Is Kia the new Skoda?

[Gerrycan]

2 hours ago, Beachy said:

I recently viewed a Kia Picanta GT Sportline. Compared to the Citigo Monte Carlo it was probably better specced and certainly well screwed together. A fantastic car for a young driver.

The Picanto Sportline sold here in Australia only has the standard 1.2L NA engine and 4 speed auto torque box (only 10% buy manuals here nowadays) so no real substance to the 'sports' title (similar to Citigo Monte I guess). Does the UK version of the Sportline have a turbo engine option?

 

Kia and Hyundai have addressed a major criticism of most of their past imports to Australia (sourced from Korea and US specs) of the soft handling and now have Australian based divisions tuning suspension for local requirements which has garnered a lot of glowing compliments from reviewers and owners alike.

[dunc69]

8 hours ago, auditek said:

Having been the proud owner of 4 Skoda's, all VRS'S, the most recent Octavia VRS 230, I bought this (New to me) Kia Stinger 3.3 a couple of weeks ago. She is Nov 2017 with 2k on the clock. Even though she is my new baby, I have to say she is the best car I have ever owned, for performance/spec, and driver fun. OK, she guzzles the gas, but I knew that when I bought her. 365 BHP with £ 140 road tax !! The only option you have when buying new, is metallic paint, which mine has, everything and his dog is included as standard ! Obviously, as with Skoda, there will be the badge snobs who wouldn't touch this with a barge pole. Having owned German cars before, the quality is right up there with them, if not better, not the slightest squeak or rattle. When I took her for a test drive, it was the first time I had seen one in the flesh, and I was just blown away..You can see heads turning, wondering 'What's that'

@auditek I knew one of ‘us’ would take the plunge sooner rather than later!! 

 

Well done that man and congrats!!

 

Hope you continue to stay on here as I look forward to hearing lots more about it! 

[Ootohere]

Re the Kia Picanto GT-Line.

In the UK there is the 1.25 l Manual or Auto with 84ps

or the 1.25l Manual T-GDI with 100ps.

[TonyTonic]

9 hours ago, auditek said:

Having been the proud owner of 4 Skoda's, all VRS'S, the most recent Octavia VRS 230, I bought this (New to me) Kia Stinger 3.3 a couple of weeks ago. She is Nov 2017 with 2k on the clock. Even though she is my new baby, I have to say she is the best car I have ever owned, for performance/spec, and driver fun. OK, she guzzles the gas, but I knew that when I bought her. 365 BHP with £ 140 road tax !! The only option you have when buying new, is metallic paint, which mine has, everything and his dog is included as standard ! Obviously, as with Skoda, there will be the badge snobs who wouldn't touch this with a barge pole. Having owned German cars before, the quality is right up there with them, if not better, not the slightest squeak or rattle. When I took her for a test drive, it was the first time I had seen one in the flesh, and I was just blown away..You can see heads turning, wondering 'What's that'

I can vouch for the awesomeness of this car having test driven one! 

[shyVRS245]

10 hours ago, Beachy said:

I recently viewed a Kia Picanta GT Sportline. Compared to the Citigo Monte Carlo it was probably better specced and certainly well screwed together. A fantastic car for a young driver.

Just heard Skoda will stop making the Citigo must be big brother VW bosses again!

[Ootohere]

^^^ ?

Do Skoda make the Citigo?   They are built in a factory with the UP! & the Mii in Bratislava, so is in not the VW Group that build them?

 

Is there no longer going to be the e-Citigo built as possibly the first Skoda Electric Vehicle?

The e-Up! is built in the same factory as the petrol Up!MiiCitigo.

 

Edited 30 August, 2018 by Offski

[SC03OTT]

Can we have a source for the news? I can’t find anything anywhere. 

[Ootohere]

Carwow ran a story last year, before the Citigo face lift was launched.  Not seen any new story yet.

Orders were stopped on the ASG models, but that is a WLTP thing.  Plus the ASG is crap anyway.

[shyVRS245]

10 minutes ago, SC03OTT said:

Can we have a source for the news? I can’t find anything anywhere. 

It was Misha the famous Nurburgring TAXI driver on one his regular VLOG's. He has a heavily modified VW UP which can lap surprisingly quickly. He has a lot of industry friends and perhaps someone let the cat out of the proverbial bag!

[Ootohere]

At least if just a rumour it can be attributed to you, and you say you got it from him. 

As reliable as Auto Express then, but not as good as Autocar that get their leaks straight from the horses mouth.

[shyVRS245]

3 minutes ago, Offski said:

At least if just a rumour it can be attributed to you, and you say you got it from him. 

As reliable as Auto Express then, but not as good as Autocar that get their leaks straight from the horses mouth.

If it's true he can claim the credit, just passing on what I saw on his video content!

[Gerrycan]

6 hours ago, Offski said:

Re the Kia Picanto GT-Line.

In the UK there is the 1.25 l Manual or Auto with 84ps

or the 1.25l Manual T-GDI with 100ps.

The turbo 100 ps option fits the Sports description better but if there is no auto option then we are unlikely To get it here

[Skodaboy1983]

Having owned a Kia Ceed for two years before it was written off, I can say that it was one of the cars that I loved owning alongside my Fabia vRS, if it had not been written off I would have traded it in for another.

 

I was looking at a brand new Ceed last night at a car meet and was quite impressed interior wise but styling wise the rear looked quite bland perhaps being black but it prob would not stop me getting one.

 

If you said to me 10 -15 years ago I would drive a Kia I would have laughed, same can be said of Skoda before I bought one.

 

Davy

[Aspman]

On 30/08/2018 at 00:17, auditek said:

Having been the proud owner of 4 Skoda's, all VRS'S, the most recent Octavia VRS 230, I bought this (New to me) Kia Stinger 3.3 a couple of weeks ago. She is Nov 2017 with 2k on the clock. Even though she is my new baby, I have to say she is the best car I have ever owned, for performance/spec, and driver fun. OK, she guzzles the gas, but I knew that when I bought her. 365 BHP with £ 140 road tax !! The only option you have when buying new, is metallic paint, which mine has, everything and his dog is included as standard ! Obviously, as with Skoda, there will be the badge snobs who wouldn't touch this with a barge pole. Having owned German cars before, the quality is right up there with them, if not better, not the slightest squeak or rattle. When I took her for a test drive, it was the first time I had seen one in the flesh, and I was just blown away..You can see heads turning, wondering 'What's that'

 

I think it's a nice looking car, I see the one George has photographed quite regularly as well and I don't think primer grey is a good colour for any car really. For me I think the problem  with Kia doing a super saloon is the fear of residuals. Spending £40k on a non-premium brand is maybe just a bit too much. It doesn't really matter how well well screwed together the car is it just doesn't carry the kudos of one of the big german three and I think that shows from the failure to sell these nearly new ones except with heavy discounting.

 

I don't think Kia have don enough with this to make the statement they needed. If it was running over 400hp out the box then it would really have something to say. But right now it's in the same power and price bracket as some nice stuff from BMW, Audi, Merc.  A used Jag XFR can be ahd for similar money with 505hp and it won't be long before you can get an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio with 510hp in that sort of price bracket (ok it'll fall apart but..).

 

 

 

[shyVRS245]

10 minutes ago, Aspman said:

 

I think it's a nice looking car, I see the one George has photographed quite regularly as well and I don't think primer grey is a good colour for any car really. For me I think the problem  with Kia doing a super saloon is the fear of residuals. Spending £40k on a non-premium brand is maybe just a bit too much. It doesn't really matter how well well screwed together the car is it just doesn't carry the kudos of one of the big german three and I think that shows from the failure to sell these nearly new ones except with heavy discounting.

 

I don't think Kia have don enough with this to make the statement they needed. If it was running over 400hp out the box then it would really have something to say. But right now it's in the same power and price bracket as some nice stuff from BMW, Audi, Merc.  A used Jag XFR can be ahd for similar money with 505hp and it won't be long before you can get an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio with 510hp in that sort of price bracket (ok it'll fall apart but..).

 

 

 

Agree rather wait for the Alfa to hit £30,000 used that is a properly quick car. Chris Harris seemed to rate it!

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

I've currently got a Kia Optima Sportwagon from insurers while mine is at BMW to be repaired. It looks smart, inside and out, you can tell they've poached the Audi design guy. Buttons and switches feel way better than I expected, I have it in my head anything Korean/Japanese still has they cheap plastic feel to the switchgear but it seems not now. Seats are good, mine is a '3' so has electric drivers seat and a reasonable amount of kit, although some bits are odd. It has sat nav, heated seats & steering wheel, lane assist, reverse camera but no active cruise and no Xenons/LED headlights. Strange. Inside has loads of room, it's huge really and could sit 4/5 adults fine, being the wagon it has copious amounts of boot space too. Outside is pretty big too, just about fits on my drive. 

 

Driving wise it's not great, its a 138bhp diesel and not fast at all given it's size and weight. The DCT gearbox changes quickly but hangs on to gears for too long and often makes strange choices, I can't wait to get my ZF box back. The start stop takes a calendar month to decide to restart when you try to pull away too. The engine sounds horrific and is loud from inside too, although seems reasonably economical. It corners like a boat. Since I'm driving to Spain in it I'm on a bit of a downer about it but I guess for daily duties and towing a caravan it'd do the job. 

 

After I got this I was reading up about the Stinger. I thought it was an M3/C63 rival but it's only got the same amount of power as my 340i with the MPPSK fitted, given a nearly new Stinger is going for the same price as my BMW was brand new it seems a no brainer to me! 

[shyVRS245]

6 minutes ago, XLBaconDoubleCheese said:

I've currently got a Kia Optima Sportwagon from insurers while mine is at BMW to be repaired. It looks smart, inside and out, you can tell they've poached the Audi design guy. Buttons and switches feel way better than I expected, I have it in my head anything Korean/Japanese still has they cheap plastic feel to the switchgear but it seems not now. Seats are good, mine is a '3' so has electric drivers seat and a reasonable amount of kit, although some bits are odd. It has sat nav, heated seats & steering wheel, lane assist, reverse camera but no active cruise and no Xenons/LED headlights. Strange. Inside has loads of room, it's huge really and could sit 4/5 adults fine, being the wagon it has copious amounts of boot space too. Outside is pretty big too, just about fits on my drive. 

 

Driving wise it's not great, its a 138bhp diesel and not fast at all given it's size and weight. The DCT gearbox changes quickly but hangs on to gears for too long and often makes strange choices, I can't wait to get my ZF box back. The start stop takes a calendar month to decide to restart when you try to pull away too. The engine sounds horrific and is loud from inside too, although seems reasonably economical. It corners like a boat. Since I'm driving to Spain in it I'm on a bit of a downer about it but I guess for daily duties and towing a caravan it'd do the job. 

 

After I got this I was reading up about the Stinger. I thought it was an M3/C63 rival but it's only got the same amount of power as my 340i with the MPPSK fitted, given a nearly new Stinger is going for the same price as my BMW was brand new it seems a no brainer to me! 

So the SPORT in the name of your loaned BARGE seems a tad optimistic then!

[Aspman]

16 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

So the SPORT in the name of your loaned BARGE seems a tad optimistic then!

 

"SPORT" is just a style option these days.  Pretty much every beemer on the road now sports an "M-Sport" badge even though it might be a 318d. Same as Audi's "S-Line". Everyone is doing it.

[shyVRS245]

1 minute ago, Aspman said:

 

"SPORT" is just a style option these days.  Pretty much every beemer on the road now sports an "M-Sport" badge even though it might be a 318d. Same as Audi's "S-Line". Everyone is doing it.

I was being a tad sarcastic, neighbour drives M-SPORT BMW 420D and probably thinks it's quick but way overpriced for 187bhp and £37,925 new!

[TonyTonic]

3 hours ago, Aspman said:

 

I think it's a nice looking car, I see the one George has photographed quite regularly as well and I don't think primer grey is a good colour for any car really. For me I think the problem  with Kia doing a super saloon is the fear of residuals. Spending £40k on a non-premium brand is maybe just a bit too much. It doesn't really matter how well well screwed together the car is it just doesn't carry the kudos of one of the big german three and I think that shows from the failure to sell these nearly new ones except with heavy discounting.

 

I don't think Kia have don enough with this to make the statement they needed. If it was running over 400hp out the box then it would really have something to say. But right now it's in the same power and price bracket as some nice stuff from BMW, Audi, Merc.  A used Jag XFR can be ahd for similar money with 505hp and it won't be long before you can get an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio with 510hp in that sort of price bracket (ok it'll fall apart but..).

 

 

 

All of what you said above works if you assume that BMW/Audi/Merc are better by 'default' than the Kia Stinger specifically or other competiion (Alfa Giulia included). Is this true though? Thhink about it.

 

In my opinion, this car is actually cheaper than it should be. THey price dit deliberately so it comes under the 40k premium tax threshold. If any of the premium german brands were selling this car with all the options on it, it wouldn't be far off 60K.

 

As far as heavy discounting goes, the three german brands are doing this more than anyone else, you can get easily 20-25% off list price on those which just shows you what the real price of them should be.

Edited 3 September, 2018 by TonyTonic

[shyVRS245]

6 minutes ago, TonyTonic said:

All of what you said above works if you assume that BMW/Audi/Merc are better by 'default' than the Kia Stinger specifically or other competiion (Alfa Giulia included). Is this true though? Thhink about it.

 

In my opinion, this car is actually cheaper than it should be. THey price dit deliberately so it comes under the 40k premium tax threshold. If any of the premium german brands were selling this car with all the options on it, it wouldn't be far off 60K

German premium brands generally give you half the power of the Stinger for similar money but less equipment for example BMW 520D SE 187bhp £37,775.

[TonyTonic]

2 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

German premium brands generally give you half the power of the Stinger for similar money but less equipment for example BMW 520D SE 187bhp £37,775.

exactly my point

 

the BMW 520D SE is bare bones, nothing in it.

Edited 3 September, 2018 by TonyTonic

[shyVRS245]

16 minutes ago, TonyTonic said:

exactly my point

 

the BMW 520D SE is bare bones, nothing in it.

I owned a BMW325i Coupe for 3 years between 1994-1997 and although great to drive (lightly modified 199bhp) it was very poorly equipped. I remember having to pay extra for the Blaupunkt radio and it came with 15" alloys.

Edited 3 September, 2018 by shyVRS245
spelling mistake

[Aspman]

59 minutes ago, TonyTonic said:

All of what you said above works if you assume that BMW/Audi/Merc are better by 'default' than the Kia Stinger specifically or other competiion (Alfa Giulia included). Is this true though? Thhink about it.

 

In my opinion, this car is actually cheaper than it should be. THey price dit deliberately so it comes under the 40k premium tax threshold. If any of the premium german brands were selling this car with all the options on it, it wouldn't be far off 60K.

 

As far as heavy discounting goes, the three german brands are doing this more than anyone else, you can get easily 20-25% off list price on those which just shows you what the real price of them should be.

 

I think I might have been too subtle in my point. I wasn't really meaning to say the Germans were better at all only that Kia has a big perception hump to get over. The Germans are for badge snobs, Kia is never going to sell to them. To sell to 'drivers' they again have a bit hump of perception to get over.  Same with depreciation, I did a quick check there and depreciation on KIA is only about 5% more than BMW but my perception is that it would be a lot more.

 

My BMW was quite well equipped. I don't think they are quite as bad as they used to be even on the more base models. Don't know about Audi or Merc, I've never had one.

Edited 3 September, 2018 by Aspman

[shyVRS245]

41 minutes ago, Aspman said:

 

I think I might have been too subtle in my point. I wasn't really meaning to say the Germans were better at all only that Kia has a big perception hump to get over. The Germans are for badge snobs, Kia is never going to sell to them. To sell to 'drivers' they again have a bit hump of perception to get over.  Same with depreciation, I did a quick check there and depreciation on KIA is only about 5% more than BMW but my perception is that it would be a lot more.

 

My BMW was quite well equipped. I don't think they are quite as bad as they used to be even on the more base models. Don't know about Audi or Merc, I've never had one.

Nearly bought a new Audi S1 a couple of years ago but would have cost £30,000 with all those options I wanted and would have been as useful as a motorbike for practicality. Only 228bhp as standard so would have had to modify it too, hence even more money reqiured.