Car & SUV

More Kia Soul images and specs

September 3rd, 2008 by Car and SUV

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Kia’s new production-ready Soul will be on display at Paris Salon de l’Automobile in October with confirmation that the urban crossover will come to Europe in February 2009. No release date for Australia or New Zealand has been set.

Mainland left-hand drive Europe models will come with a choice 126ps diesel and petrol engines based on the DOHC engines already fitted to the European-built, Kia cee’d — with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, depending on model. Right-hand drive production is due to start in March 2009.

The diesel engine generates 126ps at 4,000rpm and maximum torque of 255Nm at 2,000rpm. The all-aluminium petrol engine also produces 126ps at 6,300rpm and 156Nm of torque at 4,200rpm.

Soul is a five-door hatchback with front-wheel drive, a high roofline and an unusually long wheelbase. The key elements behind Soul’s appearance are its vertical measurements. Overall height is 1,610 mm but the base of the windscreen is 135mm higher than a typical compact car, the hip-points are 120mm higher and the ground clearance is raised by 45mm.

Access to the new Kia Soul’s spacious interior is designed to be easy and the cabin will deliver head, leg and shoulder room that matches or beats many larger vehicles.

Looking ahead to the Paris Show debut, Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer, Kia Motors Europe, commented: “Soul is about surprise and style and the experience of sitting in the Soul is unique. First impressions will make a big impact. Tall doors and high-mounted seats make for easy access and an airy interior, yet the ‘laid-back’ dashboard design, triple dial instrument cluster and thick-rimmed steering wheel create an unusual combination of spaciousness for passengers and cosiness for the driver generating a very special ambience.”

Soul will make its world premiere on the Kia stand (No 520, Hall 5) at the Paris International Motor Show at 16.45 hrs on 2 October 2008.

Soul will be manufactured at Kia’s Gwangju facility in Korea from November 2008. In the USA and several non-European markets a 2-litre, 142ps petrol engine will also be available.

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Kia releases new Forte

August 26th, 2008 by Car and SUV

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Kia Motors has unveiled its new Forte compact sedan hoping that the fuel-efficient car will help boost sales amid higher fuel prices.

The new model is the latest entrant to Kia’s 1.6-litre vehicle segment and marks the automaker’s newest model after another 1.6-litre version of Cerato was released in November, 2003.

The Forte, equipped with a gasoline or diesel engine, will compete in Korea with the Avante by Hyundai Motor Co. the SM3 by Renault Samsung Motors Co. and the Lacetti by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co.

The new Kia model generates 124 horsepower, and the company plans to add a 2-litre engine later.

The automaker, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co. said it aims to sell 50,000 units domestically and 170,000 units overseas next year. For this year, Kia Motors targets the sale of 30,000 units. Annual sales for the model will rise to 250,000 annually from 2010, it said.

Kia Motors revamped its lineup to boost sales by redesigning its minicar Morning, mid-sized sedan Lotze and new Mohave sport-utility vehicle. It also plans to add a small crossover vehicle, known as Soul, later this year.

Kia Motors last month raised its domestic sales target to 364,000 units this year from 327,000, fueled by strong sales of its Morning mini-car.

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Kia Sorento Sports comes to New Zealand

July 7th, 2008 by Car and SUV

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A limited edition Sports model has been added to the Kia Sorento range in New Zealand.

The new Kia Sorento Sports will be available only for a short time and Kia Motors is expecting them to be snapped up quickly once buyers eye the package.

The Sorento is already among the best equipped 4×4 vehicles in its class and the new Sports model is bristling with additional features that include:

* Body-coloured running boards that add to the sleek styling and also provide a step into and out of the vehicle
* Larger 18″ alloy wheels fitted with high performance tyres
* Tinted windows to reduce summer heat
* Chrome door mirror caps
* Upgraded audio system featuring 6 CD stacker
* Tow bar system with detachable towball
* Unique Sports badging.

Price for the new Sorento Sports is $57,450 — very attractive considering the additional equipment.

All Sorento models are powered by the frugal 2.5-litre DOHC turbocharged Common Rail Diesel engine that delivers 125kW of power and 392Nm of torque. Also standard is the 5-speed automatic transmission equipped with sport shift.

Other equipment in the Sorento Sports includes dual zone climate control, full leather upholstery interior, heated front seats, power driver’s seat, leather steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, reversing sensors, electronic stability control with ABS anti-lock braking, front and side airbags, selectable 4WD with high and low range, front and rear fog lamps, rear spoiler etc.

The Sorento makes an ideal towing vehicle with its strong, separate ladder chassis providing it with the capacity to easily and safely pull 2.8 tonnes.

Sorento continues to receive critical praise from both the motoring media and the car-buying public. Recently it was the top rated mid-size SUV with customers, according to US vehicle research company AutoPacific Inc, which surveyed more than 34,000 owners. Sorento was also picked by respected US publication The Car Book as a “Best Bet” in the mid-size SUV category.

Tags: Kia, Sorento, Sports | Posted in News | 1 Comment »

Kia KOUP concept to be manifested into reality

July 2nd, 2008 by Car and SUV

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The Kia Koup concept that graced the New York auto show last year looks set to make production according to Lee Hyun-Soon, president of Hyundai-Kia Motors’ R&D division.

The Koup, or whatever it will be called, will be the replacement for the aging Spectra and looks set to be available in the U.S by mid-2009 and hopefully in New Zealand around the same time.

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Kia Carnival Ltd 2008 Review

May 15th, 2008 by Car and SUV

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Being the leader of a samba band (AKSamba), driving a car called a Carnival is very coincidental. In fact, the Carnival is so large I could take along seven more of the 50 band members to a gig, and fit some instruments in the back. Or some dancing girls in feathers and bikinis

When you’re loaded down with drums and dancing girls the electrically opening side doors and tailgate are a real help. I thought these would be a useless gimmick, but I used them a lot and not just times that included impressing friends. While walking back to the car I used the remote to open whichever door I needed and it’s ready for me to put things in by the time I arrived to the car. Then I pressed another button and the door closed while I got in the car, put the seat belt on and started it up. I never thought I’d relish laziness so much.

I also never thought I’d say this about a Kia, but the 3.8-litre V6 engine sounds fantastic and has 182kW and 343Nm – plenty of power to pull even the most amply built musicians. This is transferred to the front wheels via a five-speed automatic gearbox with sequential sports shift. Kia quotes 12.8l/100km fuel economy for the combined cycle and 302g CO2/km.

The driving position is commanding. An eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat offers a comfy position, but not much lateral support. All eight seats get leather and are bathed in sound from an eight-speaker Infinity sound system connected to the six-stacker CD/MP3/radio unit. This, along with cruise control, can be controlled from the steering wheel.

Above the rear view mirror is a trip computer which features a compass, average fuel economy, and kilometres before you need to fill it up again. Above that is a fold down mirror that allows you to keep an eye on everyone in the back, and the buttons for the electric doors, tailgate and sunroof. Even the rear quarter-lights are electric, controlled via switches on the armrest.

The Carnival’s exterior styling is a tad bland compared to some other MPVs (e.g. Citroen’s Picasso - read the review here), but the engine’s responsiveness and power more than makes up for that. Its shape reminds me of the first Renault Espace that defined the MPV segment back in 1984.

It served us very well in our three-day test, picking up new team member Ben from the airport in rush hour, delivering a Classic Car subscription prize (a huge roll of garage flooring) to Whangaparaoa, and driving around town gathering trophies, lecterns and other bits and bobs for this weekend’s NZ Drift Series at Manfeild.

The Carnival fits a mammoth 912 litres of storage, and that’s because it’s a large car. At 5.13m long and almost 2m wide check your garage first! The seating configuration is versatile with the third row being able to be folded into a rear cavity to create a flat floor, and the second row can be removed completely forming a space of almost van-like proportions.

Stopping all two tonnes of the Carnival is accomplished with hydraulic vacuum power-assisted ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and electronic stability control (ESP). Ventilated disks at the front and solid discs at the back do their best and the Carnival Ltd’s 235/60R17 tyres (on 17-inch mags) seem to haul the Kia up fairly smartly. These tyres can’t cope with quick changes of direction, though, the main gripe of the Carnival being early understeer (mental note: drive slower around corners).

Lots of thought has gone into making the Carnival very family-friendly. The electronic doors are a real asset to those enduring a large tribe of kids, and short people who may struggle to reach the Carnival’s tall tailgate. The tri-zone climate control is helpful for carsick children who tend to want a very specific temperature in the back. The vents come from the roof and under the seat and can be varied altered using the roof mounted control behind the passenger seat. Pop-up trays in the rear and independent reclining/sliding second-row seats add to the versatility. There’s even a fold-up expandable table in between the driver and passenger with a further four cup holders. That makes 15 cup/bottle holders in total (I think — I counted three times). And that’s not all the internal storage as there are large bins and a glovebox in the front.

If I had five kids and a dog (no, that’s not my name for a ‘significant other’), I would definitely be looking at the Carnival as a comfortable and convenient way of transporting them to and from the various activities that kids do these days. Including band practice in their feathers and bikinis.

Click through to the next page for full specifications on the Kia Carnival.

Price: from $49,950 (EX is $43,550)

What we like

Access via sliding electric doors
V6 power
Comfort
Features
Space
Warranty — 5 years, 100,000km

What we don’t like

Understeer
Looks bland compared to, e.g. Citroen Picasso
No external audio connection (e.g. iPod)

Engine 3.8-litre V6

Displacement (cc) 3778

Maximum power 182 kW / 6000 rpm

Maximum torque 343 Nm / 3500 rpm

Transmission 5-speed automatic with sequential sports shift

SUSPENSION

Front MacPherson strut with coil springs and anti-roll bar

Rear Multi link with coil spring

STEERING

Power rack & pinion

BRAKES

Front Ventilated disc

Rear Solid disc

Braking system Hydraulic vacuum power-assisted ABS brakes with EBD and ESP

SAFETY

Electronic stability program

Keyless entry with burglar alarm

Dual front and side curtain airbags

Driver and passenger seatbelt pretensioner and load limiter

Front seat belt height adjuster

Back-up warning system

Electronic folding heated outside mirrors

ISO fix child seat anchors

Energy absorbing steering column

Electronic door over-ride systems (3)

INTERIOR

8 passenger seating

Removable second row seats, and sinking type third row seats

Front and rear height adjustable with front tilt adjustable head rests

Leather seats, steering wheel and gear shift trim

Metal insert film on centre fascia, door switch panel, and sliding door waistline

Power driver’s seat (8 way)

Overhead console including map lamps and conversation mirror

Electronic sunroof

EXTERIOR

Alloy wheels (space saver spare) 235/60 R17

Roof rack (without crossbar)

High mounted stop lamp

Front fog lamps

Rear wiper and washer with intermittent function

Front variable intermittent front wipers with time adjuster and rain sensor

Glass type antenna

COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE

Dual power sliding side doors

Power tailgate

Radio + cassette + 6 stacker CD + MP3 + 8 Infinity speakers

Audio remote control on steering wheel

Engine immobiliser

Power steering

Electric chromatic rear view mirror

Trip computer with compass

Cruise control

Tilt adjustable steering column

Front and sliding door power windows with driver’s side auto up down

Power quarter glass

Tri-zone air conditioning

Electric rear window defroster with timer

Front passenger folding table

Front and rear seat back tables

Front row height adjustable arm rest

Front and rear power outlets

Front and rear room lamps, cargo room lamps and courtesy step lamps

Driver & passenger sun visors with illuminated vanity mirror

High visibility instrument cluster

DIMENSIONS

Overall length (mm) 5,130

Overall width (mm) 1,985

Overall height (mm) 1,830

Wheelbase (mm) 3,020

Minimum ground clearance (mm) 167

Kerb weight min. / max. (kg) 2,009 / 2,141

Minimum turning radius (m) 12.1

Fuel tank capacity (litres) 80

Cargo area (litres) 912

Gross vehicle weight 2,780

Words and photos Darren Cottingham

Gallery

Tags: Carnival, Kia | Posted in Kia, Road Tests / Car Reviews | No Comments »

Kia Rio EX Sedan 2008 Review

April 19th, 2008 by Car and SUV

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With a name like Rio conjuring up the Brazilian carnival you’d expect a car to embody the ground-trembling surdo drums — the heartbeat of samba — punctuated by the shrill whistle of the mestre as he conducts the ensemble. Accompany this with the glitz of the dancing girls in sequined bikinis and colourful feathers as a parade of intoxicating rhythmic energy sweeps down the street lighting up everyone’s faces. No, that’s not it: the Kia Rio is very sedate, and comfortable in ways sequined bikinis definitely are not (so I’m told).

Car manufacturers are free to call their cars whatever they want — I wouldn’t want to drive a Ford Laser if it really was like a laser. Actually, I wouldn’t want to drive a Ford Laser, full stop. Rio also means river in Spanish, and that contains more apt similes — flowing, calming, peaceful.

This Rio cannot (and will not) become a raging torrent, despite what inclemency you rain down upon its accelerator pedal. With a 1.6-litre DOHC CVVT petrol engine producing 82kW mated to a four-speed auto, it gently trickles to 100kph. It is fairly frugal. Kia’s figure for the auto is 7l/100km, though on a typical run we averaged around 8.5l/100km. The manual sips only 6.5l/100km, according to Kia.

A walk around the outside reveals nothing offensive. A small boot lip spoiler balances up the lines at the rear of the car; the rest of the exterior is fairly anonymous. In fact (I’m embarrassed to say), we had a gig at the Wintergarden in Auckland last night. On returning to the car at 11:30pm the key remote wouldn’t work. The key wouldn’t fit into the lock either. Then I noticed: I had returned in the dim light to someone else’s Kia Magentis of the same colour, parked 5 spaces from the Rio, which was obscured by a van. I’m glad I didn’t set off the burglar alarm — like the Rio, the Magentis comes with an alarm as standard, along with an immobiliser

I often joke that my partner only notices if I’ve changed cars if the colour is different, so now she’s got something to fight back with. The really embarrassing thing is, the Magentis didn’t even have the boot spoiler that the Rio does. It was dark, though (that’s my excuse).

On the inside the Kia is pleasant with its faux brushed aluminium fascia detail, and the occasional bit of faux chrome (on the gearstick). Often cars in this bracket come with tacky seating cloth, but not the Kia — it’s a good, tasteful choice. The driver’s seat has a nice, soft fold-down armrest, but the seats themselves seemed hard, especially the seat backs. This could have been because the Kia had only 600km on the clock and they may wear in.

External MP3 players are supported via the stereo, a small, lined tray being supplied to house it. The stereo is lively once the EQ is tuned a bit.

Kia is making a habit of offering cars for the budget conscious that feature excellent safety measures. The Rio comes with ESP as standard on EX automatic and Sports manual models, along with ABS and six airbags (except the base model which only has two). Along with the five-year 100,000km warranty with roadside assist, and fairly good interior appointments for the price (climate control air conditioning, trip computer and electric mirrors) the $24,145 asking price for the EX Sedan Automatic is fair.

If raging torrents of speed are not high on your list of requirements, and you just want a car that you can slip into like a snug-fitting, comfortable but cost effective glove in relative anonymity, the Kia will do you proud. Or was that a Magentis. Someone turn on the lights please.

Price: from $24,145 (base model manual is $20,645).