2010 Kia Sorento First Drive Review

2010 Kia Sorento First Drive Review

THE 2010 SORENTO is an important model for Kia, and yes, that’s a line we seem to use a lot when talking about the smaller Korean’s recent new models.

Trying to bust out from under the shadow of its bigger brother (Hyundai) has KIA having to work harder to get its new models noticed, let [...]

2010 Kia Sportage Spied Testing In Heavy Camo

2010 Kia Sportage Spied Testing In Heavy Camo

NEW SPY PHOTOS obtained this week reveal that development of the next generation Kia Sportage is nearing completion.

Despite the heavy camouflage, it is clear that the new Sportage - set to be Kia’s fifth all-new model since the Cerato sedan early this year - will wear styling inspired by the 2010 Sorento.

Based on the dynamic [...]

2010 Kia Sorento Released In Australia

2010 Kia Sorento Released In Australia

KIA HAS LAUNCHED its new 2010 Sorento SUV into the Australian market, replacing the first-generation Sorento that has sold almost 900,000 units worldwide since its 2002 introduction.

This time around, five key areas have been the focus for Kia engineers. Performance, fuel economy, reduced emissions, improved on-road handling, greater cabin space and comfort and enhanced crash [...]

2010 Kia Sorento To Tackle Global Green Car Challenge

2010 Kia Sorento To Tackle Global Green Car Challenge

THE ALL-NEW 2010 Kia Sorento, to be launched in Australia this week, is set to take on the 3000km trek from Darwin to Adelaide in this year’s Global Green Car Challenge.

The two Sorento SUVs destined for Darwin will be powered by the new 2.2 litre R-series turbo diesel engine developing 145kW and 422Nm of [...]

2010 Kia Cadenza Revealed; But Don’t Expect It In Australia

2010 Kia Cadenza Revealed; But Don’t Expect It In Australia

FIRST REVEALED back in April as the Kia VG/KND-5 concept, Kia has this week revealed the production version of the 2010 Kia Cadenza luxury sedan.

To be sold internationally as the Cadenza and in Korea as the K7, Kia Australia’s Jonathan Fletcher told TMR that the left-hand-drive-only layout of Kia’s new large sedan means it [...]

Kia Forte (Cerato) LPI Hybrid To Enter Global Green Car Challenge

Kia Forte (Cerato) LPI Hybrid To Enter Global Green Car Challenge

KIA AUSTRALIA is set to enter this year’s Global Green Car Challenge, where it will take on the field with its Kia Forte LPI Hybrid, sold locally (in petrol-engined form) as the Kia Cerato.

The Global Green Car Challenge sees manufacturers and groups from around the world trekking 3000km down the centre of Australia in a [...]

2010 Kia Cerato Koup Road Test Review

2010 Kia Cerato Koup Road Test Review

MAKE YOURSELF a list of every attractive two-door coupe available now in Australia, brand new, for under $25,000. If you’ve got it right, it’s a list of one - you’ll see the 2010 Kia Cerato Koup there and, well, nothing else.

Stretch the dollars to $30,000 ($29,990 to be exact) and you’ll get the Citroen [...]

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review: Part 4

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review: Part 4

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Road Test Review

IT  SOUNDED like a plan. Take the Hume to Sydney, have a bit of a look, then drive back to Melbourne along the New South Wales South Coast.

Yeah, I was up for it. Why not? After all, we had TMR’s long term Kia Cerato SLi itching for [...]

2009 Kia Forte LPi Hybrid To Enter Local Evaluation Trials

2009 Kia Forte LPi Hybrid To Enter Local Evaluation Trials

KIA HAS ANNOUNCED that 50 Forte LPi Hybrids will be trialled around the world, with two cars expected in Australia for local feasibility studies.

Powered by LPG (liquified petroleum gas) and featuring a fuel-saving gas/electric powertrain, the Forte LPi Hybrid could form the basis for an ultra-frugal Cerato variant.

The Korean-market only Kia Forte LPi [...]

2010 Kia Venga (No 3 Concept) To Debut At Frankfurt Motor Show, Aus Debut No Certainty

2010 Kia Venga (No 3 Concept) To Debut At Frankfurt Motor Show, Aus Debut No Certainty

THE 2010 KIA VENGA is set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week. An Australian debut however appears unlikely, Kia’s Jonathan Fletcher told TMR.

The production-ready Venga, based on the Kia No 3 concept revealed at Geneva earlier this year, features styling closely matched to the concept, the main visual difference being the [...]

2010 Kia Cerato Koup Coming To Australia In Late September

2010 Kia Cerato Koup Coming To Australia In Late September

THE 2010 KIA CERATO KOUP, first revealed in concept form early last year, will launch in Australia late next month, priced from around $25,000.

The company’s first two-door coupe, the Cerato Koup will be a halo model for the Korean brand, emphasising the company’s move towards a youthful, more dynamic look.

Speaking with TMR, Kia Australia’s National [...]

New Kia Sorento, Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Yeti, Subaru Liberty Achieve 5-Star Euro NCAP Scores

New Kia Sorento, Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Yeti, Subaru Liberty Achieve 5-Star Euro NCAP Scores

ALL DUE IN AUSTRALIAN showrooms in the near future, a flotilla of new models have been awarded 5-Star crash test scores by Euro NCAP, the European equivalent of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The 2010 Kia Sorento, scheduled for an Australian launch this year, achieved an 87 percent score for Adult Occupant Protection, [...]

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review: Part 3

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review: Part 3

THERE ARE FEW things more important when out on a long day in the car than cruise control and comfortable seats. Both are thankfully features of the 2009 Kia Cerato SLi.

A recent weekend saw TMR head off to Lancefield and Hanging Rock in regional Victoria to shoot photo and video footage for the 2009 Aston [...]

2009 Kia Cerato Limited Edition Announced

2009 Kia Cerato Limited Edition Announced

KIA HAS ANNOUNCED a value-packed limited edition Cerato, on sale now ahead of the model’s 2010 update.

Based on the Kia Cerato S Option Pack, the limited edition Cerato gets over $1200 of no-cost extras, including 15-inch five-spoke polished alloy wheels, a chrome grille frame and tailored front and rear floor mats.

The limited-edition Cerato features [...]

2010 Kia cee’d Revealed Ahead Of Frankfurt Debut

2010 Kia cee’d Revealed Ahead Of Frankfurt Debut

KIA MOTORS has released a handful of images of the new Euro-market cee’d five-door hatch, a month ahead of the car’s official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Kia’s new corporate face has been grafted onto the c’eed’s nose, with the now-familiar chrome-edged ‘dogbone’ grille taking pride of place. Headlight clusters are redesigned as well, and [...]

2010 Kia Sorento To Go On Show At Frankfurt

2010 Kia Sorento To Go On Show At Frankfurt

KIA’S SECOND GENERATION Sorento SUV is set for its European debut at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Although full specifications are yet to be announced, the 2010 Kia Sorento will join the updated Kia cee’d on the show floor. The all new Sorento promises to deliver better handling and lower weight then its body-on-frame predecessor.

Kia expects the [...]

2010 Kia Rio Facelift To Get New Family Face, Due In Australia In Q4 2009

2010 Kia Rio Facelift To Get New Family Face, Due In Australia In Q4 2009

THE FACELIFTED KIA RIO - featuring the new family grille created by Chief Designer Peter Schreyer - will land in Australian showrooms in the fourth quarter of this year.

Sold in Korea as the Pride, the Rio is the company’s volume-selling entry-level model. The refreshed styling of the update will bring the little Kia in line [...]

2009 KIA Cerato SLi Automatic Road Test Review

2009 KIA Cerato SLi Automatic Road Test Review

WE’RE NOW into week five of our long-term test of the Kia Cerato SLi manual, and while the car has mostly endeared itself to the TMR team, it seems there’s one major shortfall in the Cerato experience.

And that’s the manual transmission.

With an incredibly short first gear and a vague clutch pedal, it clouds the enjoyment [...]

2009 Kia Soul CRDi Automatic Road Test Review

2009 Kia Soul CRDi Automatic Road Test Review

ALL TOO OFTEN, what we want is not what we need. What we need usually wins and what we want is impractical and over-priced. Of course there are some exceptions to that rule, and Kia is hoping it’s got one of them for us.

Kia drops its fresh and funky Soul onto an unsuspecting market right [...]

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review: Part 2

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review: Part 2

Read Part 1 of TMR’s Long-Term Kia Cerato SLi Road Test FIVE WEEKS into TMR’s long term test of the stylish new Kia Cerato SLi, things are looking good. Young BIK-22X is proving to be good motoring in TMR’s books. It isn’t faultless, but at this end of the market, [...]

2009 KIA Soul CRDi Manual Road Test Review

2009 KIA Soul CRDi Manual Road Test Review

IT WASN’T SO LONG AGO that the Kia badge was synonymous with cheap economy cars, built for value above all else; robust enough but bereft of thrills.

Economy cars are still its focus these days, but when the Korean company brought its funky new Soul to Australia in April of this year, it announced that it [...]

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review

WHEN KIA MOTORS PR boss Jonathan Fletcher invited TMR to take on a long-term test car and left it to us to decide which model to run with, it wasn’t an easy decision.

The mighty Kia K2700 light truck was a tempting prospect, but commonsense prevailed when we realised that parking it for four months could [...]

2010 Kia Cee’d Facelift Spotted On The ‘Ring

2010 Kia Cee’d Facelift Spotted On The ‘Ring

THREE YEARS SINCE the debut of the Cee’d badge overseas, Kia’s impressive German-designed and Slovakia-built hatch is coming in for a makeover.

Spied shakedown testing on the Nurburgring, these images of the European-market 2010 Kia Cee’d reveal a more sculpted bonnet, while the usual manufacturer camouflage obscures many of the finer details of the front and [...]

2009 Kia Grand Carnival EXE CRDi Road Test Review

2009 Kia Grand Carnival EXE CRDi Road Test Review

KIA HAS STOLEN a march on the people-mover market in Australia by offering family transport solutions that its competitors may have forgotten.

Thanks to a compelling mix of value for money and impressive accommodation, Kia’s Carnival has held the number one spot in the MPV segment since 1999.

Now, to add to the already strong sales of [...]

2010 Kia Cerato Koup US TV Commercial Leaked

2010 Kia Cerato Koup US TV Commercial Leaked

KIA’S APPROACH TO marketing the Soul, both in Australia and around the world, has been to capitalise on its funky styling with a global campaign targeting younger image-conscious buyers looking for the latest in ‘cool’.

Judging by this leaked television commercial for the US launch of the upcoming 2010 Kia Forte Koup - which we’ll [...]

Hyundai ‘Blue’ Range And Kia ‘Fuel-Economy Package’ For US, Not Likely For Aus

Hyundai ‘Blue’ Range And Kia ‘Fuel-Economy Package’ For US, Not Likely For Aus

WHILE HYUNDAI AND KIA already boast a range of models with impressive fuel economy, the Korean manufacturers are not resting on their laurels in the pursuit of fuel economy gains.

The Hyundai Elantra and Accent, along with the Kia Cerato (badged as the Forte) are about to be tweaked in the US with a series of [...]

2009 Kia Soul Officially Vandalised By Kia And Adult Swim TV Network

2009 Kia Soul Officially Vandalised By Kia And Adult Swim TV Network

DESPITE WHAT its name might suggest, Adult Swim isn’t a porn channel (sorry to disappoint). Adult Swim is a TV network in the United States that shares its channel space with Cartoon Network, and like its partner, it focuses on cartoons but with an edgier, more teen and adult-oriented style.

Kia Motors in America recently teamed [...]

Kia Soul, Audi Q5, Honda Jazz And Hyundai i20 Get 5-Star Euro NCAP Rating

Kia Soul, Audi Q5, Honda Jazz And Hyundai i20 Get 5-Star Euro NCAP Rating

JUST AS KIA Australia Public Relations Manager Jonathan Fletcher predicted at the Australian launch of the 2009 Kia Soul, the Korean manufacturer’s funky new small car has achieved top honours in its Euro NCAP safety testing.

According to Euro NCAP, the Soul achieved maximum points in the program’s new testing scheme for child and adult protection [...]

Kia Motors Australia Launches Kia Assurance To Take Pressure Off Buyers

Kia Motors Australia Launches Kia Assurance To Take Pressure Off Buyers

Kia Motors Australia has this week announced Kia Assurance, an insurance product designed to offer peace of mind to intending Kia buyers in the current economic uncertainty.

Kia Assurance is intended as something of a safety net for buyers who become involuntarily unemployed, forced to relocate overseas for work, or unable to drive for medical reasons.

In [...]

2009 Kia Soul Awarded To Online World Cup Tournament Winner

2009 Kia Soul Awarded To Online World Cup Tournament Winner

Along with prize money to the tune of US$20,000 and an invitation to the FIFA World Player Gala 2010, Frenchman Bruce Grannec has scored a 2009 Kia Soul for his winning efforts in the FIFA Interactive World Cup Final in Barcelona, Spain.

Beating out 530,000 online opponents from 52 countries around the world, Grannec made his [...]

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