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 [...]

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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 [...]

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The original Hyundai Grandeur first put in an appearance in 1999. Priced then at $33,990, it was a largely forgettable early attempt at ‘luxury motoring on a budget’ from the Korean manufacturer.

But we should all know by now that Hyundai is a fast learner.

Hyundai’s latest Grandeur is essentially an updated version of the current generation [...]

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There’s going to be an awful lot of people coming to the Motor Show this year, and, keeping this in mind, Kia has decided to show its best effort at shifting an awful lot of people.

The Kia Grand Carnival CRDi takes the people-shifting capability of the V6 Grand Carnival but adds a frugal 2.9 litre [...]

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Our cousins over in the Land of the Long White Cloud (aka Middle Earth) have crowned Hyundai’s diesel-drinking Santa Fe as the most fuel efficient large SUV after it scored top spot in its class at the AA Energywise economy rally.

The rally, which covers 1641 kilometres in four days of solid driving, aimed to [...]

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Hyundai Australia has expanded its range of oil-burnin’ thrift-mobiles with the addition of an automatic transmission to the iMax CRDi’, previously only available with a five-speed manual gearbox.

Hyundai’s ‘Selectronic’ self-shifter also features a tiptronic mode, giving drivers of the big Korean people-mover a greater degree of control over ratio selection.

However, the added convenience of the [...]

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Hyundai has released details of its 2009 Grandeur large sedan range, and the big news is that it now includes a diesel option, with the introduction of the 2.2 litre CRDi turbo diesel engine which achieves 7.9 L/100km fuel economy*. It also comes with a range of enhancements and refinements over the older model.

The 2009 Grandeur offers [...]

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Famous Australian Eco-adventurer Hans Tholstrop has just completed an economy trial and the result is remarkable. Hans has taken a manual Hyundai i30 SX CRDi turbo Diesel, with Cub Kamparoo Weekender trailer attached and driven from Sydney to Melbourne on less than one tank of diesel. The frugal Hyundai’s fuel tank capacity [...]

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You might not know that the Datsun 1600 never managed a ‘Wheels Car of the Year’ award in its years on the Australian market from 1967. No, the Morris 1100, the VE Valiant and XP Falcon – they were the COTY stuff of champions then!

Funny thing is, nearly everyone else who drove the 1600 [...]

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Kia Motors Australia CEO, Mr SK Lee believes that as larger volumes of Kia’s 2008 model range hit the streets, Kia resale values will begin to rise. This follows the recent announcement of a full five-year factory-backed warranty for all new Kia vehicles sold since 1 January 2008.

“Kia vehicles have rapidly been achieving greater [...]

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Kia is ‘going green’ with their 2009 European product line-up by producing an ‘eco’ version of their new cee’d. Based largely on the eco_cee’d concept car that Kia unveiled at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show the aim is to achieve better fuel consumption, with fewer emissions while offering an enjoyable driving experience.

The eco_cee’d concept combined [...]

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