Well, I've spent the last 10 days of my life test-driving numerous Korean cars, to replace the girlfriend's unreliable Clio DCi. It all started when the local Hyundai dealer was offering a pre-reg Getz 1.4GSi for £5995....
Test drove the Getz. It was horrible. Cheap, nasty, all the stereotypes you can think of...urgh. Surprisingly MUCH worse than an old-model Getz I'd driven last year and been quite impressed with. The suspension was the worst I've experienced ever, bouncing comically 2 or 3 times after every pothole! We were about to give up and go home, when the salesman pointed out the new Rio, which was a little more expensive, but much more upmarket inside, to my surprise. The 1.4 petrol wasn't too bad to drive, and the suspension was on a par with my Almera.
Couldn't quite make up our minds, so went back the other day and had a drive of the diesel Rio. What an engine! I've never felt that level of torque in such a small car before, it's really like a rocket up the a*se! The handling's also pretty good, and the clutch is feather-light, gearchange is effortless. The interior isn't cheap, and toys like air-con come as standard. Needless to say she's put her deposit down and we're picking up a 56-reg pre-registered one on Thursday at a very competitive price.
The question is simple - why won't more people venture down to their local Kia dealer? Every review I've read is positive, the driving experience is good, HJ's road-test is spot-on. Why aren't there more Rios about? Pure snobbery? Maybe there aren't enough "thinking people" out there to buy "the thinking person's car".
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Probably because most of us are thinking its hideously ugly
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Not at all - bland maybe, but given the choice, id rather have an ugly, bland Kia that doesnt break down than a pretty Renault which does - depends whether you want to look pretty by the side of the road or not so pretty arriving at your destination....
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How much was it? They cost close to 10 grand don't they
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Should be under £8k pre-reg for a 1.5 Zapp (which even Kia admits is identical to the GS, except £1k cheaper).
I did the same drives (Rio in the morning, Getz I in the afternoon) on the same day a year ago and felt exactly the same as you did Greg.
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The new stangely named C'eed is meant to be close to top of class. Not as sporty as a Focus but very good. If I was a European manufacturer of cars I'd be concerned. I think they will be built for Europe in Europe somewhere and not that cheap - that is how confident they are now.
And there will be the Hyandai version to follow of course.
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That 7-year/100k mile warranty on the Cee'd engine and transmission (5-years/100k on the whole car) has got to take some beating, who cares about depreciation, when you can keep the thing for so long without having to worry about what is usually the most expensive part to repair! Might even help to sell it on at 5-years old when you can tell any buyer it still has two years of manufacturer's powertrain warranty left...
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My mother bought a new Kia Rio 1.4 Zapp (I did not encourage her into the diesel because she has driven petrol cars all her life and I was worried about a "senior" moment at the tanks). I think it was astonishingly good value for money (£7800, including the tropical red metallic paint) - air con, electric front windows, cd player with MP3 player, abs, ebd, 4* NCAP, spacious inside, quiet and with 5 doors (which she wanted), I think it is a fairly good looking car (it looks like a Fiesta from 30 yards) and happily she loves it and finds it much better than the Clio she had before.
Kia don't discount much but offered some floor mats, a tank of petrol and there is 12 months tax on the car. I think you could get some discount off a broker
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I'm a big fan of Kia,the Picanto in particular because it is a very capable and easy to live with small car that just gets on and does its job.I also recently drove a brand new Kia Sorento SUV 4x4 and again very impressive.
The big problem for the Euro Shed manufactures is that Kia and Hyundai keep improving and producing cars for every market segment and offering them at very competitive prices with very long warranties.How long would the likes of Citroen,Renault,Fiat and Peugeot stay in business if they offered 7 year warranties,not very long i'm sure.
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When my wife was looking to change her Clio, we started looking with a Skoda Fabia, then Misubishi Colt, followed by the Kia Picanto. The Fabia was OK, but nothing particularly good. The Colt and Picanto both had very small boots. When my wife spied the Rio, asked for an immediate test drive of a 6 month old 1.4 GS, she wanted it. Saved me a lot of further trawling of other dealerships.
After 9 months she is still delighted with it. There have been 2 manufacturer recalls - a new radiator cap due to a faulty batch and a new instrument consul (odometer starting at zero again!) as some of the warning lights failed to work on some cars. The first one only took a few minutes and the second a couple of hours, but I cannot fault the service the local Kia agent gave.
I feel sure your girlfriend will be very pleased with her Rio, just remind her to use diesel!
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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I quite liked the Rio but prefer the interior Getz, the only thing I dislike was the naff leather they use around the gear stick and the fact that there isn't that much space for us taller people. So I went and bought a Colt because there is far more room in the cabin (alas less in the boot) and it was thousands cheaper (at the time) than the Rio or Getz with decent engine.
Don't think you can really go wrong with Hyundai/Kia nowadays they test their products for long periods and have great warranties?. People will catch on eventually.
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What about a petrol Clio? £7488 will get you a new Clio Freeway, 3 door, 1.2 16V 75hp.
Likely to get a better trade in, offering a Renault for a Renault.
New Clio is better built than the old model and reliability so far looking very good.
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What about a petrol Clio?
No chance. Renault diesel engines are bad enough, but their petrol engines are almost groundbreaking in their unreliability. Is it the same 1.2 16v that used to drop cambelts at 30-odd thousand miles? Once bitten, twice shy.
We got a very good deal - £7995 for the pre-reg 1.5 GS (not Zapp), it's only got 100-ish miles on the clock, and the dealer's fitting remote locking at no extra cost, so it's better equipped than the Clio it's replacing. A hell of a lot nippier too, and I hope a hell of a lot more reliable. No cambelt to worry about on the diesel Rio either.
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Sounds like a good enough deal,and as for a Clio 1.2 for £7500,why would you?
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A mate of mine has the older 03 plate Rio, Only claimed for dead fag lighter & 2 x sets of alloys under warranty
Other then that its been 100% reliable.
Apart from normal servicing its only needed 2 x tyres replacing & thats it.
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Now the time is coming to replace my old Metro 94 1.4CVT 12yrs old with 74K . I have been looking at a replacement which will fit in my 1960's garage. Picanto seems to fit all the parameters apart from not having the get up and go of the Metro. Local Kia agent offers me his very special deal on a new 1.1 LX Auto at £6950 otr. Motorpoint at Newport have same model with delivery miles (Cypriot import I think) for £5999 but plus the additional bits and pieces they add on Otr becomes about £6420. Anybody think I am going to get better than this???. Any comment appreciated.
Phil I .
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Should also mention have £20 M&S vouchers coming for taking Test Drive. Out for about 55minutes gave a good impression apart from the sluggish away from the corners. Brakes are a revelation.
Come on lot in the last 12 years no doubt:-))
Phil I
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As a former Metro CVT owner myself they are a lot quicker then the figures Rover put out for the car & also very easy to get of the speedo.
You have to remember that the Kia will for a start have power steering & ABS both never fitted to the Metro.
While the Kia wont have the get up & go of a CVT Metro you have to remember the Kia weighs a bit more with its more sturdy construction & added safety devices.
Metro CVT brakes where always rubbish & easy to lock up, Original Austin Metro had vented front discs & 4 pot callipers even on the 1 litre, 1.4 8 valve Rover Metro single piston & solid front discs, a backwards step.
If you want a car that goes from A to B with no fuss & that changes the gears itself then this Kia will do the job easily.
As a side question, how many gearbox rebuilds has your Metro had, I used to manage 12K between mine.
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>As a side question, how many gearbox rebuilds has your Metro had, I used to manage 12K between mine
Had whine at 41K diagnosed as centre support bearing failing. Replaced by Ron Cray Automatics - High Lyttleton total bill was just over £200. Main dealer said " OOOH you will need a replacement CVT costing £1290 plus fitting. :-))) H.J site gave me lead to Ron Cray Auto . Still in business as Ian Chant (Ron's apprentice now owner of garage) Just started to whine again at 72K 6 years later. That plus Fuse box replaced only really big money spent over 9 years. If they were still being produced would buy another...
Happy and v.cheap Motoring Phil I
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Had to have the CVT box rebuilt twice under warranty, saw the bill for one of the rebuild & it was over £1200.
First rebuild lasted 12K miles before it decided to lunch itself again, boiled the fluid & melted the top of the dipstick as it spewed the now yellow fluid out the top of the filler tube.
First & last auto of any kind for me im afraid.
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>boiled the fluid & melted the top of the dipstick as it spewed the now yellow fluid out the top of the filler tube....
Probably the separate oil cooler given up the ghost. Probably gunged up with debris accumulated from the failing bearings....
Been away visiting relatives so only now just got back and see the responses . Thanks to all who replied.
DavidHM tbh not keen on the look of the Rio. I am expecting the dealer to come back again later this week if he really desperate to do a deal before year end.
Happy Motoring Phil I
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It may be worth while checking what sort of a deal you can get on one that isn't an import. Sometimes the specification is different and some makers (not sure about Kia) don't offer the full UK warranty, which for Kias should be 3 years unlimited mileage.
I think you'll have to put up with it being a bit sluggish, as it's a small engine coupled with an automatic. The alternative might be a slightly bigger second-hand automatic, but it might not fit your garage.
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I have found a Rio for not much more than a Picanto - will it fit the garage? Length is 3.99m and width is 1.695m (157in x 67in). If so www.kiacarsales.co.uk/Rio_home_1.htm at £7,345 plus metallic might do the job.
Otherwise I can match, but not beat the local dealer online.
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Our local Kia dealer (Bournemouth) is also offering a minimum £1000 trade-in on any running car with an MOT. I know it's true 'cos I sneaked a look at an invoice which showed £1k offered for an M reg Metro.
Of course, I didn't get much more for the Y reg Grand Cherokee :-)
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Terry
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Now the time is coming to replace my old Metro 94 1.4CVT 12yrs old with 74K . I have been looking at a replacement which will fit in my 1960's garage. Picanto seems to fit all the parameters apart from not having the get up and go of the Metro. Local Kia agent offers me his very special deal on a new 1.1 LX Auto at £6950 otr. Motorpoint at Newport have same model with delivery miles (Cypriot import I think) for £5999 but plus the additional bits and pieces they add on Otr becomes about £6420. Anybody think I am going to get better than this???. Any comment appreciated. Phil I .
I test drove a Picanto auto and I thought it was a smooth, solid if slightly underpowered car. If I had 8 grand lying around for a small auto, I wouldnt hesistate, let alone at 7 grand.
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I might add as well that the safety of even the older Hyundai/Kias is a *lot* better than it's made out to be. I speak through unfortunate experience.
Yesterday someone pulled out in front of me in my 2001 Accent, and in swerving to avoid him I hit a post, totalling the car at about 25mph. Walked out without a scratch, front of the car crumpled but the inside stayed in one piece as well as it possibly could have.
Rather a loud bang and I do have a couple of bruises where the seatbelt stopped me, but the car couldn't have behaved any better.
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"Renault diesel engines are bad enough, but their petrol engines are almost groundbreaking in their unreliability."
Can't agree with that sweeping generalisation. If anything the reverse of what you say is more true, it's the diesels that appear to cause more problems but even then it was mainly only the ealier 1.9dCi's fitted to the Laguna and the 2.2dCi's.
Renault petrol engines have generally been quite good. Not the best in the business but certainly not 'almost groundbreaking in their unreliability'. You are right about the 1.2 and cambelts - see the CBCB. But the 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 and 3.0 engines have proven to be quite durable. The only problems that seem to be reported are coils packs and dephaser pulleys on the 1.6, all of which should now be sorted. I doubt the coil packs was any worse than the VAG 1.8 affair, certainly doesn't seem to have received the publicity.
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OK, I did generalise. But I was wanting rid of a 3 year-old Clio that's been nothing but trouble in the last 10 months - the idea of buying another Clio, especially another one with known engine faults, is not appealing. I didn't especially like Renaults before my girlfriend bought the Clio, but it went back to the garage several times in the last 10 months, for non-routine things. In the same timescale my (older) Almera has been in once for an oil-change, and once for 4 new tyres.
How can there be so many engines out there with such well-documented problems? (I'm well aware it's not just the likes of Renault) What are the R&D departments doing with their time? The "I hope OUR one won't go wrong" attitude doesn't pay off.
Incidentally, we picked up the Kia on Thursday - and it's in a different league. More comfortable, larger interior, much nicer to drive, more meaty steering, nicer handling in general, and a much lighter clutch (the Clio's clutch was the heaviest i've ever used). It's also much more powerful (44bhp up on the Clio), much more torquey, and slightly cheaper to insure. The only annoying experience is that I've been indicating with the wipers, and flashing the headlights instead of spraying the screen.
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