How good is KIA nowadays?

[Jerrytansg]

Haven they improve over the past years?

Hence going back to my topic. How good is Kia nowadays?

 

Still inferior as compare to the Jap car manufucturers?

 

Frankly, I don't know. What I know is, a car, apart from our house, is the next biggest ticket item. Having said that, I wouldn't want to throw in my hardearned money into something that has yet to prove itself in the market. I am not saying that Japanese cars won't give end users any major problems. But somehow, I personally believe that the probability of a Japanese car failing me is lower...

 

 

[Zacxaviqer]

The reason y Kia nowadays look nicer is becos I heard they manage to "buy" over one of Audi's designer. I guess it's hard to change other pple's perception on Korean car as in terms of technology since old days they are more inferior. My dad used to drive conti, jap and Korean cars. At that time most of the cars already have auto window switch

but the Korean I have to manually do so. Whatever the case, I guess

more imptly u feel happy and contented in ur Kia and dun bother what others have to say.

 

Cheers!

[:)]

 

 

Yup, they brought over Audi designer and made him the Chief designer for Kia. Ever since he arrived at Kia, he facelifted the entire production line. All new cars produced by Kia gives a very styling, comfortable looks such as Cerato Forte, Forte Koup, Sorento, soul etc...

 

I've seen some older version of Kia car and it is unappealing at all. Kia Cerato (old version), Piccanto (Old version) to say a few. The colour that they comes with it. Gold, sliver.... duh....

 

Another view that I have that cast such perception on pple minds is the production of Kia Piccanto. With Kia Piccanto, pple had etched in their mind that Kia is a budget and simple car. For pple who need to travel frequent on the road and yet dun have much resource to afford a car and from there, they start to have the impression that all Kia product are made for the purpose only.

[Zacxaviqer]

to look at the price difference bet jap and korean cars in a way, if you can sell the same type of product at a higher price, it only means your is better than the others. thats why bmw is more expensive than a toyota and then a kia.

 

 

Interestingly, I compared the spec of Kia Koup 2.0 to Civic 2.0.

 

Same bhp, same torque, less functions (no sunroof for Civic) to mention a few but price is miles apart ($20k differences)

 

Either it is the material used for the cars are vastly different thus the price differences or is the marketing strategy that was used by Jap car manufacturer as mentioned by Tom more superior than Kia

 

Seems like Kia's marketing dept not doing too well to promote their brand...

 

I thought they did well. They were the co-sponsor of the WC together with Hyundai. Saw their billboard on the field many times already. Not 1 Jap car sponsor appeared at the WC at all...

[Junjie]

Normal mindset from local motorists, once they see MIK rides, the generic comments will come in; can tahan for 10 yrs or not, high maintenace leh, quality lousy compared to Jap even those made from Tomyum.......but when they asked how much and I told them I brought it for 48999, immediately they kept quiet..... Yes, why I buy Korean car, bcos of budget mah....it suit me well end of the day....

 

With regards to debadge, it's personal preferances, but got to agreed some just can't stand the KIA logo....

[Vextan]

Interestingly, I compared the spec of Kia Koup 2.0 to Civic 2.0.

 

Same bhp, same torque, less functions (no sunroof for Civic) to mention a few but price is miles apart ($20k differences)

 

Either it is the material used for the cars are vastly different thus the price differences or is the marketing strategy that was used by Jap car manufacturer as mentioned by Tom more superior than Kia

 

Seems like Kia's marketing dept not doing too well to promote their brand...

 

I thought they did well. They were the co-sponsor of the WC together with Hyundai. Saw their billboard on the field many times already. Not 1 Jap car sponsor appeared at the WC at all...

cars is not about the specs and style. when the gab between quality becomes smaller, it is the intangible attributes that sets them apart. i.e. build quality and durability, reliability, driveability, road holding and comfort etc. not how many bhp .

[Ben5266]

Haven they improve over the past years?

Hence going back to my topic. How good is Kia nowadays?

 

Still inferior as compare to the Jap car manufucturers?

The old Kia was a problem. But it is history.

The new Kia, looks exciting and has attracted many.

But for the quality, we can only tell after 4-5 years. So, it is premature to judge if Kia has catch up to match or even overtake the Japs in terms of quality and reliability.

So, next time if your friends comment, Kia A sai bo?

You should reply, I will give you my assessment 3 years later.

[Watwheels]

Aiya, the ugly truth is that ppl cannot look past the badge.

 

Same goes for Nissan 370Z vs Porsche Boxster S, both are similar in terms of handling, power & dynamics but ppl would rather go for the Porsche dan Nissan.

 

To be frank, IMO the Killed In Action badge is not appealing.

[Tohto]

Why bother what others said? Is your money and important is you enjoy your ride.

Actually I regret buying a Toyota, if the Forte had release locally half year earlier I will had bought the Forte 2.0L instead of a Toyota already.

Both Hyundai and Kia are doing very well in Europe and the price is on par with the japanese. Only local still think that Japanese car is a class above.

[Ben5266]

Seems like Kia's marketing dept not doing too well to promote their brand...

 

I thought they did well. They were the co-sponsor of the WC together with Hyundai. Saw their billboard on the field many times already. Not 1 Jap car sponsor appeared at the WC at all...

Hallo, they are using Rafeal Nadal you know! World No.1 tennis player with never give up attitude and big biceps. They are targeting the younger generation. So, it is not surprising for your father's generation not to know Kia.

[Fuelsaver]

bro vextan

 

i drivin mit colt plus turbo. frankly, i'd say ur koup quality surpasses mine.

 

ur door closes like conti (but i think too heavy even, mayb 2-dr car lidat?), mine like tin can esp for rear door.

 

quality of interior - ur plastics n mine i think no diff but urs more trendy (mine is of cos few yrs back dsn so might not b fair). wait few yrs den can conclude if ur plastic cracks or fades.

 

engine - about same, roughness when pushed is noticeable.

 

handling - urs felt more planted on ground; mine felt unsettled somewhat.

 

performance - mine wins of cos due to turbo

 

fc - mine is avg 12km/l; ur gotta dirve few mths to confirm.

 

reliability - wait for few yrs den can tell; no pt conclude now.

 

so no worries, enjoy ur ride. but do feedback if u should encounter issues so we could take note if we decide to chg cars! thx!!

[Jkcs]

@Zacxaivqer: Do u really own a KIA or just trying to bash it by creating this thread? After going thru your replies, i believe u just trying to stir up another flame war

[Domh]

Hmmm...korean cars inferior, i beg to differ

 

Koreans has been spending lots of $$ on R&D in recent years and has improved leaps and bounds.

 

1st off is the improvement in design

 

2nd they are one of the few car manufacturer that manufacture their own 6 speed gear box

 

3rd their engines improved by leaps after getting the technology off mitsubishi from their joined effort to creat a new series of engine a few years back, this is the same engine technology that's being used in the lancer ex series of cars. On top of that they spend millions to improve this engine thus what we see now is the new series of engine that actually produces more HP than most japanese mix.

 

So to put it across simply, the korean has arrived and are on par with the japanes. Not that the japanese are no good, they are just being too complacent, and seems that the recent years of economic difficulty in their country has affected their ability to spend $$ on R&D to improve their product. Where else the koreans are pouring $$ into their products to play catch up.

 

In fact if you google it, there are lots of article that plaster the korean with praises on their effort and some even announce that korean products are on par if not better than the Japs car. Plus the pricing

 

So at the end of the day, as long as you know what you are paying for, it's good enough, don't be affected by what others say.

[Xzaviour]

TS, why care about what ppl say.. Its your money, you happy enough leh. Why need to defend your choice since you say its your choice.

[Zacxaviqer]

cars is not about the specs and style. when the gab between quality becomes smaller, it is the intangible attributes that sets them apart. i.e. build quality and durability, reliability, driveability, road holding and comfort etc. not how many bhp .

 

So in your opinions, Kia lose out to Jap car due to which factors?

 

quality, durability, realibility, driveability, road holding, comfort?

 

I tried Jap and Korean car (although my assessment on Korea car is very limited) but so far, I noticed no difference. In fact I thought my current ride is much more comfortable.

 

Japs car is durable. I drove it for almost 3 years (high traveller on the road). No major breakdown except that the batt dies on me once during the 3 years.

 

Realibility - Car starts everytime and also bring me to the destination that I want to go

 

Quality - A bit flimsy. I saw one of the crash test video and I was shocked. I could have died in there if I was involved in a major accident!! (But then again depending on which Toyota model one is driving. I was driving a Vios (new model) back then

 

Drievability - Driveable. No skid, no accident, wheel traction while doing U-Turn is low

 

Road holding - Same assessment as above (same?)

 

Comfort - Not as comfort. Engine sound rather loud. Limited legroom space at the back seat.

 

 

As for my current ride (This cannot be taken as a direct comparison of my assessment on Jap car as they are of different type of cars)

 

Durable - Not known yet. Everything (including all the functions) work perfectly fine

 

Reability - Not known yet too. So far, it has been reliable. Did not stall when there are low fuel

 

Quality - Very sturdy. At least the doors are heavier. My wifey comments that it gives her more security

 

Driveability - Very driveable. With blue tooth fitted in the car, less hassle while answering phone. Slight veered to the left while I drive but the problem was rectified after I went for my first k servcing

 

Road holding - ??

 

Comfort - So much comfortable than my previous ride. Good sound system. More power in the car (of course, Vios was 1.5 and the current is 2.0) No lagging in the pick up while ferring 5 person, smooth ride so far...

 

So... My honest opinion, the current car is better than my previous Jap ride but then again, not a fair comparison because the spec of the car is different

[Zacxaviqer]

@Zacxaivqer: Do u really own a KIA or just trying to bash it by creating this thread? After going thru your replies, i believe u just trying to stir up another flame war

 

Nope. I want to defend them since I owe Kia's car. I'm just putting provocating (or u deem to be) replies to get my answers so that I can faced my critics.

[XenonWhite]

To compare reliability.. Just look at the Avante.. a 4 yr old production car sharing the same platform and engine with the Forte..

[Zacxaviqer]

Hmmm...korean cars inferior, i beg to differ

 

Koreans has been spending lots of $$ on R&D in recent years and has improved leaps and bounds.

 

1st off is the improvement in design

 

2nd they are one of the few car manufacturer that manufacture their own 6 speed gear box

 

3rd their engines improved by leaps after getting the technology off mitsubishi from their joined effort to creat a new series of engine a few years back, this is the same engine technology that's being used in the lancer ex series of cars. On top of that they spend millions to improve this engine thus what we see now is the new series of engine that actually produces more HP than most japanese mix.

 

So to put it across simply, the korean has arrived and are on par with the japanes. Not that the japanese are no good, they are just being too complacent, and seems that the recent years of economic difficulty in their country has affected their ability to spend $$ on R&D to improve their product. Where else the koreans are pouring $$ into their products to play catch up.

 

In fact if you google it, there are lots of article that plaster the korean with praises on their effort and some even announce that korean products are on par if not better than the Japs car. Plus the pricing

 

So at the end of the day, as long as you know what you are paying for, it's good enough, don't be affected by what others say.

 

 

I like this post. At least I know I did not buy a less inferior car afterall...

 

But seriously, the price of the car is alarming. If like what u say, standard are almost on par, then the difference in the price of the car is a big insult to Korean car. Almost $20k diff.

 

Price plays an important part in protraying the perception on the consumer's minds. Expensive stuff = superior quality. Cheap stuff = Inferior quality. So why Kia still continue to sell their product at the low price?

 

Even though they have Rafael Nadal as their main endorser, but when pple see the price and realised that it is way below the price of a Toyota or Honda of equal range, negative perception will be formed.

 

Look, Toyota or Honda doesn't even need any big celeb to advertise for them and yet, their sales are soaring and price still remain very high despite knowing that Kia is coming into the market with the low price strategy.

 

[Kelpie]

Aiya, the ugly truth is that ppl cannot look past the badge.

 

Same goes for Nissan 370Z vs Porsche Boxster S, both are similar in terms of handling, power & dynamics but ppl would rather go for the Porsche dan Nissan.

 

To be frank, IMO the Killed In Action badge is not appealing.

 

This type of thread since like everlasting...like duracell bunnies . Sometimes make people wonder whether some ADs are trying to do Internet social media marketing in MCF space.

 

If want to compare that way, why buy a 320i when I can get a Civic 2.0L? not much different in performance spec mah, why need to pay the extra and etc then etc, this etc and that etc and many etc.

 

In a nutshell, TS pay for what he is comfortable with. Don't come here to MCF and try to justify one's reason of buying a cheaper car with seemingly superior accessories and others and to belittle other mades.

 

If want to compare, go to the race track to fight it out .

 

Regards,