Andrei,
Yes, I really knew it all along...I just wanted to see if anyone noticed what I noticed with the passenger seat controls. I'm really not as bummed out as my hyperbole suggests. I do, however, think that we in the U.S were somewhat ripped off. There are some things we should have got here. I do realize that there are economic, marketing, and business decisions to be made whenever a new model is released. Kia generally does an outstanding job, and they will manifest big respect in the industry (and hopefully among enthusiasts) eventually. It's a long road, just as it was with Honda, Nissan, et al. It's hard to remember back when Honda was ridiculed. But they were.
In any event, We can be pi$$y and have a little fun, too, right?
Seriously, you did do some deep fishing to get all of the good info that you came up with.
You're a good guy!
Cheers,
John