Comments on: 2009 Kia Koup unveiled in New York

By: timmy201

timmy201 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:00:26 +0000

I saw one of these today down at Bombo beach south of Wollongong..

Oh and the KIA logo has an upside down V instead of an A beacuse it was cheaper apparently..

By: hannah

hannah — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:04:51 +0000

im turning 18 in feburary and i work alot and i will buy this car its amazing inside and out but im not sure about the brand but all these comments sound good

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:19:58 +0000

Kia has confirmed the Koup is coming to Australia in September, though no price details have yet been released. I’m sure they’ll tweak the interior a little between now and then, as well as through the car’s retail lifespan. It looks a winner to me, I’ll definitely seriously consider buying it.

By: bigfan82

bigfan82 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:47:33 +0000

I dont want to sound like im really clutching at straws, but the shape of the tail lights i very audi a4/a5. didnt the designer used to work at audi?

By: Ken D

Ken D — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:18:29 +0000

Bring it to Australia please…. If we don’t get a 2.0L Turbo, bring it in with the 2.4L as a performance version compared to the 4 door sedan. That way, if you don’t want the bigger engine, more kW etc, buy the 4 door instead.

$20,000 for a 2.4L, 6 speed manual Koup will be in my garage in no time. Needs a set of 20’s though with a set of lowered springs from Pedders.

Come on Salesman, talk with your mates at Head Office and knock some sense into them. KIA need to make a bold statement and this is there chance.

To all those who knock KIA, I’ve owned 4 KIA’s and I’ve never been happier. They are good cars at a reasonable price.

There will always be people who pay more for a car just because of the badge. That’s there choice and money so I won’t comment. Me, i’m happy to get a good car at a reduced price and spend the saved money on other things that matter in life like family.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:49:23 +0000

Tony, although i agree that there isn’t much wrong with Korean cars anymore and i’m sure one day they will be class competitive, i don’t agree the idea of comparing it to Korean appliances. Some country are good at making certain products and not others, Korea may be good at making TVs, but that doesn’t mean they will be good at making cars. I remember once reading that the head of toyota said hyundai/kia is the brand he sees to be toyota’s biggest competitor in the future, and i think he is every bit right.

By: Damien

Damien — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:08:32 +0000

Civic front mixed with Accord Euro Rear???

By: crouchy

crouchy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:39:33 +0000

Tony,

Initial there was some reservation with buying Korean fridges and LCDs. I certainly remember a lot of quality rumours surrounding LG when they first started selling here.

What happens is that people slowly begin to trust a product and this is whats happening with the car industry, people are starting to beleive that they can ‘take the risk’ in buying a korean car.

Name me an Australian owned and manufactured television that sells in numbers these days. Its the way of our world and unfortunately it is the way our industry is also heading. The sooner Korean cars are excepted into the mainstream, you might as well say good bye to holden and ford.

By: Tony

Tony — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:05:40 +0000

The flip side to that is that if you pay the ‘Japan tax’ for a Honda/Mazda/Toyota you are merely paying for the higher Japanese labour rates and the ‘cachet’ of driving a Japanese car (such as it is).

Let me put it this way… some manufacturers will charge a pretty penny for a car made in Thailand… where you can buy a Ford SUV for USD$11,000 that retails for AUD$40,000 here.

Why should I subsidise the cost structures of a Japanese company?

Korean manufacture seems to be world class. You seem to have little problem with Samsung and LG type goods. Korea also manufactures ships, tanks and military items unlike Australia which buys all her stuff from the US and EU.

Is there a downside to buying a Korean fridge or LCD TV?

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:15:48 +0000

O,
The Kluger doesnt have a diesel either.

I cant help but feel and say out loud that for 18-19k, you will get what you pay for.
A certain truth to that age old saying will still ring true one way or another.

By: o

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:54:17 +0000

locally made products had there chance and failed miserably.
They never plan ahead.
Only when diesel become popular do they look at it,
only when small cars are popular do they decide to build them again.
It ahs taken ford 4 years to put a diesel in the territory and it still doesn’t have one

By: macca

macca — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:50:53 +0000

Salesman, you must have your head buried somewhere to not see the front and rear design being a lot like the new Civic. But its only my opinion. maybe i’m bitter that a overseas company who were rubbish not that long ago is now producing half-pie decent cars at really good prices. its more the impact this is going to have on locally made products which gets me!

By: nobody

nobody — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:40:24 +0000

It does look like a Civic albeit a more simple package, and I don’t mean simple in a bad way. I like the back abit more than the Civic and it would certainly go better than one besides the Type R. I’m sure it would look abit more appealing in real life than in photos.

For the asking price, it’s a pretty damn sweet car and as others pointed out Kia’s been upping the quality by quite a big margin. Kia and Hyundai will no doubt continue to pick up new consumers in this current economic climate if they keep flipping out cars like this and with their current price points.

Now if only Hyundai would bring the Genesis over here…

By: jesse

jesse — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:45:15 +0000

Looks pretty good, and look at the engine spec…impressive Kia…why don’t they bring 2.0T used in Genesis Coupe and stick it in…its gonna be a Civic TypeR killer.

By: John

John — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:48:22 +0000

Ive never thought id ever see the day when a Korean car would look half decent and this car “looks” half decent to me. I wouldn’t drive it but it looks pretty alright. The front has a bit of the Civic and Focus RS look to it.
Throw in a 2L Turbo and RWD and this thing may actually sell very well for a korean car.

By: Frenchie

Frenchie — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:09:08 +0000

Thanks George for the extra photos. If this does sell for $18,990 I think it will sell fairly well!

@O
Agree with you about the badge being a logo.

By: crouchy

crouchy — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:42:59 +0000

this thing looks hot… I can hear all the badge snobs too scared to comment.

You may be right that there is a bit of creative license used here but at least someone is still having a crack at making an affordable car that inspires people.

Yes the interior looks like poor quality but have you seen the pricing of the latest civic type r??? You get what you pay for and from this readers perspective, value for money lies with the Kia.

By: o

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:48:10 +0000

something about the new 3s interior just looks wrong to me.

By: Alan

Alan — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:37:06 +0000

O, i have to disagree with you on the Mazda 3’s interior. I think Mazda and Honda makes the best interior in both design and quality amongst Asian car companies. Toyota though not exciting to look at are of good quality inside. I would agree that Kia and Hyundai has came a long way, and I would say their interior are at least comparable if not better than Mitsubishi and Subaru.

By: o

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:18:41 +0000

The new kia VG concept looks equally stunning.

My idea for a new badge would be a oval with the 2 indents like the new grill