Currently driving a KIA Sedona diesel automatic whilst overseas.
Possibly the most unsafe car I have ever driven. The turbo lag is so great that the car will not pull the skin of a rice pudding until it reaches about 1,800 revs at which point it takes off like a scalded cat. No acceleration away from a sanding start, roundabouts need careful preparation and lots of use of the tiptronic version of the gearbox and plane silly gearing so that the cruising revs are so high (presumably for economy) that there is every need for kickdown if you just think about overtaking.
Ugh!
Mind you, it is reasonably economical for a car of this size (i.e. huge).
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This won't do the car much good, but as the lights change hold the brake pedal down and push the accelerator a bit until you feel the car surge forward slightly. Release the brake pedal and mash the accelerator to the floor and the thing won't just tear the skin off the rice pudding, it'll drag the whole aisle out of the supermarket. Ahem.
Not that I've had to suffer with the diesel version; we had the V6 petrol with 250BHP, IIRC. 0-60 still took 14 seconds even if you wound it up a bit.
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we had the V6 petrol with 250BHP IIRC. 0-60 still took 14 seconds even if you wound it up a bit.
250 bhp. 0-60 14 seconds.!!!!!!! How much did the damn thing weigh then?
MD
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I once had a lift in one of those very vehicles which had been hired by an Australian footwear agent cum middle aged jewish Israeli ex-pat surfer dude cum ex-professional tennis player with purple hair. He was actually a very nice chap if a bit weird. Odd trousers too.
We were in nothern Israel at the time where there are some fairly twisty winding hilly roads. Guessing you might not be too far from there ?
That car couldn't pull the skin off a chicken soup either. Comfy enough though.
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ugly heaps
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Having carried a good number of these i can confirm they have a heavy chassis and some weigh around the 2 ton mark, probably why they are a little sluggish.
Confess i like them though, but wouldn't expect a truck based MPV to have sports car performance.
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I noticed the same problem at roundabouts with a diesel automatic Sharan. The only sure way of achieving a good getaway was to drop it into 1st with the tiptronic as you approached, then it went when you put your foot down, as opposed to a couple of seconds later!
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As Humph has correctly identified, I am in Israel and will try the 'winding up the torque converter' method.......................
I don't expect sports car performance but even SWMBO has noticed the problem.
See you back here in two weeks!!
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Don't know if this would count as the worst combination. But what about a Ford Focus 1.6 automatic (4 Speed box). It didn't matter what you done with the accelarator it still went absolutely no where. I know other people have pointed this out as being the weak link in the supposedly excellent Focus line up.
With this car if any of your driving involved changing gear then you were better of just putting it into the "manual mode" and operating it like that!.
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@MD
The Kia UK website gives the 2.7 V6 auto a 0-62 time of 14s, although it states the power is 186bhp. Gross vehicle weght is 2765kg.
Edited by Focus {P} on 17/08/2009 at 11:04
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No wonder its slow weighing almost three tons and a power to weight ratio of very little.
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Finally got to give the Sedona a good thrashing today on a 250 mile trip to the north of Israel along roads with have average speeds of about 50mph but with lots of hills and good opportunities for using the tiptronic to blast some crud out of the engine.
For Humph's eye's only - we spent 8 minutes at Naot Mordechai in which time SWMBO bought a pair of silver Naot Teva sandals.........
Anyway returned this evening and was overtaken once and that by a fast driving BMW 7-series with very blue/white headlights. Once over 1800 rpm the Sedona can move, but it takes so long to get above 1800rpm that the overtaking opportunity has gone. I resorted to leaving the car in third gear and at 3000rpm. Seemed to work...........
Back home soon [sigh].
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If you didn't like the Kia Sedona (a car I have never driven) don't get in an auto Mitsubishi Colt. Had one as a loan car up in London, and when I needed to nip into a gap, put my foot down and nothing happened for what seemed like 5 seconds, but probably more like 1 second. Slightly disconcerting to say the least!
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