WE PRIDE OURSELVES on being able to assess a car after the briefest of drives, but this is ridiculous. After being bundled out of a bus in the pitlane of the old Nurburgring Nordschleife, I’m hurried into a Kia Stinger GT, a car I’ve never sat in, let alone driven, and waved out on to … [Read more…]
It’s an inescapable truth of life, that no matter how mature and independent you assume to be, what mom thinks is always important. And with the KIA Picanto, that’s an issue, because my mom drives one. Bit of a dilemma… how does one approach the analysis of new car, for fear of offending mom? Fortunately, … [Read more…]
At risk of puncturing the suspense, the new news is this really is a very agreeable car. The old news is it labours under a terrible name. No, not KIA, you fools. Stinger. What were they thinking of, calling a car Stinger? Anyway, they were stuck with KIA. They actually chose Stinger. The KIA badge … [Read more…]
TEN YEARS FROM NOW YOU WILL have a very different opinion of Kia. That’s what the execs in their suits and designers with their natty cravats tell me. Looking back, our perception of the company has already changed. Enormously, in feet, because Kia is no longer a bargain brand but a challenger. And soon enough … [Read more…]
Say “KIA NIRO” three times quickly and it can sound like “Canyonero,” that fantastically flawed 35-seat sport-utility vehicle from The Simpsons, a vehicular ode to glorious excess gone awry. The new Niro is essentially the polar opposite of that—a lean, frugal wagonoid, albeit with a twist of the upright and rugged.
Kia gave us plenty of warning that it would eventually build a car like this. Back in 2011, Kia’s Frankfurt show stand featured a rear-drive GT concept, and then, three years ago, Kia unveiled the rear-drive Stinger GT4 two-door concept in Detroit.
Kia has released a set of sketches that preview the new Picanto hatchback. A rival to cars like the Ford Figo and the Hyundai Grand i10, the new Kia will be revealed in its latest avatar at the Geneva Motor Show in March, before sales commence internationally.
Kia plugs in to the current vogue for, err, plugging in, by giving the new Optima a hybrid drivetrain With KIA’s ongoing seven-year warranty charm offensive set to be bolstered by a fairly hefty product barrage, the presence of two new models per launch may become something of a norm over the next few years. … [Read more…]
Good looks and performance allow it to mingle with the best of the bunch In the past few years, Kia vehicles have been a delight to drive, thanks to their top-notch quality and much-improved engineering. Because the last Sportage had left quite an impression, I’ve been looking forward to the new model. It’s a pity … [Read more…]
Kia’s subcompact moves up in both looks and quality It started life as a quirky, odd-looking conveyance that allowed its owner to getaround and nothing more. This was pretty much the story of the Rio. The first two generations of this Kia subcompact, which shares its genes with the Hyundai Accent,were no-frills and nondescript. All … [Read more…]