Hyundai or Kia. What`s the catch.
Discussion
Don`t see these recommended much on here (not `driver`s` cars I guess). Has anyone taken the plunge. How`s it working out for you.
Nearly bought one of these for the wife last year:
It`s a Kia Forte (which I guess is the North American equivalent to a Ceèd).
It`s quite good looking, large boot, had more power than anything else comparable that we looked at but not at the expense of fuel economy, better equipped (luxury features like power, folding mirrors and heated rear seats were standard), 5 year warranty, 0% finance (I actually preferred it to the equivalent Ford Focus that we could afford)...and yet we bought a Toyota instead!
Why didn`t we buy the Kia. The interior was decent enough but not quite as modern and visually appealing as the Toyota and I guess a bit of prejudice about having a Kia as our main car (and a few people that don`t know anything about cars said they were crap)!
As a 2nd vehicle though, I have no such qualms and am running out of reasons not to buy a Hyundai or Kia, especially as I could still buy one 2-3 years old and have a car with manufacturer`s warranty and put the money I save towards something more special for fun. Are they reliable, economical vehicles just for getting from A to B.
I also happen to think, for what they are, they are some of the best looking vehicles currently available.
Available with a 2.0 petrol turbo with 274bhp here in Canada!
Any thoughts PH.
Nearly bought one of these for the wife last year:
It`s a Kia Forte (which I guess is the North American equivalent to a Ceèd).
It`s quite good looking, large boot, had more power than anything else comparable that we looked at but not at the expense of fuel economy, better equipped (luxury features like power, folding mirrors and heated rear seats were standard), 5 year warranty, 0% finance (I actually preferred it to the equivalent Ford Focus that we could afford)...and yet we bought a Toyota instead!
Why didn`t we buy the Kia. The interior was decent enough but not quite as modern and visually appealing as the Toyota and I guess a bit of prejudice about having a Kia as our main car (and a few people that don`t know anything about cars said they were crap)!
As a 2nd vehicle though, I have no such qualms and am running out of reasons not to buy a Hyundai or Kia, especially as I could still buy one 2-3 years old and have a car with manufacturer`s warranty and put the money I save towards something more special for fun. Are they reliable, economical vehicles just for getting from A to B.
I also happen to think, for what they are, they are some of the best looking vehicles currently available.
Available with a 2.0 petrol turbo with 274bhp here in Canada!
Any thoughts PH.
If a sporty drive, high performance, luxurious interior or image or not high up on your list of requirements then there are no catches at all. They have certainly caught up with the Japanese and European brands, and in in some cases overtaken them. Not as cheap as they used to be though, so that may be seen as a 'catch'.
Edited by MonkeyMatt on Thursday 17th July 19:25
I've driven most of them and bought the wife one (Soul). Pure white goods on wheels, but a great car for bobbing around town etc. comfortable, frugal, loaded with gadgets, iPhone connectivity etc and a 10 year warranty. I actually like throwing it around too 
Her last one was a Sedona minivan which never went wrong save for a few consumables - despite having a very hard life and some really crap roads beneath it.
The Optima i drove was better than a lot of the German stuff for pure highway cruising. Better seats, more gadgetry, less road noise and plenty of poke.
They're long beyond where they were a few years ago and getting better year after year - really good cars, well worth a look but again, pure white goods on wheels, like a nissan with better equipment levels basically.
Her last one was a Sedona minivan which never went wrong save for a few consumables - despite having a very hard life and some really crap roads beneath it.
The Optima i drove was better than a lot of the German stuff for pure highway cruising. Better seats, more gadgetry, less road noise and plenty of poke.
They're long beyond where they were a few years ago and getting better year after year - really good cars, well worth a look but again, pure white goods on wheels, like a nissan with better equipment levels basically.
I would definitely have an Optima.
I had one as a hire car and it was generally very good apart from the engine. Don't get me wrong it was perfectly capable of cruising in 6th on the motorway, but every time you put your foot down it sounded like someone scrunching up crisp packets under the bonnet. Not loud, but just noticeable enough to be annoying.
Any diesels I've owned previously have sounded like a proper diesel and weren't so annoying.
I had one as a hire car and it was generally very good apart from the engine. Don't get me wrong it was perfectly capable of cruising in 6th on the motorway, but every time you put your foot down it sounded like someone scrunching up crisp packets under the bonnet. Not loud, but just noticeable enough to be annoying.
Any diesels I've owned previously have sounded like a proper diesel and weren't so annoying.
Bill said:
We had a Hyundai i40 as a hire car, and after my initial disappointment I decided it was a perfectly good car. Nothing to get excited about, but absolutely nothing to complain about. At the price and with the warranty they make a lot of sense for white goods motoring.
4 litre engine?TX.
We've just sold our Kia Cee'd SW, which was a boring but reliable and dirt cheap to run family car. I replaced it with a Hyundai Santa Fe 7 seater, which is fabulous, all the toys and a real nice interior. Granted it's no Audi inside but they have raised their game very nicely in this area. I think they're a good brand and the top end stuff is starting to nail the 'premium economy' feel 
My parents have just bought a Picanto and I'm really quite impressed by it. It feels very well put together and whilst you could never accuse it of being sporty, it rides and handles perfectly acceptably for the white-goods that it is designed to be. The interior is never going to appeal to the dashboard cuddlers but it's perfectly acceptable from an ergonomic and build quality point of view.
They are surprisingly expensive though, at least in the UK - certainly more than the budget European competition once you take discounts into account.
They are surprisingly expensive though, at least in the UK - certainly more than the budget European competition once you take discounts into account.
Terminator X said:
Bill said:
We had a Hyundai i40 as a hire car, and after my initial disappointment I decided it was a perfectly good car. Nothing to get excited about, but absolutely nothing to complain about. At the price and with the warranty they make a lot of sense for white goods motoring.
4 litre engine?TX.
My thoughts on them; I've had quite a few i30s and i40s as hire cars, they they're absolutely and completely worthy. They go, stop and turn ok, they're cheap to buy, they have long warranties, they are comfortable to sit in, probably very reliable and do 50+ mpg without really thinking about it.
You won't bond with them though, and dynamically it's never going to stick it's hand down your pants and give you a semi, but if it's a cheap and reliable conveyance for schlepping up and down the motorways that you're looking for then it fits the bill.
Edited by HarryFlatters on Friday 18th July 07:57
I've seen a couple of Kia Optima's knocking around my way and I have to say they are a good looking car and I think the Hyundai i40 in both saloon and estate guises are damned good looking (pity about the engine choices though). I just wish that both companies would sell their coupes over here, both damned good looking cars.
My mum has just put an order in for a new Picanto (1.2 auto). After looking at and test driving various competitors she preferred the Picanto over the rest! Good balance of price, spec, interior space and she preferred the way it drove too.
I have been bombing around in a 10 year old Hyundai Coupe 2.7 auto for the last 9 months that I picked up cheap. As a comfy motorway cruiser I can't knock it and its soaked up the 9,000 miles I have put on it no problem. Certainly feels like it would do a lot of miles without breaking a sweat. By no means the last word in handling finesse or performance (165hp with a 4 speed auto) but it gets the job done.
I have been bombing around in a 10 year old Hyundai Coupe 2.7 auto for the last 9 months that I picked up cheap. As a comfy motorway cruiser I can't knock it and its soaked up the 9,000 miles I have put on it no problem. Certainly feels like it would do a lot of miles without breaking a sweat. By no means the last word in handling finesse or performance (165hp with a 4 speed auto) but it gets the job done.
Bill said:
white goods motoring.
Gotta laugh at the irony when this phrase gets trotted out again and again in connection with the Korean offerings.The epitome of white goods motoring these days is an M-Sport or S-Line trinketed teutonmobile with a turbo diesel engine, in white! KIA and Hyundai are actually left-field choices
Edited by r11co on Friday 18th July 09:49
Bill said:
We had a Hyundai i40 as a hire car, and after my initial disappointment I decided it was a perfectly good car. Nothing to get excited about, but absolutely nothing to complain about. At the price and with the warranty they make a lot of sense for white goods motoring.
I had a Kia Rio as a hire last year. As a white goods car, I couldn't fault it. I'd happily buy one.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff