Owning

The Kia's length, width and stretched wheelbase provide excellent legroom in the rear. The boot is also generous, with a 420-litre luggage capacity. In the front, though, the cabin doesn't give you the same sense of space, because the driving position is flawed. Upper-range LS and V6 models get an electric driver's seat as standard, but it doesn't adjust low enough. The amount of reach and rake movement on the steering wheel isn't sufficient, either, so you end up feeling cramped. Seats don't offer much side support either. And although the Kia is very well screwed together, it is summed up by annoying touches such as the aftermarket-style radio and indicators that are on the wrong side of the steering wheel - which ruin the everyday ownership experience. The weighting of the controls could also be better. But equipment levels are very good indeed, though arguably they have to be, given some steep list prices. Depreciation will also be a bit steep, while returns of 38.8mpg from our diesel test car were disappointing - though it had very few miles on the clock. Looser engines often return better figures.

    See also:

    Theft-alarm system
    Theft alarm system will not operate when the ignition key is in the ignition switch. If the lock button on the transmitter is pressed when the key is not in the ignition and any vehicle door or ...

    Safety belts
    Pre-tensioner safety belt Your vehicle is equipped with driver's and front passenger's pre-tensioner safety belts. The purpose of the pretensioner is to make sure that excess slack is taken up ...

    Tires and wheels
    CAUTION When replacing tires, use the same size originally supplied with the vehicle. Using tires of a different size can damage the related parts or make it work irregularly. ...