Parents know that a car’s rear entertainment system is a life-saver on long trips, which is why our Feature of the Week post on these entertainment systems is MotherProof.com’s most-read story of the week. Just behind it is our post on the 2011 Toyota Sienna’s hilarious rap video. It’s a must-see video. In our Hot or Not post, we look at Ford’s Warriors in Pink program, which benefits the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Here are our most-read stories of the week:

1. Feature of the Week: In-Car Entertainment Systems
2. Toyota Rocks the ‘Swagger Wagon’ With Rap Video
3. Hot or Not: Ford’s Warriors in Pink
4. Feature of the Week: Sliding Side Doors
5. Weekend Warrior: 2011 Mercedes-Benz R350

If you’re road tripping to Grandma’s with the family this holiday weekend, get ready to spend a little extra time in your car. As our friends over at KickingTires pointed out, AAA expects a 10.3 percent increase in traffic this Labor Day weekend compared to last year.

Kia Motors is recalling 23,972 2010 Kia Soul and 11,213 2011 Kia Sorento (photo above) vehicles over faulty installation of an ambient lighting system in those vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Soul’s speaker lights, which are standard equipment on the Soul Exclaim and Soul Sport and optional on the Soul Plus, and the Sorento’s optional accent lighting in the front and rear door trim panels on the EX trim may have been improperly soldered. When the lights are illuminated in certain conditions, an electrical short may occur and cause a fire.

Owners will be notified this month. Kia dealerships will replace the wiring harnesses for the lighting systems free of charge. Owners can contact Kia at 800-333-4542 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.

With its new look, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has garnered lots of attention. This perennial family favorite has shed its boxy ways in favor of a sleek design. To remain popular, this redesigned SUV needs to comfortably hold the kids and their child-safety seats in the backseat. While our test found that the backseat can easily accommodate three car seats, we did run into a few problems.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a rear-facing infant-safety seat, a convertible child-safety seat and a high-back booster seat, all made by Graco. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The child seats are installed in the second row and, if available, third row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat.

Here’s how the 2011 Grand Cherokee scored in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check:

The 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi probably isn’t the first car you’d think of when looking for a family car. MotherProof.com’s Chief Mama Kristin Varela spent a week test-driving the WRX STi and found a lot of features that appeal to parents, including standard all-wheel drive, a big trunk and an easy-to-use Latch system for child-safety seats. Can the high-performance WRX STi hold its own in the carpool lane? Read Kristin’s review to find out.

2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Review

After nearly four years of being a single mama, my life is about to change in the most amazing way possible. I’m getting married! The fabulous man in my life proposed recently, and we’re starting the process of consolidating our stuff and moving him into my home this week. Thank goodness for the functional cargo space in the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart to get us through the move (we’d be out of luck without it since we both own small cars with small trunks).

I spent several days last week in La Jolla, Calif., test-driving the new 2011 Honda Odyssey minivan.  While I’ve been sworn to secrecy about it (at least until next Thursday), I think it’s safe to tell you that it has sliding doors. Shocker!

With the 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, form follows function. This minivan is all about maximizing room for cargo or kiddies, and it’s a trick the Chrysler Group knows best, with its patented Stow ’n Go seating system. However, Dodge may have taken the form-function philosophy a little too far considering the model’s crude interior appointments, says Cars.com senior editor David Thomas. However, is the Grand Caravan’s attractive price enough to keep up with the new Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey? Continue reading to find out. 

2010 Dodge Grand Caravan Review