Tag: GT-Line

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KIA PICANTO GT-LINE ROAD TEST

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While the battle rages for the high ground of the top tech, and expensive, electrified territory of the automotive world, a rear-guard action from the internal combustion engine bargain basement is taking place. Micro cars such as the MG 3, Suzuki Ignis, Fiat 500 and Mazda 2 are leading the charge to defend ICE(land). The latest call to arms comes from Kia with its upgraded Picanto. What are its chances? Sadly, gone ta-taas is the popular GT, replaced by a pair of GT-Line legionnaires. Kia says it has called on… Read more

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KIA EV9 GT-LINE AWD

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Sounds too good to be true, but it is. EV9 is Kia’s latest and greatest wunderkind, an EV that seats seven and can travel more than 500km on a single charge. In the early days of the modern electric era, it was suggested that families would have two cars: a compact battery-electric vehicle for city use and larger, hybrid SUV for inter-urban travel. A decade later they’ve had a rethink and EVs of different shapes and sizes are becoming an increasingly common sight on our motorways, but we’ve still got… Read more

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NEW KIA PICANTO

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Kia has announced details of the latest version of its Picanto city car. Cars of this size have historically been poor sellers in Australia with its sprawling suburbs however increasing environmental awareness did there was a surge in popularity of the segment which saw Kia begin importing the Picanto in 2015. The arrival of compact SUVs has seen the micro segment dwindle to just two cars – Picanto and Fiat 500 with the little Kia outselling the Italian mini by a ratio of 9 to 1. As with the other… Read more

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NEW KIA EV9 IS BIG, BOLD AND BATTERY-POWERED

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  Kia’s commitment to electric vehicles has taken a major step forward with the arrival of its new fully-electric flagship EV9, a large and luxurious three-row SUV. The biggest and most expensive Kia model to date, the EV9 range will comprise three variants: Air, Earth and GT-Line with the Air and GT-Line on sale now and the Earth trim to follow early in the new year. Will the EV9 cost you the earth? Maybe not, but when it gets here the mid-range Earth will cost you $106,500, sitting between the… Read more

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KIA SPORTAGE SX+ 1.6-LITRE TURBO PETROL AWD

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Our old friend the Kia Sportage needs little introduction. It’s one of the best-selling SUVs in the country and we’ve owned a couple over the years, including the first one. Now in its fifth generation the current model was released in 2021 and is a much larger vehicle than its predecessors. With seating for five, it’s 17.5cm longer and has an 85mm longer wheelbase than the previous model, and that translates to a more interior space, together with more rear legroom. Long story short, you get more car for your… Read more

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PRICE AN ELECTRIC SHOCK FROM KIA

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Not before time, it’s a chance to dip a toe into the expanding pool of Kia electric vehicles with a stint in the Niro compact sports utility, albeit the top-of-the-range GT- Line. And there looms the first obstacle: where the EV models open their account at $44,380, plus on-road costs, for the petrol / electric hybrid Niro HEV S, the full electric GT-Line sets back the buyer $72,100. That’s a big pile of dosh to step over. And what do you receive in return? The second-generation Niro has landed with… Read more

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KIA TO FRESHEN UP ITS CUTE PICANTO HATCH

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Kia has provided details of a refreshed version of its Picanto compact hatchback with styling changes, safety improvements and advanced technology. Although Picanto had been on sale overseas since 2003 it took until the release of its third-generation model in 2017 for it to go on sale here. Despite early concerns that it could be too small for Australian buyer preferences it has proved to be a very popular addition to the booming Kia fleet with a clear sales focus on younger drivers. The MY2024 Picanto is a second upgrade… Read more

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KIA STONIC IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED

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Based on the same platform as the Rio hatch, Stonic is the smallest of Kia’s SUVs. Designed by the maestro Peter Schreyer, the name is a combination of the words “stylish” and “iconic”. In Australia Stonic is available with 1.4-litre four cylinder or turbocharged 1.0-litre three- cylinder petrol engines, the latter confined to the top of the range GT-Line. Top seller in this section of the market is the Mazda CX-3, followed by the Toyota Yaris Cross, with the Hyundai venue in third place. Nipping at their heels is the… Read more

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KIA SUV HYBRID LEFT HIGH AND DRY

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Long Covid? Try long Kia. The South Korea automobile maker is suffering lingering post-pandemic ‘sickness’ with its Sorento Hybrid SUV being held up by supply issues and the maker offering the vehicle in top-spec GT-Line only. The same goes for the Plug-in Hybrid. The Sorento sports utility vehicle has been a major part of the Kia catalogue for two decades, with the fourth generation seeing the light of day in 2020 in petrol and diesel variants. Now the range is topped off with petrol / electric hybrids boasting room for… Read more

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KIA SELTOS SPORT+

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Seltos is the second smallest model in Kia’s SUV range, sitting above the compact Stonic and below the Sportage. It competes against vehicles such as the MG ZS, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30 and Mitsubishi ASX. Originally launched here in late 2019 Seltos received a major upgrade in November 2022 with exterior and interior changes, safety improvements, new tech features, plus extra power and a new transmission for the top-spec model. The changes do come at a price with increases of at least $2200 across the range, although they can probably… Read more