Fun and Thrills at the Six Flags Kia Ride & Drive Event

This post is sponsored by Kia and DriveShop. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

5 years ago this summer, we found out that I was pregnant with twins. I was currently driving a small SUV but we knew that we wanted to upgrade to a van since we would soon have three kids! Right away, we knew we wanted a Kia Sedona, since it was both safe and affordable. It’s been such a fantastic car and two years ago, my husband joined the Kia family by purchasing a Kia Optima Hybrid. I’m a firm believer in the Kia line of cars so when I had the chance to attend the Kia Ride & Drive Event at Six Flags St. Louis this past weekend, I jumped at the chance!

I grew up going to Six Flags in St. Louis and love all of the fun memories I have created there. The sights, the smells, the thrills…it’s such a fun experience to share with family and friends! I think it’s perfect that Kia Ride & Drive events are happening across the country at different Six Flags too.

When my friend and I arrived at Six Flags (that’s right, we headed to have some fun without the kids!), we spotted the Kia lounge right away as it was set up right in front of the entrance. The lounge was a shaded area where you could chat with some enthusiastic and know what they are talking about Kia reps, charge your devices, take a selfie with a hamster and just relax. We decided that we were there to test drive some cars, so we filled out some info and hit the course!

We test drove the Kia Niro, Sportage and Sedona. First up was the Kia Niro, a crossover hybrid vehicle that I LOVED! The Niro is new to the Kia line of cars this year and does not disappoint (I’m almost wishing my husband would have waited to get this!). The Kia Niro is stylish with an eye-catching design, I wouldn’t have thought it was a hybrid until I was told! It’s packed with a TON of features to benefit the driver – Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and Lane Change Assist to name a few. Plus, it’s got a ton of fun features too like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a 7-inch touchscreen.

One of the coolest things? It gets exceptional fuel efficiency — up to 50 mpg combined — and, as a result, reduced emissions. The Niro also is way bigger that you would think. It seats 5 and is very spacious inside. I could see my family of 5 comfortably sitting in there as we are on the go! The seats fold down for even more room for cargo in the back too. I also love the clean dashboard in the front and all of the information it provides.

We had so much fun test driving the Niro on the course, but even more fun when our driver took us over and gave us a spin in the Sport Mode. It was such a fun and exhilarating ride!

Learn more about the Kia Niro.

Kia Sportage

The second car we got to test drive was the Kia Sportage, a compact crossover that is great for families! It looks like a luxury vehicle but it has all of those Kia features and affordability. The design of the Kia Sportage is sporty and I’m honestly in love with the grille – something I never thought I cared about! The Kia Sportage seats 5 but still has a ton of cargo space, even more than previous models!

It also features Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and Lane Change Assist, Front & Rear Parking Assist and so much more. The Sportage also lets you stay connected by featuring a standard 5.0-inch color touchscreen that features Bluetooth hands-free phone operation and streaming audio, SiriusXM satellite radio, and rear-camera display. 

Learn more about the Kia Sportage. 

Kia Sedona

A typical Mom, I totally geeked out over the 2017 Kia Sedona. A few days later and I’m STILL thinking about it! I mentioned that I drive a 2008 Kia Sedona and WOW – just 9 years later you wouldn’t believe the leaps and bounds that Kia has made with this perfect family vehicle.

The Kia Sedona is stylish and one minivan you’re NOT going to mind driving. I couldn’t believe how spacious the interior is, it’s the perfect vehicle for traveling and toting around a ton of people. There’s two different options – you can get a Sedona that seats 7 or 8 passengers. With the 7 passenger Sedona, it features executive seats. WHOA! I was so blown away by these that I had to have our Kia rep do a video for me.

Yes, I’m the mom who gets excited about something like seats but Kia gets that! If you choose the eight passenger Sedona, you won’t have the executive seats but you will have a removable center seat in the second row. This van is made for traveling because the entire third row folds down for a really spacious rear cargo area.

Besides the space, the Kia Sedona just has those little features to make life easier. It has a padded center console, a portable rechargeable flashlight, a COOLING glove box and built-in second and third row sunshades. The dashboard is clear and uncluttered making it easier to see how your Kia is working for you and so you can just focus on the drive!

Learn more about the Kia Sedona.

After all of the fun we had test driving the Kia cars, we were ready to hit the parks for some fun! I grew up visiting Six Flags and have so many great memories of being there. It was odd to visit without my kids but as an adult but it was actually a lot of fun too! Sometimes adults need to kick back and act like a kid again!

If you’re looking to have some fun too, make sure to check out the upcoming Kia Ride & Drive events happening at a Six Flags near you! You won’t be disapointed!

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
5/27/2017 – 5/29/2017
San Francisco, CA

Six Flags New England
5/27/2017 – 5/29/2017
Boston, MA

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