Kia

[2WSR55PB]

intresting i have went vag honda vag over the last 10 years,maye be a change on the cards

[poloaa008]

Seriously worth considering.

[OCScene]

Ive just bought a new car, and looked at and test drove a new Kia Optima, the Hyundai I40 and the Kia Sportage. The warranties are strong. I have a freind who works on the front desk of a local Kia dealers service department and she says it is an honest 7 year bumper to bumper warrenty with no quibbles what so ever. She also states that mechanicaly they have very few warranty claims, with most claims coming in the form of 'fit and finish' faults/annoyances.

The engines in both the Hyundai and Kia (same units) are a peach, strong, economical but a little noisy in my opinon. I also agree with what has been stated , they offer no choice of engine which offers much in the way of decent pace.

The drive was acceptable too BUT...........

They are a little way off rivaling thier European counterparts in terms of style (that matter of opinion), build, quality and refinement. The plastics were cheap in appearance and feel, both Kias I test drove had dash rattles and the instruments and technology was all there but poorly executed.

They are on the up but with prices nearing trusted European brands, I was not going to part with my hard earned money on one just yet.

[Chubbs]

You can't knock the new KIA designs and the level of kit, the warranty is second to none and I would even overlook the dash rattles and plastics - BUT, the prices are phenominal, so if they insist on the pricing I would insist on a better quality machine - you get what you pay for.

[Aspman]

Chain cams pretty much all round I think. Something that people are starting to take notice of when you're getting a £600 bill from VW every 4yr.

Kia got a bit of a bad write up lately with their cars being a long way from the stated mpg in the real world.

Still had a look in a 4yr old Ceed recently (didn't drive it) and the interior looks well made and had lasted well.

[slider]

just returned from a 500 journey up the A9 to Brora and back in a hired Cee'd D. Did all that was required or it with no drama, returned a brim to brim 59mpg, more comfortable than the Insignia I had last week. Heading down to West Wales-shire with the same car on Sunday.

Impressed and with seriously consider when time comes to change my own car. And reports are that the new model is a leap forward on the current Cee'd.

[Matt Bodycombe]

I was having this convo with a mate from here the other day. He was saying that Kia are really making ground in terms of value and a hassle free ownership experience along with good customer care.They make some good engines too. I have heard good things about the 1.1 Diesel Triple and the 2.2 Diesel in the Sorrento is good for nearly 200bhp and 322 lb ft of torque. Also yes I think they are chain cam across the range whereas I think only VW petrols have chains at the m mo (one reason why I would not buy another VAG Diesel). They don't make anything sporty yet but the cars they do make (along with Hyundai) are looking increasingly good ownership prfopositions in the same way Skoda were five years ago. I sitll like Skoda but they don't offer the same value for money that they did a few years ago (they are getting increasingly expensive) and I have heard that Skoda are not so interested in goodwill and customer loyalty anymore. Maybe they are selling enough cars and getting enough praise not to value their customers anymore. One of the Maidstone meet guys is having a torrid time with Skoda at the moment with DPF issues and the like and his car is still in warranty.

[Chris]

I own a 2007 Cee'd. Its fantastic...best standard sound system I've had in any car, does what it needs to. I was tempted by the new one but a decent spec one is 20k!!

[john999boy]

Problem is that AFAIK they don't do a diesel with a decent output.

The Sportage KX4 now has 181bhp from the 2.0 diesel

I love the wheels, Oh I would love to have them on my estate

There's zero overhang on the tyres so you'd always be paranoid everytime you saw the kerb!

[io1901]

If you notice though if you buy a Hyundai you get 5 year warranty and 5 Year breakdown cover. If you buy a Kia you get 7 year warranty but only 1 year breakdown cover - so compare to VAG cover of 3 year Warranty (only to 60k in 3rd year) and 3 year breakdown cover,

[Jockdooshbag]

Chain cams pretty much all round I think. Something that people are starting to take notice of when you're getting a £600 bill from VW every 4yr.

Kia got a bit of a bad write up lately with their cars being a long way from the stated mpg in the real world.

Still had a look in a 4yr old Ceed recently (didn't drive it) and the interior looks well made and had lasted well.

A lot of the road tests i have read seem to back up the above comment about real worls MPG. The other halfs 06 plate Rav4 with 136bhp easily gets 40mpg in mostly town driving. The sportage with 2wd and a 1.7 engine in all the road tests ive seen barely gets around 36mpg. Considering the Kia is a much newer car and with only 2wd and a smaller engine then why such poor real world figures?? The auto version of these cars i.e kia and hyundai seem to have terrible mpg figures in comparison tot he manual variants and if the manual ones cant achieve the claimed mpg or even get close then the autos must be terrible. In tests againt the yeti and the mazda cx-5 the sportage offered terrible mpg so it must have an inneficient drivetrain or something. I suppose they have to offer the 7 year waranty as an incentive to buy them as with a comparable warranty i doubt they would sell nearly as well. I actually really like the new kias and hyundais and would consider one but if the real world economy is as bad as ive read about on several occasions then the car would need to be heavily discounted to make sense finnancially and from what ive seen they arent.

[Aspman]

I think in the ordinary diesels the drop from stated to real world still leaves you with a car that does reasonable mpg but probably not the best in the class.

Kia is getting a kicking over this because they've marketed so heavily on the lab based tests. they're not alone. Someone on the forum wrote that Fiat 500 twin Air buyers were being made to sign a disclaimer that they wouldn't take legal action if the car didn't meet the stated mpg.

Kia's are not worth buying new or even nearly new, but at 3yr old with 4yr of warranty left they might be a good buy.

[Dr Zoidberg]

I know all claimed MPG figures are just a guide, but some cars seem to get close to them no matter how they are driven (my Mk1 Octavia TDI didn't drop off that badly when pushed hard) and others are almost impossible to achieve in the real world.

The 500 twin-air certainly seems very sensitive to how it's driven with most owners not getting close.

Getting back on track, Hyundai and Kia are certainly making some very attractive cars at the moment and in terms of value for money and mass market appeal they are in the same position that Skoda were in a few years back.

I decided not to change my car just yet, but when I do the Koreans are in with a strong shot at getting my money.

[MartynVRS]

My mechanic bough a Kia Sorento in the end. Great to drive and be in. Got loads of toys, really good sound system, good mpg and can put a couple of ton of caravan if you want to.

[Chris]

My 57 plate Cee'd is averaging 38.6mpg over the last 18k. Its a 1.6 petrol SR. Not quite the quoted figure but I'm happy enough as its better than the 25mpg I was getting from the S60.

[mdon]

If you notice though if you buy a Hyundai you get 5 year warranty and 5 Year breakdown cover. If you buy a Kia you get 7 year warranty but only 1 year breakdown cover - so compare to VAG cover of 3 year Warranty (only to 60k in 3rd year) and 3 year breakdown cover,

Just shows that VAG need to get their act together and start offering decent warranties, vauxhall and Renault also offer longer warranties than VAG.

[Jockdooshbag]

Just shows that VAG need to get their act together and start offering decent warranties, vauxhall and Renault also offer longer warranties than VAG.

Skoda offer a 5 year warranty for about £500 when you but the car.

[Aspman]

They'll soon look the odd ones out by not offering it for 'free' (rolled into the RRP).

Toyota 5yr too.

It a perception thing. If Kia are giving a 7yr warrant that implies that the company has confidence in it's products lasting.

If VAG refuses to give more than 3 that implies the opposite.

The reality is that it's a hard thought out marketing decision but what's that got to do with perceptions.

I probably wouldn't consider a Kia if it wasn't for that warranty, but with it there is a good chance my next car will be Korean.

[slider]

The devil is in the detail with most warranties and you should not take them at headline value.

Check whether there is a mileage limit (Skoda 3yrs = 60K miles, BMW 3 years =unlimited miles

Check if it can be transferred to a new owner (don't think this is the case with Vauxhalls lifetime warranty).

Check what is actually covered!

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Vauxhall`s one can be transferred for a admin charge iirc. Warranty covers manufacturing defects, I`m waiting for the stories in a few years time of people getting the arse with vaux for not paying out due to the fault being classed as "wear & tear"

[Llanigraham]

There are stories of problems with Kia's 7 year offer on a couple of the caravanning forums, where they are finding a lot of things are specifically excluded. They also don't appear to allow much leeway over getting services done either slightly late or early.

[silver1011]

It a perception thing. If Kia are giving a 7yr warrant that implies that the company has confidence in it's products lasting.

If VAG refuses to give more than 3 that implies the opposite.

The difference being that Kia need the 7 year warranty to sell their cars.

VAG don't so won't.

[mdon]

The devil is in the detail with most warranties and you should not take them at headline value.

Check whether there is a mileage limit (Skoda 3yrs = 60K miles, BMW 3 years =unlimited miles

Check if it can be transferred to a new owner (don't think this is the case with Vauxhalls lifetime warranty).

Check what is actually covered!

Kia 7 years or 100k, transfers to any owner in that time.

Hyundai 5 years unlimited mileage! Even includes the excaust! Also will go to any owner.

Renault, Toyota the same.

[mdon]

The difference being that Kia need the 7 year warranty to sell their cars.

VAG don't so won't.

I wouldn't be so sure! I think there rep may be slipping slightly!

There was a time that every taxi on Washington street was skoda either octavia or superb, not most are other makes including Kia, Hyundai, Chevrolet and even a couple of French ones!

[Chris GB]

I went with a Rio 2 1.1 CRDi. Its little 3 pot diesel does a decent enough job of punting the car around. Ride and refinement are better than most in the class. Plenty of kit, plenty of space and good fuel economy make the package.

Chris