How good is KIA nowadays?

[Zacxaviqer]

The reason why Kia was cheap the past 2 years i because KRW is relatively weak as compared to JPY thus the difference in OMV which in turn would affect prices and the tax payable is different. In the recent months , KRW appreciated quite a fair bit , it would eat into AD's profits and come a couple of months time , KR cars prices might catch up with Jap brands , by that time , we would see if people think it would be worthwhile to buy a KR car given a high coe.

 

If one can buy BMW would he choose Kia? Is BMW more reliable as compared to a Toyota or a KR make , i doubt so. Simple reason why people buy their cars , it is just whether if they think it is worth the money they pay. At the end of the day , not rich can only choose budget cars just admit it. Trying to push other makes down is just simply indirectly admit that you won't/not able to spent that kind of money. At the end of the day , the choice you make is indirectly related to the amounts you make. Simple as that.

 

.............

 

Why try so hard to justify the buy? Spend the time trying to earn more money and buy better car to get rid of the lesser car ego. If the purpose is just to get from point a to point b , since you have already paid for the car, why bother about justifying your buy. Not happy with the car , sell it and buy other car lor.

 

 

I'm not posting here to undermine other brand of cars. I'm posting here to understand more about Kia, in terms of their technology and where they are at as compared to other brands of car.

 

Did I downplay other brand of cars? Did I say Jap cars is not as good as Korean cars? I was just merely doing a comparison between Korean car and Jap Car and pondering why Jap car are charge higher than Korean when the spec is the same or less. If u can provide a comparsion to show that Jap cars got more stuff in them in term of performance or other factors and that why that cost is higher, I will accept it. That is only right after all.

 

I'm not here to boost but to understand why the perception was formed among pple. Your point of "not rich can only choose budget cars just admit it" is unjustifiable. All of us lives they type of life we want to live. Some wanted more lavish holiday therefore forsaking their cars and house, Some wanted better cars therefore forsaking their annual holidays. They are rich to buy some of the best cars in the world but they choose to buy other brands of car. Instead they went overseas for a year. So do u based on the car they drove to determine whether they are rich?

 

"Spend the time trying to earn more money and buy better car to get rid of the lesser car ego" - Same point as above. I may be rich but I still want to drive arnd on my Kia. So what??

 

The brand of the car doesn't not show your wealth. It only show your preferences in choosing a car for yourself.

[GoodCar]

Good write up bro.

[Soya]

When I got my Toyota a few years back (before I make the switch), the older generation (e.g. my Dad) commented that, wah, u owe a Toyota Car! and gives me the thumb up.

 

This time round, when I told him that I'm getting Kia, his reaction was less enthuastic. "Huh? Why Kia? Why change Toyota to Kia, not earning enough ar?" Downgrade ar?"

 

exactly! old thinking vs current thinking. which one u think is more relevant?

[Kelpie]

People are not happy to pay a lower price for a good car?

People rather pay premium for a car that is make in Tomyum land but charge u at Japan price?

 

Heard ache to see people throwing away their hard earn money this way.

 

Don't worry too much lah. If like that, there will only be one car brand and one model for everyone in the world to drive liao .

 

Regards,

[Jp66]

@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

Maybe he is Kia SE, hoping all Jipon car owners switch to Kia and then give constructive comments here. Since I don't own a Kia now, I can't comment much. I will comment after I own one, if I can't, I will ask my son or grandson to follow up.

[Zacxaviqer]

Do you believe in your own judgement or other's?

 

You should have more confidence in yourself and your own decision rather than be affected by what others say or think about your choice of car.

 

Perhaps its the lack of knowledge about the car industry that made you feel this way but it is understandable that many people lack the time and interest to really read up.

 

A confident person doesn't need to depend on his car and other material assets to make him feel good in the eyes of others. If he indeed feel good about his car, it is for himself and not others.

 

Back to your topic and questions.....Bear in mind that my answers to you are based from facts and statistics rather than any bias because I used to hate Korean cars with their old Elantra, Accent, Sonata.

 

Why is Kia making headlines nowadays and more people are buying them?

 

Don't just look at Singapore sales figures, look at their global sales and you will realise that they are going up, up and up year after year.

 

Why? It all started when they hired the ex-Audi designer Peter Schreyer. They paid him an astronamical salary plus a stake in the company. That is why we have great designs on Kia cars now and that certainly attracts a lot of interest. Just like you, you were wowed by its design and bought it although you didn't know how Kia got to where they are now.

 

So they look really good but are they as good as they look. Kia is selling only bread and butter cars and we should compare them to similar Japanese cars. From my comparison and reviews from leading car magazines, they are definitely as good, some are better in some areas, some weaker in some areas but unlike the old days when Japanese cars beat them on everything, it is no longer the case.

 

But magazine reviews do not cover reliability so how do we know if they are reliable?

Once again we look at customer satisfaction polls and we see that the Forte and C'eed rank very highly. I have no time to dig up the articles but it is there. I know many Kia/hyundai owners as well as for other makes and am one myself and parts are cheap. So they are as reliable as Jap cars. Don't worry, they can stand up to harsh use and abuse ( I have witnessed a few cases of my relatives literally driving the cars to M'sia frequently and without proper servicing and maintenence and didn't encounter any breakdown for year after year.

For a long time, Kia has a 10-yr warranty in the US and 7 yr warranty in Europe and it has worked well for them due to the low rate of warranty claims. Its 5-yr in SG. So what do you think of its reliability.

 

Why the low OMV?

Low OMV is due to weak Korean Won as opposed to the strong Jap Yen.

Low OMV is also due to low cost due to efficient production methods and supply chain and NOT cheap production methods. Thay have one of the largest and most advanced production plants in the world. Again I have no time to dig up the article and it is too lenghty for casual reading.

 

Why the low Price?

That is due to the low OMV of course and the lower margins of the AD.

 

Why low AD margins?

Because the quality and design is there but people don't realise it yet so they need to sell them at lower prices so that more people will buy and realise that they as good as Jap cars and trust me when that happens, demand will increase and prices will surely rise just like Samsung Displays. The days of cheap Korean displays are over and one day the same will happen to Korean cars.

 

In case I look like a Kia insider, I tell you my bad opinions about Kia too.

 

1. They make competitive engines but none of them sound good.

2. A lot of hard plastics but they are of good quality though. Many Jap cars are like that too.

3. They have competent but dull handling but can't expect much from a bread and butter car.

 

Hope I have answered most of your questions.

 

 

Very informative. It's good to know that Kia stands toe to toe with Jap car manufacturers... pity that not many pple are as knowledgable and thinks the same way as you do.

 

In my circle of frens, only a few knew that Kia is an up and coming brand. The delusive ones still thinks that Jap and Conti car are better. Korean car are just slightly better than China made or Malaysia made cars.

 

[Gspot]

I feel that Japanese cars have more heritage and such e.g. rally cars etc have a longer history .. to me e.g. KIA Koup though looking very solid and pretty but it lacks character, soul... i am not saying KIA is bad or what but we need a few more years to see how good it is instead of seeing it now ... my 2 cents.

[Zacxaviqer]

exactly! old thinking vs current thinking. which one u think is more relevant?

 

 

But many still preset their minds with the old thinking.

 

My colleagues told me similar things. "Kia very lousy 1 lei..."

 

She is arnd my age btw...

[Ender]

As you said most likely...but i know of people borrowed money from friends and relatives to pump petrol...and they're driving S350, 335, WRX and EVO etc...I even loan $50 to one friend driving WRX to pump minyak...5 years liao $50 still not back in my wallet...

 

Lending money to feed someone else's vanity, very difficult to get it back. Coz when they have money on hand, returning the money is not their priority, but rather spend in other vanity stuff.

[Zacxaviqer]

Maybe he is Kia SE, hoping all Jipon car owners switch to Kia and then give constructive comments here. Since I don't own a Kia now, I can't comment much. I will comment after I own one, if I can't, I will ask my son or grandson to follow up.

 

 

I'm not. I just want to know how good Kia is against those jap car companies and how far is Kia away from other the Jap companies. I will acknowledge any one who gives constructive comments, be it toward Jap car manufacturer or Korean car manufacturer.

[Ingenius]

truth be told, kia cars are really poor. but their image has been lifted by the modern styling. in the past decades kia has always been known as lousy car. better looking means suddenly becomes good ?

Edited July 15, 2010 by Ingenius

[Zacxaviqer]

i was caught in a situation before last time when im getting my first car.

my gf and i test drove the cerato forte, hyndai i30, lancer ex and altis.

 

to be really honest, both of us were very impressed with the cerato forte. (tat time dun have koup yet if not i will also try). the drive was good and the accessories were wonderful. among all the cars we tried, we like cerato forte best.

 

i then took the KIA brochure back home and told my parents my decision.

 

and they said...

 

'aiyo, korean cars no good la. you see uncle david drive the hyundai matrix, macham like drink water. then my colleague drive KIA cars lagi worse, break down after 2 years nia. '

 

then my gf's father also said the same thing to me. 'aiyo, resale value no good for korean cars lei. breakdown easily oso.'

 

blah blah blah...

 

so to spare myself from all the nagging, i got myself a jap car.

 

my tots are in order to remove the stigma about the reliability of Korean cars, we just have to observe the newer generations like Avante, Forte or even Soul over the next few years.

 

then can we convince pple about their improvements.

 

Exactly. Most of my fren started lambasting me for choosing a Korean car over a Jap car. I mean wth. Did they lambast me based on their own perception of the cars or did they lambast me based on the merits of Jap car over the korean car...

 

[Joseph22]

Very informative. It's good to know that Kia stands toe to toe with Jap car manufacturers... pity that not many pple are as knowledgable and thinks the same way as you do.

 

In my circle of frens, only a few knew that Kia is an up and coming brand. The delusive ones still thinks that Jap and Conti car are better. Korean car are just slightly better than China made or Malaysia made cars.

 

 

The true is Jap and Conti are indeed still better.

 

Kia is coming up yes but still not there yet.

 

unless you are saying Kia is now on par with Jap and conti (which we all know it is not at the moment. near to jap yes but on par no).

 

so your friend is not wrong except may be the part where Korean car are only slightly better.

 

real situation below.

 

My uncle Kia Cerator bought in 2007 compare to my Lance GLX bought in 2006.

my miledge - 100K his around 50K.

 

His comment when i drove him to eat (near my place so doesn't make sense to drive 2 car.)

 

Jap car is still better after 2 years. more quite and drive still more comfort and steady.

 

improve alot. but not yet reach the same standard.

Edited July 15, 2010 by Joseph22

[Soya]

But many still preset their minds with the old thinking.

 

My colleagues told me similar things. "Kia very lousy 1 lei..."

 

She is arnd my age btw...

 

aiyo, why u so bothered abt what the ignorant think? kia's latest product lineup matches, if not surpasses, the under-spec & overpriced jap lineup.

 

and please dun go n remove the KIA badge thinking ppl will judge you or your car differently. that'll be a real sign of inferority complex. it's a good product so be proud of you choice!

 

 

 

 

[Zacxaviqer]

The true is Jap and Conti are indeed still better.

 

Kia is coming up yes but still not there yet.

 

unless you are saying Kia is now on par with Jap and conti (which we all know it is not at the moment. near to jap yes but on par no).

 

so your friend is not wrong except may be the part where Korean car are only slightly better.

 

real situation below.

 

My uncle Kia Cerator bought in 2007 compare to my Lance GLX bought in 2006.

my miledge - 100K his around 50K.

 

His comment when i drove him to eat (near my place so doesn't make sense to drive 2 car.)

 

Jap car is still better after 2 years. more quite and drive still more comfort and steady.

 

improve alot. but not yet reach the same standard.

 

Ok I retract my statement. I'm not saying that Korean car is on par than jap car or Conti car. My point is those delusive ones still thinks that jap car and conti car are way way ahead of korean made car hence their remarks such as ,"Kia very lousy one" , "Why bother to buy Kia, I would rather buy Honda", "Kia car is known to be cheap lah because quality not that good" etc. However from so many bros here who give their insight into korean made cars, Korean car industry has definitely arrived and they are too far from Jap make car or Conti make cars.

 

[Zacxaviqer]

aiyo, why u so bothered abt what the ignorant think? kia's latest product lineup matches, if not surpasses, the under-spec & overpriced jap lineup.

 

and please dun go n remove the KIA badge thinking ppl will judge you or your car differently. that'll be a real sign of inferority complex. it's a good product so be proud of you choice!

 

 

To be frank, one such remark is ok. But ever since I received my new rides, about 2 to 3 weeks ago, almost all my frens except one of them says that to buy Kia is a wrong move.

 

To a certain extend, frustrate me.

[Coupecabriolet]

i've never driven a KIA before, only until recently my younger bro got a new forte koup. have been driving it for 1month+ already until my own car is ready. the fit & finish is commendable, makes me wonder why many people are bashing KIA? the engine performs well at this stage, since its still new and below 5000km mileage. looks wise and car features is outstanding, already known to many people out there. just compare specs and features with a jap car of the same category, you will realise the jap car offer less, much less, for a higher price.. usually much higher price.

 

my previous car is renault megane cabriolet.. fit & finish isnt very good usually for french cars. i'd rate the KIA built quality in the cabin higher than my cabrio's. then again, i'm not defending KIA juz becuz my family has one. i wont even defend my megane cabriolet anyway.. because sometimes we make impulsive decisions. but with KIA forte koup, i'm sure i haven't done the same for my brother.

[Soya]

To be frank, one such remark is ok. But ever since I received my new rides, about 2 to 3 weeks ago, almost all my frens except one of them says that to buy Kia is a wrong move.

 

To a certain extend, frustrate me.

 

no point being so frustrated. best is sell off your koup and buy a low-spec beige altis wif shiny plastic wood inside. your dear frens sure to worship u then.