Kia

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Kia Pro_cee’d GT – The Driving Experience Doesn’t Live Up To The Sporty Promise

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As much as I like the sportier looks of the GT, I can’t say the Kia coupe feels that entertaining on the road. The daytime light clusters up front and the stylish design suggest it will be more fun than it is.

Much of this is to do with the steering. Far from feeling sharp and precise (a la Golf GTI and Focus), the GT offers little feedback to the driver, even though this model gets stiffer springs and dampers.

That’s not to say the handling isn’t good – it’s just that rival hot hatchbacks offer a more engaged driver experience.

Back on the road to London today. I’m clocking up good miles in the Kia. However, the fuel tank only holds 51 litres and with consumption around 34mpg, I know I’ll be making more petrol stops than usual this week…

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Kia Pro_cee’d GT – The Slippery Looking Kia Hatch That’s Great Value

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I’ve just driven the Kia back from London and I can tell you what I love about it the most – the 201bhp turbocharged petrol engine. It’s not going to worry the Golf GTI or Astra GTC but just look at the price – it’s a proper bargain.

The 1.6 unit feels eager to please and the chassis set up is good enough to allow some fun-filled moments on the last stretch of country roads home.

The interior is a mix of alcantara and leather, with a neat dashboard and rather a rash of buttons on the steering wheel. Annoyingly, this version doesn’t have sat nav.

Okay, so it’s not the most thrilling hot hatchback on the road today but it’s sport enough to keep most people entertained, in a safe, seven-year guarantee sort of way…

 

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Kia Soul – Any Colour You Like Just Not Mint Green…

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I can’t deny the Soul doesn’t have kerbside appeal. It’s eye-catching – whether you like the box-shaped image or not. It’s a talking point and that has to be good, doesn’t it?

It’s superbly finished inside, offers loads of space, even more equipment and is quite capable of around 44mpg in real-world driving conditions.

So what’s wrong with it? Well, buyers looking for a compact SUV will also consider the equally unorthodox Nissan Juke and quirky Skoda Yeti. And I don’t think the Kia has that same X factor to make it a big seller.

Moreover, the fact is the Soul drives more like a van than a car. It’s going to struggle in the fastest growing sector of car sales in the UK.  And remember, if you are tempted, please don’t buy a Mint Green one…

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Kia Soul – Soul-less Drive Lets Down Cool Looking SUV

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I remember when they originally launched the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Cool, we all thought, signing up for the press launch, finally a funky SUV that didn’t look like it had been squeezed from a jelly mould.

That enthusiasm soon passed, once we had actually driven it. Just like the Chrysler 300C, what appeared to be a great car was actually a letdown. Both cars drove like a shed on wheels.

Now, I can’t say the Soul merits that sort of label but it definitely doesn’t perform that well on the road. Big shame – I was hoping for a happy ending!

While body control is surprisingly good considering the boxy shape, the steering is best described as vague and it doesn’t cope well with uneven surfaces.

Yes, it’s an SUV not a sports car but sad to say, it doesn’t come anywhere near a Mazda CX-5 or the Nissan Qashqai…

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Kia Soul – The Best Interior of Any Car For This Money?

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Hell, the interior of the Soul is real quality! I mean it’s up there with BMW and Audi. The binnacle cover over the instrument panel is made of leather with slick stitching that matches that on the seats and steering wheel; the front speakers sit like flat toadstools on top of the dashboard.

Sitting in the Kia right now and I honestly think you would be hard pushed to find a better cabin for this sort of money. The funky exterior styling may not be everybody’s cup of char but inside, it’s very, very good.

The seats are especially smart. They are made of that same quality material you find in the Fiat 500. It’s the only stuff I prefer over leather and feels like it will last a life time.

Centre stage is the 7-inch, touchscreen sat nav. I promise you, it’s better than VW, Ford or Peugeot. Even for technophobes, it’s mighty simple to use…

 

 

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Kia Soul – Tesco’s Raspberry Rip-off

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I don’t know if the check-girl at Tesco just wanted to make conversation about the Soul but it was a good opening line regardless.

Spotting my punnet of raspberries on the conveyor belt, she whispered that Tesco was charging £2 for 170kg of the soft fruit when last week it was the same price for 200kg.

Cheeky – especially as the container was just the same size!

The Kia? Well, she hated the mint green colour (of course) but didn’t find the punnet-shaped styling offensive. Was it any good, she asked. Y

es, it was, I replied. And unlike Tesco raspberries, there’s a lot more to this new Soul that the old version…

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Kia Soul – Funky Fun On Four Wheels

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I’m surprised the original Soul didn’t prove more popular than it did. I’m not sure the majority of the British public was ready for a funky-looking SUV – they was normal stuff, built by Ford and Vauxhall. Eek.

With the latest version, the box-shaped look is pretty much the same but Kia has made big improvements to the ride quality, interior trim and styling.

It’s still not the most interesting of SUVs to drive, nowhere near as entertaining as the Renault Captur or Nissan Juke.

But first impressions suggestion this is a hugely practical car, that feels well-built and spacious…

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Kia Soul – Mint Green Paintjob Adds No Flavour to Small SUV…

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Striking looks, classy cabin – what’s not to like about the latest Kia Soul? Well, apart from the mint green paint job on our test car, this heavily updated version of the small SUV seems like great value for money.

Kia’s reputation for building reliable, well-sorted cars has grown rapidly in recent years and with every model backed by a 100,000-mile/7-year warranty, it’s a brand that’s dented sales of both Ford and Skoda alike.

Back to that mint green paintwork. Quite frankly, it’s dire. And it’s not just me. George,  the farm’s tractor driver, is always a good person to run car colours past. He has to drive a yellow JCB all day, so he really does know his onions.

Mint green is a no-no Kia- does anybody really pick that colour over a nice titanium grey, or even red for that matter? At least you can’t see the paint from the inside…

More tomorrow when I’ve been for a spin in sunglasses…

 

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Thursday – Versatile Family Mover

cropped-381531_k_2245.jpgSeems strange swapping a Kia for an Aston Martin but they’ve both been on the driveway at Car Couture today. Suffice to say that returning a creditable 39mpg during the week, the Sportage is slightly more economical.

And it’s also a very good family car, if you are in the market for a roomy estate with the added benefit of four-wheel drive. We found a large boot, with easy drop backseats meant the Kia was remarkably versatile.

In the rear, there is a generous amount of leg room, which compares well to rivals like the bug-eyed Nissan Qashqai and the popular Ford Kuga.

Some of the interior trim in the Kia is less than special but this is an awful lot of car for the money. Avoid the petrol versions and go for a 2.0-litre diesel – it has all the power you will need for everyday motoring.

 

 

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Wednesday – Kia Orange

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Probably not something my late father would want me to admit to but he was surely the first person in our town to own an orange car. A very vivid, orange Datsun that turned heads for all the wrong reasons.

And when I passed my test at 17, I ended up buying it from him and using the orange-mobile to get to college. It was very economical, had a radio-cassette (classy) and was probably the perfect car for a young driver.

Except I wanted something that turned heads for the right reason and swapped it for a rust bucket Alfa Romeo in red, naturally. I mention this story because Kia has somehow managed to  make orange cool again with our Sportage.

I know Clarkson had a rant recently about the ‘boring car colours’ offered by car manufacturers these days. The Kia SUV bucks that trend and might even persuade you to think orange again too.