Kia Niro at Six Flags Magic Mountain
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Of Test Drives & Thrill Rides: When Kia Met Six Flags

I have been given compensation for this post by Kia Motors. However, all thoughts and opinion expressed are my own.

It was the last Sunday of our spring break. School hung on the horizon, a promise for the morning, back with a vengeance of homework, testing, and the slow reveal of assorted year-end activities. Needless to say, the boys were not thrilled. We needed something big and fun to do. We needed to go out with a bang.

Enter the good folks at Kia. They invited my family to a special event at Six Flags Magic Mountain, a dynamic duo of awesomeness that promised opportunity (I had really been looking forward to checking out the new Kia Niro) and screams (mostly mine). Unfortunately, my wife had to work, but that didn’t stop me and the boys from seizing the moment. The Kia Six Flags Event was exactly the sweet we needed for our Sunday.

“What do you think, guys?” I asked.

“Let’s . . .

Kia Six Flags Event

. . . GO!” said Zane. And we did.

(The “Go” in that photo is actually the beginning of Goliath, which is AMAZING.)

Magic Mountain Kia

When we arrived at Six Flags Magic Mountain our first stop was the Kia Lounge in front of the gate (complete with a charging station for your mobile devices, which was a nice touch). There was a line of people signing up for a test drive, which, it turns out, also came with a voucher worth $10 that could be spent inside the park. Guess what costs exactly ten bucks . . .

Kia Six Flags Event

Go on, guess.

I bet you guessed it.

Something I didn’t expect at the Kia Six Flags Event, was how much the two respective parties (Kia and Six Flags) have in common. For example, they both offer the following:

Kia & Six Flags Epic Rides with Zane Honea

Note:  For the purpose of this comparison, “the following” equals “epic rides,” not orange soda, a basketball (he won it with one shot!), or a kid in mismatched socks, but you could always ask.

Granted, the epic Kia rides smell like new cars and the epic Six Flags rides smell like excitement and fear (that would be a great candle), but they both make you feel like you’re strapping into greatness, which is nice. In addition, Kia and Six Flags Magic Mountain each gave us a lot to share on social media, hence this fowl Tweetup (hashtags: #DiscoverKia #KiaSixFlags).

Kia Six Flag Event

The Kia Ride and Drive Experience

Now about that test drive. The kids took theirs . . .

Batmobile at Kia Six Flags Event

Holy they wish, Batman! (We wish.)

Funny enough, their actual test drive had a lot more cowl-room:

Race cars at Kia Six Flags Event

And I got mine.

Fun fact, the Kia Ride and Drive Experience allows you to pick your own driving music (I picked The Strokes). I thought that was pretty special until I saw the car. The Kia Niro puts special in perspective. Talk about a sweet ride. The Niro is much prettier than any of the pictures I took, so here are some official shots from professional photographers:

Kia Niro

First, the Kia Niro is brand new—like 2017 new. It is a crossover and a hybrid and this is proof.

Kia Niro

It seats five adults and is stylish as all get out.

Kia Niro

The Kia Niro has way more trunk space than I could have imagined, even before folding down the backseat, but you can do that, too.

Kia Niro trunk space

I’ll be honest, being in the Kia Niro, with my choice of music playing (loudly), the air conditioning blowing through my hair (facial), the featured tech, and the hug of the road, it made me feel younger than I have in years, which was good because riding X2 aged me right back again. And then some.

I know.

Find your excitement at a Kia Six Flags Event near you! Visit the following parks on the dates listed:

  • 4/21-4/23:Six Flags America
  • 5/13 – 5/15: Six Flags St. Louis
  • 5/27 – 5/29: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
  • 5/27 – 5/29: Six Flags New England

Seriously, if you have the opportunity to check it out, I highly recommend it. Between the cars and the coasters, there is something for everyone. Tell them Whit sent you.

Kia at Magic Mountain

 

Whit
Whit Honea is the author of “The Parents’ Phrase Book” and co-founder of the philanthropic organization Dads 4 Change. He is the Social Media Director/Community Manager of the Dad 2.0 Summit. His writing can be found at Fandango, GeekDad, Disney, Today, Good Housekeeping, City Dads Group, Stand Magazine, The Washington Post and several other popular publications. He previously covered travel for Orbitz, CBS and AOL, and served as Editor of Family Travel for UpTake. Deemed “the activist dad” by UpWorthy and one of the “funniest dads on Twitter” by Mashable, Whit has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and is the 2015 winner of the Iris Award for Best Writing.
https://whithonea.com

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