are you wondering which is the best Kia sedan for Canadian winters? Well, look no further than the Kia Stinger. This is a surprisingly capable midsize sports sedan. Given that description alone, you probably wouldn’t expect it to be one of the better options for roughing it through a Canadian winter, but it’s a heck of a lot tougher than you might have been expecting.
This is thanks to the Canadian version of the Stinger being all-wheel drive all the time. The 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 delivers 368 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. Even though both the K5 and Stinger have all-wheel drive, the Stinger has an engine that delivers roughly twice the power of the K5. This is why one sedan is better for snow-capped roads than the other. The extra power and torque output make a massive difference when taking advantage of Kia’s all-wheel drive system.
The torque distribution between the front and rear wheels helps the Stinger evenly overcome any kind of slippery, snowy, or icy terrain. This is thanks to the different drive modes, which allow you to select which mode best suits your driving conditions, evenly distributing the torque or putting more power to the front or back, depending on what you need most. The added electronic traction control and stability management that you can enable or disable with the press of a button give the vehicle a lot of leeway for those wanting to take advantage of the Stinger’s oversteer during wintry conditions. If you want to tough it through a Canadian winter but retain the style and prestige of a sports car, the best Kia for the job is the Stinger, hands down.
#4 – Kia Telluride
The Kia Telluride is a fairly large SUV to be a midsize vehicle. It sits on a 2.9-meter wheelbase and is five meters in length. It’s a big boy. This three-row SUV from Kia is only available in the great north as an all-wheel drive model, and sensibly so. The 3.8-litre V6 delivers 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, so you get some respectable power out of this three-row midsize crossover, taking full advantage of its all-wheel drive capabilities for maximum performance in snowy or wintry conditions.
The Telluride’s large frame and heavy build will help you stay planted in winter weather. However, as a larger SUV, it also takes a lot more power to maintain your momentum and keep the vehicle stable. Thankfully, Kia’s impressive drive modes are specifically tailored for some of the challenges you can expect to face while trekking through some of Canada’s infrequently travelled roads.
The drive modes for the Telluride include Comfort, Eco, Sport, Smart, Sand, Mud, and Snow. This is super helpful because, unlike the Stinger, you don’t have to fiddle around with the different modes or settings that suit your driving style when dealing with winter weather in Canada. For the Telluride, you simply put it in Snow Mode and go. That’s it. The Telluride will do everything else for you.
#3 – Kia EV6
If you were wondering, “which Kia is the best to handle winter weather?” you probably wouldn’t expect a compact EV to be the answer. Still, the EV6 happens to be one of the best Kia models to drive during Canada’s winter season. This is all thanks to the fact that, unlike gas-powered vehicles, an EV doesn’t have to build up revs for torque. EVs have electric motors that generate instantaneous torque output, which works in their favour for handling difficult road conditions such as ice, snow, or sleet.
The Kia EV6 is available with two different battery sizes, but you can only get the long-range version with all-wheel drive. With the rear-wheel drive version, you lose out on a lot of traction control and stability management during rainy or snowy weather. If you need the best that Kia has to offer when travelling around during the winter, then the all-wheel drive version makes the most sense to own.
You’re looking at an estimated range of 441 km with the all-wheel drive powertrain paired with the 77.4 kWh long-range battery. However, the range is prone to drop when driving during extremely cold weather. Still, with a power output of 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque, there’s hardly any obstacle that can stand in the way of the EV6. This five-door compact EV provides dual-motor, all-wheel drive capabilities, and thanks to its advanced electronic stability and traction control, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any snow-covered road you can’t drive through. The only drawback is finding adequate charging stations, but if you have one installed at your home, it eliminates that problem.
#2 – Kia Sportage
If you’re considering buying a Kia and want to know what the best Kia is for tackling snowed-in roads in Canada, the Kia Sportage is one of the best options for several reasons. This compact SUV delivers respectable power output with either a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre four-cylinder or a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder. You’ll definitely want the turbocharged four-cylinder for dealing with Canada’s wintry roads because it comes standard with all-wheel drive.
Like other Kia vehicles, the Sportage features a drive mode selector, hill descent control, and a ground clearance of 16 cm. This gives you a solid base to work from, plenty of stability control, and lots of safeguards to keep you on the road during your travels. The best part about the Sportage is that it is not only a small SUV with plenty of functionality for manoeuvring through Canada’s cold seasons, but it’s also very affordable, being one of the more economical options available from Kia.
#1 – Kia Sorento
It may not be as popular as the Sportage or Telluride, but the Kia Sorento is easily one of the best, if not the best, options for tackling the snowy season in Canada. Why? Because this midsize SUV has a little bit of all the best features that make it more than capable of roving through snowy road conditions. This is thanks to two very capable powertrains of the four-cylinder variety––both displace 2.5 litres, but one has a turbocharger for 281 hp.
This midsize crossover is smaller than the Telluride, so it’s easier to manoeuvre. It’s also cheaper, making it more enticing than its larger sibling. The added bonus of the Sorento is that in Canada, it has a dedicated X-Line trim. Why is this important? Because this trim is designed to deal with Canada’s sometimes harsh, unpredictable, and unforgiving weather. You can alter the Sorento’s drive mode to Comfort, Eco, Sport, or Smart, or change the settings based on the terrain by selecting from Snow, Mud, or Sand.
Another really neat feature is that the Sorento features heated side mirrors and a rear windshield wiper tucked up inside the rear lip spoiler. This is the opposite of most SUV rear windshield wipers, which are usually located at the bottom of the rear windshield. Why is this important? Because the traditional wiper can gather snow on top of it, whereas the Sorento’s wiper is safely out of the way. It’s a neat, often missed design feature of the Sorento, but just one of the added reasons why it’s one of the best vehicles for Canada’s snowy roads.
