Aussie Motoring

by Stuart Livesey

Despite some heavy advertising campaigns Kia continues to not live up to its potential in the new car market in Australia. Kia’s share of the market currently wanders between 1.8% and 2.1% but things might improve for Kia if they were to bring these three models into the country.

Two are based on the cee’d (spelling is correct) - Kia’s European built small car. One is a convertible and the other is a small station wagon.

cee’d Cabrio

Now this is definitely one sweet looking fun car. The vehicle is based on the yet to be released cee’d sporty hatch - not due out till December - but includes several new exterior panels plus a folding fabric roof.

It will come fitted with 19 inch alloy wheels and if it ever makes it to Australia it should be a hit in the cities.

cee’d Sporty Wagon

This wagon features a unique extended tailgat for maximum access to the luggage area. Luggage space when loaded to the bottom of the rear window is 534 litres - but who only loads a station wagon to the bottom of the rear windows?

It will go on sale in three equipment levels and buyers will have the choice of 4 engines with manual or automatic transmission.

Kia Rio Hybrid

The Kia Rio Hybrid is been in limited production - or ‘real-world testing’ - for some time now. It features a unique powertrain with a 1.4-litre, 90 ps gasoline engine, mated to a high-torque 12kW, 95 Nm AC synchronised electric motor and a CVT gearbox.

The electric motor is mounted between the flywheel and the gearbox and ‘assists’ the gasoline engine during starting, accelerating and hill-climbing. During steady cruising the electric motor switches off, while during deceleration it employs ‘regenerative braking’ to store energy and re-charge its power pack.

The hybrid Rio is the first Kia to employ a CVT (continuously variable transmission) and also features computer-controlled stop/start motoring which switches both engine and motor off whenever the car comes to a standstill for more than a few seconds.

Special lightweight components parts cut the Rio Hybrid’s weight by 220 kg. It accelerates briskly from 0-to-100 kph in 12.2 seconds, can reach a top speed of 180 kph and returns a fuel consumption of 5.29 litres per 100 km (53.4 mpg). Air pollutants are reduced by 37% and fuel efficiency is improved by 44%.

I’m sure that all three of these Kia models would find a niche in the Australian market and just might get Kia out of the sales doldrums.

The 2006 Kia Rio/Rio5 ranked highest for initial quality in the sub-compact category according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). The annual report, released yesterday, measures 217 vehicle attributes across eight categories, including driving experience, engine and transmission, and a broad range of quality problem symptoms reported by vehicle owners.

“Rio is a class-leading subcompact vehicle and an excellent example of Kia’s continued dedication to offering consumers an affordable vehicle without sacrificing quality,” said Len Hunt, executive vice president and COO of Kia Motors America. “We’re extremely pleased that the automotive industry and consumers alike recognize Rio’s high level of excellence.”

In the study, the Kia Rio was honored as the highest-ranking model in a tie in the sub-compact segment at 137 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). The all-new 2006 Kia Sedona minivan also performed well in its first year of release, while the Kia Sportage compact SUV scored better than the industry average.

The all-new 2006 Rio sedan and Rio5 five-door are raising the bar in the entry level segment by offering class-leading horsepower and interior volume, and six standard airbags, including full-length side-curtain airbags. The Rio and Rio5’s longer wheelbase and increased width and height contribute to a best-in-class 92.2 cubic feet of passenger room and both body styles feature a long list of standard equipment.

Ice racing is hardly likely to catch on here in Australia any time soon but in Europe it certainly does have a following where a Kia Rio driver has just beaten an F1 driver to take out the championship. The win gives Kia Riao it’s third consecutive series win.

Kia Rio driver, Yvan Muller, has taken sufficient points in the final round of what is regarded as the World Championship for the unique motorsport of ice racing, the Andros Trophy, to beat former F1 Grand Prix World Champion Alain Prost and win the championship title for the third successive year.

The domination of the series, which is held in freezing conditions on specially-built race tracks on the top of mountains in the Alps, by Muller and the Rio was achieved despite Muller carrying more weight-penalty ballast as the twice-previous championship winner. Muller comprehensively fought off last minute challenges from former F1 Grand Prix World Champion Alain Prost in a Toyota, Jean-Phillipe Dayraut in a BMW and Franck Lagorce in a Fiat.

The Kia team wrapped up the title with a superb tactical performance in Super-Besse, high in the Alps, recording solid placings in both races that were sufficient to secure enough points for Muller to win his tenth ice racing title.

According to Muller, “It was the hardest ice racing season in my career, and surely the most beautiful victory, even if I had to play a game I’m not used to. During the last three seasons, the team proved we could beat everybody, dominating in 2004 and 2005, or playing tactics and nerve breaking games this season.”

“In racing we are used to hearing about ‘fastest times,’ but this year we had our ‘fastest’ time even with 490 kilos of ballast,” commented Paul Bourion, Kmotorsport team principal. “We did three seasons with the Kia Rio and we won three championships, thanks to Yvan, while this year and in 2005 we also won the constructor’s championship. And we are very proud of that record,” he added.

Muller and the Kmotorsport team now go to Paris and the Stade de France for the final event of the season — a non-championship round on a specially created ice-track at the country’s national stadium on 18 March.

If you’re thinking of buying a small car and price is the only consideration then here are a few baseline prices that might interest you.

Ford Fiesta $13,990

Holden Barina (a rebadged Daewoo Kalos) $12,990

Hyunda Getz $13,990

Kia Rio $14990

Toyota Yaris $14,990

So obviously the Holden Barina is definitely going to interest you but remember, you get what you pay for and it seems that many small car buyers are opting for the Yaris. Reportedly the Yaris sold in bigger numbers in December than the new Mitsubishi 380.

A jury of influential motoring writers from 12 Eastern European countries has voted the Kia Rio winner of the prestigious ‘Autobest 2006’ award for being ‘the new car most suitable for the needs of the population of the region, thoroughly modern with new technology and affordable to buy.’

Announcing the 2006 winner, Autobest Chairman Mr. Dan Vardie commented, “This year’s competition was very tight, and the Kia Rio emerged as the winner thanks to its fantastic value for money, great versatility, and the important strides made by Kia in developing an excellent dealer network across all of Europe.”

With a total score of 706 points, the Kia Rio comfortably surpassed its shortlisted contenders — the Ford Focus (659), Renault Clio (599), Chevrolet Spark (467; known as Matiz in some markets) and Suzuki Swift (449) — to claim the crown. The 2006 shortlist of finalists was selected after each jury member proposed five all-new models they regarded as the ‘best’ cars of the year that cost less than €15,000.

“The Autobest 2006 award for the Kia Rio is a splendid achievement for the growing Kia brand,” commented Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe. “Jury members from the emerging Eastern European countries have given our B-Segment newcomer the strongest possible endorsement as the ideal car for motorists in this region.”

Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice-President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation stated, “This award marks the first time an Asian car maker has been awarded a car of the year distinction by Autobest in the ‘emerging markets’ of Europe, which clearly demonstrates that Kia is in tune with the needs of the European customers and committed to expansion throughout our largest overseas market.”

Established in 2001, the ‘Autobest Among Emerging Markets’ group is the leading motoring organization in Central and Eastern Europe. The 12 countries taking part in Autobest are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Romania, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine. These countries represent a total market of more than 200 million people, and the Autobest program is now considered the second-largest independent annual European motoring assessment activity after the European Car of the Year (COTY) award.

Each judge from the 12-strong Autobest jury has up to 240 points they can allocate across 13 ‘criteria zones’ under which the candidate cars are assessed. The cars are rated for Interior, Exterior, Handling, Dynamics, Comfort, Technology, Versatility, Safety, Fuel Economy, Environment, Spare Parts, Distributors and Price.

Previous winners were the Dacia Logan (2004), Fiat Panda (2003) and Citroen C3

It may not be widely known but Kia and Hyundai are both owned by the same parent company. Although the marketing of both brands is kept entirely separate and here in Australia it would be rare to find a Kia dealership and a Hyundai dealership under the same roof there is a lot of Hyundai parts appearing under the bonnets of Kia motor vehicles.

Some motoring writers would even suggest that most Kia models are simply a cheaper version of Hyundai models once you remove the outer skin. So it’s not surprising that Kia often attracts lots of positive comments from motoring writers.

The latest Rio is no exception – at least here in Australia – where the vehicle is a real contestant in the small car market. The inclusion of power windows, front and side airbags, CD player and reclining rear seats with variable settings are just a few of the features that come in the latest Rio.

As one writer has pointed out, some of those features aren’t included in larger vehicles that cost twice as much as the Rio.

Rio comes equipped with a zippy 1.6 litre motor that is coupled to either a five speed manual or a four speed automatic box. Reverse is selected by lifting a collar on the gear lever and some people do have trouble with this feature. Others have found the gear box to be a little clunky and one American motoring writer described the gear changing in the latest US version as “disappointing”.

Visibility from the driver’s position is good and when that is added to the small 5 metre turning circle you have a car that is ideal for city driving.

Leg room in the front seats is excellent but, as you would expect, it’s a little cramped for adults in the rear seats. Boot space is excellent even though the Rio comes equipped with a full size spare wheel.

For a full list of the technical specifications check here