Category: Road Test

A fresh face and a new set of ‘shoes’ are Kia’s attempt to keep its Optima mid-size sedan appealing in an ever-changing Australian car market. Pricing has come in for a haircut too. The MY2019 entry-level Si and premium GT pair gain a new grille and front fascia, upper and lower rear panels and re-styled wheels. Inside, the Optima gains the new OEM infotainment head unit (7-inch for the Si and 8-inch for the GT) with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto tie-up. Kia’s Australian engineering team once again has rolled… Read more

Since it was launched 12 months ago, the Kia Picanto has taken up a position at the leading edge of the Australian light-car market. In January that edge was sharpened with the addition of a special edition, designated GT-Line, to mark Kia’s sponsorship of the Australian Tennis Open. Such was the popularity of the sporty Picanto, the new ‘top seed’ has been made a permanent fixture of the team, at $17,290, plus on-road costs. Already replete with features following a substantial upgrade in equipment, including the addition of Apple i-Play,… Read more

Living with the latest Kia Carnival finally put paid to the notion that people movers (also known as crossover utility vehicles these days) are vans with sparse seating, pokey windows down both sides and access to a take-it-or-leave-it luggage area through an ungainly back door. The third generation Kia Carnival has just had a mid-cycle makeover that centres on comfort and safety upgrades. The model range – Carnival S, Si, SLi and Platinum – stays the same. So do the petrol and turbo-diesel engines on offer. However, the latter are… Read more