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Thread: Hybrid car dilemma. Anyone any strong views on Kia as a car maker please?

  1. #1

    Hybrid car dilemma. Anyone any strong views on Kia as a car maker please?

    This is always a dangerous question as it can put you off a perfectly good make but here goes.

    I'm looking to replace my ageing BMW 3-series. I've tried a number of vehicles including a hybrid Mercedes C350e and various models from the VW Golf range.

    The Mercedes is probably too much car for me. I don't really want to feel like the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, although the car does look to represent good value.

    The VWs have been very meh with strong pricing. Not yet tried a hybrid. I had a mk1 Scirocco in the mid 80s and it was fab. These feel nothing like the same quality.

    Scouting around for a hybrid, I happened on a Kia Niro at a dealer reasonably local to me. I was really surprised and taken by the whole vehicle. These things aren't cheap mind, which is both encouraging me and holding me back.

    The 16-reg BMW 3-series hybrid saloon, the 330e, has dropped from the high £30k mark to high teens, typically £18k or so. The same age Kia has dropped from about £22k to £16k. The depreciation of the Kia has been much lower.

    The Kia still has the balance of the manufacturers 7-year warranty, so 4 years left, which let's face it is extremely valuable.

    Frankly there probably wasn't a single thing about the Kia that I didn't like, apart from the price comparison with the BMW - which I've yet to try incidentally as there are very few about and none reasonably local. I'd also like to try a hybrid Golf but once again they're few and far between.

    Does anyone have any strong views on Kia as a make please, or any suggestions for alternative vehicles?

  2. #2
    Kia are great vehicles. Built well, very reliable and 7 year warranty.
    Ive had 2, Sportage and Sorrento, FIL has had 2, Venga and now a Stonic and between us we've had no trouble with any of them. Having been in the motortrade for 30 plus years I would recommend Kia to anyone. The only people who don't buy them are generally badge snobs.

    Forgot to say, that the level of extras you get as standard is generally pretty good also.
    Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 6th August 2019 at 08:50.

  3. #3
    Craftsman
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    I’m looking at the all electric Kia, a good range of 250 miles. 18 months waiting list though.


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    Ditto I’m after the electric one too but the waiting list sucks, the Hyundai kona I’m looking at too but only because it’s the same car and you don’t wait as long, Kia are excellent we have an optima hybrid and love it


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    Quote Originally Posted by Franky Four Fingers View Post
    Kia are great vehicles. Built well, very reliable and 7 year warranty.
    Ive had 2, Sportage and Sorrento, FIL has had 2, Venga and now a Stonic and between us we've had no trouble with any of them. Having been in the motortrade for 30 plus years I would recommend Kia to anyone. The only people who don't buy them are generally badge snobs.

    Forgot to say, that the level of extras you get as standard is generally pretty good also.
    Agreed, the Kia is well worth the wait.

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    Grand Master mart broad's Avatar
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    Cannot comment on current models but when i was working i ran Kia’s as our day to day work horses without a problem they were just great value for the money.
    I FEEL LIKE I'M DIAGONALLY PARKED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE

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    We have had 2 Kia sportages and both have been new and run for 5 years c100k each and never needed anything outside of regular servicing and wear and tear items aside from a new reversing camera fitted under warranty... what’s not to like!

  8. #8
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    I'm sure the Kia's a fine car, but be aware that everyone else's hybrid tech is a generation (at least) behind Toyota's (which is a shame, as they could do with more competition). Have you considered a C-HR as an alternative compact hybrid SUV?

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    Not sure I agree with that, Toyota are in a mess with their strategy and can’t decide if they’re pursuing electric or Hydrogen long term.

    As for their ‘self charging hybrid’ ad campaign, sounds a bit desperate and like they’re trying to cover up for the fact they don’t have any plug in hybrids in their range.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by mart broad View Post
    Cannot comment on current models but when i was working i ran Kia’s as our day to day work horses without a problem they were just great value for the money.
    A little stiff riding in the back, Mart?
    Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.

  11. #11
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tooks View Post
    Not sure I agree with that, Toyota are in a mess with their strategy and can’t decide if they’re pursuing electric or Hydrogen long term.
    I don't disagree. I was talking specifically about their hybrids.

    As for their ‘self charging hybrid’ ad campaign, sounds a bit desperate and like they’re trying to cover up for the fact they don’t have any plug in hybrids in their range.
    Er, https://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/prius-plugin/

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    I don't disagree. I was talking specifically about their hybrids.
    My own experience of a Toyota Auris Hybrid was that it had worse economy than a diesel Passat. I was left wondering what the point of it was.

    Crikey, they do have one!

    It was only 2 years after everybody else had one as well...

  13. #13
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tooks View Post
    My own experience of a Toyota Auris Hybrid was that it had worse economy than a diesel Passat. I was left wondering what the point of it was.
    No soot, no stench, no racket, no cancer.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tooks View Post
    Crikey, they do have one! It was only 2 years after everybody else had one as well...
    They've offered a plug-in variant of the Prius for seven years.
    Last edited by Seamaster73; 6th August 2019 at 13:58.

  14. #14
    Thanks so much for the comments. I guess I never realised the Kia was such a well-regarded make. Lesson learnt.

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    Read this morning that Hyundai have a hybrid with a solar panel roof. Not yet due here though.


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    We've had 2 Kias and both have performed great, while both have had medium sized issues (our first had a faulty radio and instrument cluster and the second had a faulty DRL unit and stability control) all issues have been covered under the warranty and the level of service we have received from KIA (specifically MK KIA in Wolverton Milton Keynes) has rivaled Lexus' MK branch. We did try KIA in Bedford as it's closer but they seemed disinterested in helping us so went back to wolverton who bent over backwards to get our car into the shop and when the repair became a replacement of the whole headlamp unit arranged a courtesy car on the spot. So I'd certainly say their dealers vary in quality but some rave about Bedford KIA so it may just have been a bad week for them.
    Bottom line, I'd have another in a heartbeat if I decide to go new and not go for another 2nd hand Lexus.

  17. #17
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    I run a Hyundai Ioniq plug in. My understanding is Hyundai and Kia share lots of components across the platforms. I bought mine as a demonstrator at 3 months old and 5k miles in Jan 19. Now done 12k and I have to say Im very impressed. Over 600 miles I averaged a record 99 mpg as there were lots of local runs. On pure petrol it returns high 50’s.
    Auto box is very leisurely, don’t know how that compares to Kia’s it is without doubt the quietest car I have ever owned.

  18. #18
    Master BSB's Avatar
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    For around 20 years, my cousin has been the Service Operations Manager at Kia UK and has often turned up in prototype vehicles etc. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy and yet speaks exceptionally highly of their quality. He's worked with other companies in the past and never been shy to point out any shortcomings but he's never been anything other than very positive about Kia.

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    Quote Originally Posted by damperman View Post
    Read this morning that Hyundai have a hybrid with a solar panel roof. Not yet due here though.


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    The Mk1 Nissan Leaf had a solar spoiler IIRC, to keep the 12v battery topped up.

    That Hyundai one looks much more useful, although it must be quite efficient to get the charging performance they’re claiming.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tooks View Post
    The Mk1 Nissan Leaf had a solar spoiler IIRC, to keep the 12v battery topped up.

    That Hyundai one looks much more useful, although it must be quite efficient to get the charging performance they’re claiming.
    The current Prius plug in has a factory option for a solar panel roof, the one at my local dealers had one fitted. The charge rate was poor though something like one mile of driving per one hour of sun. Certainly not enough to justify the extra fitting cost

  21. #21
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    We had a Rio for 8 years from new, during the 7 year warranty we had 1 x washer pump replaced. I would have bought another one if Honda hadn't made an offer we couldn't refuse.

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    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by higham5 View Post
    The current Prius plug in has a factory option for a solar panel roof, the one at my local dealers had one fitted. The charge rate was poor though something like one mile of driving per one hour of sun. Certainly not enough to justify the extra fitting cost
    Prius has had the option of a solar roof since 2010, but the main purpose of that has been to power the A/C in countries with hot climates to reduce the impact A/C use has on energy consumption, especially at start-up. I suspect there are very few with that option installed here.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    No soot, no stench, no racket, no cancer.
    It’s a lot less clear cut than that sound bite to be fair.

    Direct injection petrol engines (as fitted to the Auris/Prius and millions of other cars) also emit particulates (just because they’re mostly invisible doesn’t mean they aren’t there).

    They actually emit as much particulate matter as modern diesel cars, and so are just as likely to cause cancers in people as anything else.

    With the demonising of diesels we are at risk of throwing the baby out with the bath water I think.

  24. #24
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Diseasel's had its day. EVs are the future. Petrol hybrids are merely a stepping stone, but they're the best compromise in the meantime.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    Diseasel's had its day. EVs are the future. Petrol hybrids are merely a stepping stone, but they're the best compromise in the meantime.
    Me and my e-Golf would agree with you.

    My last car was a Golf GTE, and the one before that was an i3. The latter was too much too soon, but the charging infrastructure was very different 5 years ago.

    I believe that EVs are the future for passenger vehicles, with maybe Hydrogen for the big movers. Electrifying the HGV fleet might be a step too far.

  26. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    Diseasel's had its day. EVs are the future. Petrol hybrids are merely a stepping stone, but they're the best compromise in the meantime.
    But there was a study in Germany last month, which shows the latest Diesels are less polluting than Electric, once you take into account the production of Electricity, Batteries, recycling etc. So not sure its the whole answer, just the one the Governments want you to believe.

    When the price comes down for Electric vehicles and the range goes up, then they will become really viable.

  27. #27
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by casbar View Post
    But there was a study in Germany last month, which shows the latest Diesels are less polluting than Electric
    And we all know we can can trust the Germans on claims about how polluting their diseasels are.

  28. #28
    Grand Master Glamdring's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    And we all know we can can trust the Germans on claims about how polluting their diseasels are.
    Like they're going to repeat that again... and it wasn't just VW.

  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by casbar View Post
    But there was a study in Germany last month, which shows the latest Diesels are less polluting than Electric, once you take into account the production of Electricity, Batteries, recycling etc. So not sure its the whole answer, just the one the Governments want you to believe.

    When the price comes down for Electric vehicles and the range goes up, then they will become really viable.
    That study has been proven to be FUD. Crucially, the study conveniently omits to include the energy and pollution associated with production and transport of a gallon of diesel, so it’s not an apples with apples comparison.

    It’s true, electric cars are only as green as the energy used to charge them, so it’s dependent on the energy mix of the country you’re charging in.

    Therefore the results of that study are very different if you use the UKs energy mix, and different again if you use Norway. They also haven’t taken into account how quickly things are moving on the battery manufacture front. Tesla’s Giga factories are carbon neutral already, compared to places like China where they aren’t.

    Germany’s energy mix is one of the worst in Europe from a carbon point of view, and IIRC they cherry picked the numbers on the diesel car side.
    Last edited by Tooks; 6th August 2019 at 17:45.

  30. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Backward point View Post
    A little stiff riding in the back, Mart?
    Ha ha ! Genius!
    Cheers..
    Jase

  31. #31
    A colleague has a Kia SUV and rates it highly. I got in it last week, and in comparison to my Volvo XC60 it felt like stepping from a luxury hotel room into McDonald’s. Just felt really cheap inside. Tbh I’d rather buy a second hand European car than a new Kia, I just can’t stand the styling. That’s not badge snobbery, I really want to like them as I’m sure they’re excellent.


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  32. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    Diseasel's had its day. .
    Not for those of us that do serious mileage, it hasn't (yet). Until such time as either a) the charging infrastructure is far more plentiful and much, much quicker or b) the range is 700 miles plus for the longest of days I do, I'll stick with a diesel where the 11 gallon tank sees a regular 8-900 miles.

  33. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by RobDad View Post
    A colleague has a Kia SUV and rates it highly. I got in it last week, and in comparison to my Volvo XC60 it felt like stepping from a luxury hotel room into McDonald’s. Just felt really cheap inside. Tbh I’d rather buy a second hand European car than a new Kia, I just can’t stand the styling. That’s not badge snobbery, I really want to like them as I’m sure they’re excellent.


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    Said everyone that's never owned one. I've heard this so many times from many different people, my father in law being one of them. With reference to quality, I struggle to see much difference in Kia to any of its competitors.

  34. #34
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    Yeah I've had audis and Lexus and the Kias I've owned have been on a par with them. My cousins top of the line Sportage which we spent a lot of time in while on holiday was a lovely place to sit while travelling between Vancouver and Washington state multiple times.
    But different people look for different things in a cars interior, if it doesn't have shoulder wings on the seats and a flat bottom steering wheel then it's not for them, and that's fine. Just have a look and make your own mind up.

  35. #35
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    I get KiAs of all shapes and sizes as hire cars via work, and I’ve been thoroughly impressed with all of them to be honest.

  36. #36
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    Had a look at the Kia electric, quite a smart looking car, and only 1 spec. No choice of upgrades.


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  37. #37
    Thanks again everyone. The jury’s still out. The residuals are fearsome. I can pull a low mileage BMW 320i at 65 reg for the same sort of money. It’s a real punt for me. Stick with what I know or go fish. Hmmmm.

  38. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    Diseasel's had its day. EVs are the future. Petrol hybrids are merely a stepping stone, but they're the best compromise in the meantime.
    I tend to agree which is why I am not planning to change my (petrol) Golf anytime soon. Normally, I would be looking to change it within the next 12 months but that isn’t going to happen until the situation is clearer.

    Mind you, I do think that diesels have been unfairly demonised given the emissions of latest Euro rating. However, that fact is likely to keep both sales and secondhand values low.

  39. #39
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    Different fuels have different strengths and weaknesses.
    EV's are good for short to medium range trips where you have access to charging during natural stops (i.e. at work or home) but most are useless for long tours or sales routes.
    Diesels are great for long tours and sales routes but running constant short trips will likely break the engine.
    Hybrids are good all rounders, giving you range and good economy in stop start traffic but not as good as ev's and diesels when played to their strengths.
    Petrol now has the weakest case and the only place it really stands out is for performance cars.

  40. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by julian2002 View Post
    Diesels are great for long tours and sales routes but running constant short trips will likely break the engine.
    Simply not true at all. I’ve never had a Diesel engine ‘break’ in any taxi I’ve owned, and it’s constant short trips that we do.
    In fact, I’ve never even had to do a forced regen on any of my cars.
    Now if you said short trips AND very low mileage, you could well be correct.

  41. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by julian2002 View Post
    Yeah I've had audis and Lexus and the Kias I've owned have been on a par with them. My cousins top of the line Sportage which we spent a lot of time in while on holiday was a lovely place to sit while travelling between Vancouver and Washington state multiple times.
    But different people look for different things in a cars interior, if it doesn't have shoulder wings on the seats and a flat bottom steering wheel then it's not for them, and that's fine. Just have a look and make your own mind up.
    Bingo my Hyundai Ioniq has a flat bottom steering wheel and some blue anodised strips on the wheel as well. Job jobbed!

  42. #42
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    Went looking at the Niro on Wed. Seems quite decent but probably underpowered with only a 1.5 + battery. Good around town but probably pedal to the floor on a motorway.
    The salesman I saw was a real pain. He told me the car had just been updated. I asked when as some reviews may have been pre update. He said this year. Which month I asked. I don’t know - why does it matter? he asked. I left.

  43. #43
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    Does anyone have any idea what the servicing requirements are likely to be on an all electric car? With no oil changes, braking mostly done by regen so pads and discs probably last far longer I would expect less frequent servicing. The dealerships are going to want to maintain the cash cow of ongoing servicing some how though, but doing what?


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  44. #44
    [QUOTE=casbar;5167111]But there was a study in Germany last month, which shows the latest Diesels are less polluting than Electric, once you take into account the production of Electricity, Batteries, recycling etc. So not sure its the whole answer, just the one the Governments want you to believe.

    When the price comes down for Electric vehicles and the range goes up, then they will become really viable.[/QUOTE
    +1 The enthusiasm for EV overlooks the whole picture. Yesterday we were told we must change our diets to stop global warming and give up our "wood burning Goves". Usually told this by people who spend their lives jetting round the planet telling others what they should do to save it!

    - - - Updated - - -

    [QUOTE=casbar;5167111]But there was a study in Germany last month, which shows the latest Diesels are less polluting than Electric, once you take into account the production of Electricity, Batteries, recycling etc. So not sure its the whole answer, just the one the Governments want you to believe.

    When the price comes down for Electric vehicles and the range goes up, then they will become really viable.[/QUOTE
    +1 The enthusiasm for EV overlooks the whole picture. Yesterday we were told we must change our diets to stop global warming and give up our "wood burning Goves". Usually told this by people who spend their lives jetting round the planet telling others what they should do to save it!

  45. #45
    I recently purchased a Lexus Hybrid and am very pleased with the vehicle.
    Averaging 54 mpg no matter where or how I drive it and no road tax!
    Last edited by boring_sandwich; 10th August 2019 at 11:40.

  46. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by boring_sandwich View Post
    I recently purchased a Lexus Hybrid and am very pleased with the vehicle.
    Averaging 54 mpg no matter where or how I drive it and no road tax!
    There will be road tax if you buy new now.

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