9 February 2011
New car report; Kia's sporty look
The Cerato Koup is arguably the best looking car to have ever come out of Korean car maker Kia's stable, and it's quite possibly the best looking Korean car of all time.
We drove the Cerato 4 door sedan earlier this year and were suitably impressed. The sedan does everything it sets out to do.
The sedan is comfortable, spacious, finished to a high standard, (particularly with recent interior upgrades), is keenly priced and competes well in its sector.
When Kia released pictures of the new Koup, we were wowed by its sporty looks and couldn't wait to get behind the wheel. In the recent past, Kia hasn't put a foot wrong and everything they've built lately has exceeded expectation.
Ex-Audi design engineer Peter Shreyer who penned the Koup, as well as other recent Kia product has done a great job of the design. He says "Design gives soul to the car." And when the marketing material described the Koup as "Kia's first worldwide sports model," we were looking forward to Kia's new sports car.
So the excitement was mounting
Not that we were expecting oodles of grunt and tarmac-ripping torque from the 2.0 litre, 115kW powerplant, but we were expecting a sporty feel.
A car that provides positive feedback through the steering, which handles well, turns in and steers in a predictable, sporty manner and inspires confidence on twisty country roads.
But this is where we felt let down by the new Kia Koup. The excitement of the visual build-up and promises of a sporty driver's car were not met by the driving experience.
Steering is vague, the rear suspension is particularly harsh, with the rear end feeling as if it is solidly mounted to the body and the car feels as if it pivots around the front end.
The clutch is harsh, making the Koup easy to stall and tends to drag when driven at anything more than sedate pace, and the gearbox is a tad notchy.
But all is not lost and there is a place for this car
A driver's car it isn't and a sports car it isn't, but there is a place for this car. Front seats are well contoured and supportive, and coupled with the sports styled steering wheel and instrumentation, there are glimmers of a sporty feel from the driver's seat.
The Kia Koup will appeal to the style conscious, on a limited budget and wanting a hot new look. There's no doubt, the Kia Koup turns heads and looks far more of a car than its price tag might suggest.
Pricing starts at $27,990 for the entry level LX model with 5 speed manual gearbox and $33,990 for the more highly equipped SX model, available in either 5 speed manual or 4 speed auto as a no-cost option.
High level of specification
The LX gets 16" alloys, velour trimmed seats, front fog lights, steering wheel mounted audio and cruise control functions, tilt and reach adjustable steering column, six speaker MP3 compatible sound system with iPod & USB input and manual air-conditioning.
The SX model adds 17" alloys, leather trimmed seats, electric sunroof, reverse sensors and automatic climate air-conditioning.
Safety features include six airbags, ESP (Electronic Stability Programme), ABS braking with EBD and three rear ELR diagonal seatbelts.
The sports car sector is new territory for Kia and the Koup has a way to go before it can be considered a proper sports car. But as a sporty looker, they don't come much better.