Kia Carens

Paul Owen — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 02:53:07 +0000

Car specifications

Price: $37,990
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct-injection petrol, 122kW/213Nm
Transmission: Six-speed auto, front-wheel-drive
Overall fuel economy: 7.9litres/100km
C02 emissions: 184g/km
Equipment: Includes reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers, and smart cornering headlights.
Safety: Yet to be tested
Factory warranty: Five year/100,000km

You know a car is versatile when it’s hard to classify it. The seven-seat Carens is a good example. For many, it’s a people-mover given the number of pews. For others it’s a station wagon, given that six of those seats can be quickly folded down to create van-like levels of haulage space. For me personally, the Carens is simply a Kia Cerato hatchback with a high-rise roof.
That final definition also describes the way the Carens drives. It shares much with the Cerato – same underpinnings, same powertrain, same electrically-assisted steering with three settings of resistance. So it’s easy to drop into the driver’s seat of the Carens after some wheel time in the Cerato and fail to notice anything that’s different. Even the design of the well-equipped cabin is identical, and only the more raked windscreen, higher roof, and a newly-added front quarter-window create anyb distinction. This is no problem, as the Cerato is a great drive, numb steering wheel aside.
However take the team to an away game, or be the designated driver on a stag-night do, and the extra versatility of the Carens will immediately make its presence felt. Although it’s best to usher those of smaller stature into the two seats in the third row, this is a genuine seven-seater, and a generous Gross Vehicle Rating (GVR) of 2200kg should ensure that any fatties in the group won’t exceed the capabilities of this well-made vehicle. Towing capacity is 1500kg just in case you think the Carens should be classified as an SUV. For extra grunt, a diesel version is available on special order, as is a six-speed manual gearbox for both engines. Ticking both these powertrain options will no doubt improve the fuel use of the Carens considerably.

Good features
The ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of Kia’s burgeoning range of compact vehicles.

Not so good
Men don’t like to be seen in a car named Carens.

Rating 8/10

The post Kia Carens appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

SsangYong Stavic SV200

Paul Owen — Wed, 29 May 2013 06:58:16 +0000

toggle title_open=”Car specifications” title_closed=”Car specifications” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Price: $39,990
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel, 114kW/360Nm
Transmission: five-speed auto, front-wheel-drive
Overall fuel economy: N/A
C02 emissions: N/A
Equipment: Includes Bluetooth wireless but not ESC
Safety: Yet to be tested
Factory warranty: Three year/100,000km[/toggle]

The first Stavic was about as attractive as a powerpoint presentation on wound care, so the only way for the exterior design of the vehicle was up. Enter the second-generation body of the 2013 model; a huge improvement as it no longer frightens the horses. However there is still something a little heavy-handed about the design. The Stavic might no longer be the ugly duckling of the automotive sector, but it also yet to achieve graceful-swan status.
Not the target market will give a hoot. The precocious breeders of the nation will be more concerned about the reduced seat count. The first Stavic had pews for nine, and could even be bought in an 11-seat configuration. The latest seats eight, admittedly with more space and comfort that before, but this could be little consolation if the patter of little feet in the family has assumed the thunder of a stampede.
Fold the second- and third-row seats away and there’s space for a whopping 1320 litres of luggage in the Stavic. It also can tow up to 2000kg thanks to its robust Mercedes-designed automatic gearbox and sturdy separate ladder chassis construction. Yet while the SsangYong is capable of the hard yakka expected of a light commercial vehicle, it doesn’t drive like a van.
The new Stavic does a good impression of SsangYong’s accomplished Korando compact-SUV when you’re at the wheel. Some of this is due to the two vehicles sharing the same frugal 2.0litre diesel powertrain, and the rest is down to the progress the second Stavic displays in terms of sharper steering geometry and improved suspension set-up. So if you can live with the still questionable looks, and without stability control, you won’t find a more versatile vehicle at this price.

Good features
Best number of seats-per-buck on the new car market

Not so good
Not as many of those seats as before

Rating 7/10

The post SsangYong Stavic SV200 appeared first on Automotive News NZ.

Automotive News NZ » People-movers

Kia Carens

Car specifications

SsangYong Stavic SV200