Had to spend 12 hours in Israel visiting a bereaved friend whose father had died suddenly.
Usually I go with the family so take a Mazda 5 or 6, but I ordered a Group A car and got upgraded to a Group G (?) and got a brand new Kia Forte (which I think will be the Cerato in the UK when/if it arrives). I thnk it is a bit like a Ce'ed that has been very slighty stretched and made into a three box saloon rather than a hatch.
What a lovely car. Nicely built, comfortable and stylish interior that was easy to use, drove very well and appeared to be quite economical for an automatic. Being a three box saloon it may not come to the UK, but it wil be another winner from the Koreans if it does.
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Is the Forte available in Gaza I wonder!
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You will surprised what can be smuggled through the tunnels under the Egyptian/Gazan border! Its not just missiles.
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>>> You will surprised what can be smuggled through the tunnels <<<
Well, at least its Sunni out there, as opposed to cold, wet & miserable!
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Interesting report there Espada, i still hear people making snobbish remarks about cars from makers like Kia, a good look round especially underneath followed by a long drive should change those blinkered views...took a while with Japanese cars, and some still don't get it.
Can't see them gaining the all important company car kudos ladder here in Britain for a while yet mind, maybe if they were spending their own money you'd see a swift change in badge preference.
Funny thing the 3 box saloon versions of smaller cars never seem to do very well here, the majority of buyers going for the hatch versions, i'm sure if they managed to not make them look quite so dire in many cases it would help.
I prefer saloons finding them more pleasant in use, i use the boot every day on my car and apart from the proper bootlid being very light you don't lose all the heat from the car when you open it, with the added bonus of not having the horrible experience of being a passenger inside when someone slams a tailgate down.
Could you expand a little on the car spec please...especially which type of auto box.
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Certainly GB as you asked so nicely!
Four speed auto (slushbox) plus tiptronic function.
Reasonably smooth and willing engine, if not very smart to pick up speeds on the motorway.
The drivers seat adjusted in all directions (no lunbar support I think), as did the steering wheel. Some steering wheel controls for the radio/CD which was a perfect example of style, clarity and ease of use. Down below was a cigarette lighter plus a 12v outlet and a USB port. Large boot with ability to drop rear seats whilst standing at the rear of the car.
Remote separate from key but includes lock, unlock, open boot and alarm buttons.
The car handled very well. Modern cars reallly surprise me how good they are, as I am used to cars that are all a little bit higher than usual.
My only 'complaint' was that I really liked the blue lighting of the i30 I drove a few weeks ago whereas the dash lighting of the Forte was a mix of red and white. Not bad just I really liked the blue.
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Thanks Espada.
So in a buyers mind, a car that's as easy as pie to drive with that still unbeatably smooth proper auto, has enough goodies without making it too complicated for the normal buyer and just did what you asked of it.
Is that maybe the philosophy that gave the Japanese such huge market shares in certain sectors?
So long as Kia and Hyundai's (Proton need something to bring the customers in) cars give the service life that their seemingly rock solid warranties promise, i forsee their market share growing continually...especially where the driver is spending their own money.
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You are right.
I know two very wealthy people who have retired to Israel after a life living in the fast lane in the UK. Both drove expensive cars in the UK and had they stayed would have continued to do so. However the tax treatment of such cars is high in Israel so they decided to trade down a bit. Both went for the Hyundai i30 and both are delighted and don't miss their old cars at all.
Certainly, whilst retirement is not on the agenda for me yet, when it happens I also hope to emigrate to the Holy Land and will be more than happy with the equivalent model to the i30 available at the time.
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New Kia Cerato was released in NZ about 6 months ago. Very crisp 3-box design. Nose treatment is very different to the Cee'd though, and I'd wager that the Cerato is actually a size smaller? I'd be happy with one, when/if I'm in the market for a second car for commuting next year.
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Just had a nose at the KIA via Google images. Looks like a nice car. Southern Europe prefers saloons to hatchbacks but in the UK we dont, so we miss out on a lot of saloon stuff.
Edited by J500ANT on 15/11/2009 at 10:00
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