Leftlane’s bottom line

Kia is no longer content to be the butt of jokes or the car of last resort for those who may be fiscally challenged.

Although still very much a Hyundai rival, Kia finally has a design language and style of its own. The brand is making all the right moves, unlike a certain Japanese rival that seems to make all the wrong decisions these days.

This particular Korean firm is succeeding in their quest to become a tier-one import that won’t cause anyone to have to explain their purchases. Competing brands should do well to look over their shoulders for there is a new contender gaining on them.

    See also:

    Additional Horsepower
    The 2.4-liter 161-horsepower 4-cylinder engine has gained 23 horsepower from the early-2006 model and provides good acceleration below 60 mph—but average performance above that speed. The 2.7-li ...

    Powerful braking for rapid stopping
    The Kia cee'd has a power-assisted all-disc braking system which delivers excellent stopping power that is highly competitive in the C-segment. The large diameter 280 mm ventilated front discs and ...

    Fine-tuning an already competitive Ride & Handling package
    When they developed the original Kia cee'd, Kia's European chassis engineers based in Germany were determined to ensure that the newcomer was among the 'segment-best' for ride and handling - targe ...