KIA CERATO IS WELL-EQUIPPED AND KEENLY PRICED

Launched here in 2004, the small Cerato hatch or sedan has been one of Kia’s biggest sellers, often sharing the Australian sales podium alongside Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda3. The current, fourth generation, Cerato has been on sale here since 2018 with an upgrade in 2021 adding new tech features as well as the fresh new Kia logo. The next generation Cerato is due early in 2025 but it will be given a name change, adopting the global name of K4. Let’s hope that Kia doesn’t face the same… Read more

KIA PICANTO GT-LINE ROAD TEST

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

KIA EV9 GT-LINE AWD

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

NEW KIA SORENTO

Kia Australia has announced details of the MY2024 Sorento large SUV with refreshed the exterior and interior design, upgraded comfort and convenience technology, and additional safety features. As before there is a large range of options including petrol and diesel engines, with hybrid, plug-in hybrid, front and all-wheel drive, and four equipment levels. The petrol and diesel variants will be launched later this month in this initial Sorento upgrade release. HEV and PHEV variants will be arriving later in the first half of 2024, with specification details and pricing announced… Read more

NEW KIA PICANTO

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

NEW KIA EV9 IS BIG, BOLD AND BATTERY-POWERED

  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

KIA SPORTAGE SX+ 1.6-LITRE TURBO PETROL AWD

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

PRICE AN ELECTRIC SHOCK FROM KIA

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

ELECTRIC VEHICLES – MYTHS VERSUS REALITY

    The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), the national body representing the electric  vehicle industry in Australia, has moved to dispel some of the common myths about  electric vehicles.   MYTH 1: NOT ENOUGH DRIVING RANGE Today’s EVs have enough battery range to meet the average Australian’s driving  needs for over a week.   Current EVs have an average battery range of 480km but the technology is  advancing so rapidly that new models can drive for almost 550km on a single  charge.   The average Australian drives 38km per day… Read more