What do you all think of KIA in general and the look of the KIA Sportage (new one)? Do you think they’re girly? How would you compare Honda quality to Kia?
We currently have a Sportage for my wife. It’s been decent, but I am in the market for a new SUV. I was thinking a black Sportage, but part of me finds them girly. Yet, I have to find something I like better.
Any thoughts/recommendations?
Yes, do your own research because you seem to have thoughts that may not be shared by anyone else.
I appreciate recommendations from
I have never really thought about a car being a girly car or not, if it goes and stops that is all I care about, except for the cars that look just to ugly but given the great reviews for the soul I might almost, think about it but probably not.
I agree with Barkydog, the very concept of a car being girly or not is totally meaningless to me. Yes, they can be totally ugly (think Smart car), or totally non-functional (think very poor visibility or unusable control panel) but not girly.
I think the very term “girly” was thought up by auto marketers as a way to differentiate their product and possibly push sales in their direction.
So, are you man enough to buy one anyway?
Quality seems to be pretty good for Kia and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one. As for “girly” that is totally in the eye of the beholder. Design style is a preference. Mine might not be yours.
Forget all your preconceived notions; cars are gender neutral these days. Only the color will tell something about you. I personally don’t like pink, for instance.
Kia has worked itself up to near the top of the quality heap. I came close to buying a Kia Forte for my wife; and judged the quality close to Honda, Mazda and Toyota. Ended up buying a Mazda3 Sport in bright red. She loves it.
Hope this helps you make a decision. Consider Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Mazda and Subaru close enough in quality that it makes little or no difference for the average car owner. Good maintenance will make the difference in ownership costs.
What about a Subaru Forester? If you want off road capability, the 4Runner is a good bet.
Jman136
"What do you all think of KIA in general…"
What do I think of Kia? I can’t take them seriously where I live as the dealer support stinks. I honestly wouldn’t know which direction to begin driving to get to a Kia dealer, which would be well over 100 miles away (otherwise, I’d know). Likewise for Honda, … Asian and other foreign cars in general.
I hope dealer support for the Korean cars is good in your vicinity. Since you own one then I guess you have at least one dealer near you.
CSA
Do you even need a crossover, if so they are all about the same. The bigger ones are glorified minivans, the small ones are more efficient.
We have a Hyundai Tucson (the twin to Sportage) and we share it between me, my wife and daughter and have not noticed any change in our hormones!
As far as Koreans, they offer good value, all 3 cars we have now are hyundai’s and no problems yet. I have owned plenty of makes and models and come to learn the initial purchase price is the biggest hit. If you maintain any newer car well, chances are you will get good service out of them. There are always surprises and lemons, but that happens with any make.
KIA killed in action.
We have 4 Kia dealers in our city and also 4 Hyundai dealers. No problems with service. I agree that if you live in a very remote area you should concentrate on what dealers in the area sell. My brother in law lives in a small town with a GM (Buick/Chevrolet) dealership and a good Toyota dealer. Most cars there are those 2 makes.
Last year Kia was the top brand in Initial Quality according to Powers.
We have a family down the street where the wife, a cute 5 ft 4 30 year old drives a top of the line BLACK F-150, while the husband, who works downtown, drives a compact car there since it is easier to park. The husbands likes to get rid if the truck but the wife won’t let him. They spend a lot of time in the mountains on the weekend and the truck likes the back country.
I never thought about it either until I acquired my 1996 Mazda Miata. Females often exclaimed “It’s so cute and it’s always smiling”. I was not really bothered as long the car put a smile on my face every time I drove it. When purchasing my 2010 Kia Forte I quipped to the sales manager that my 8 and 10 year old Granddaughters would probably prefer the Soul. Especially if it came with the giant hamsters.
The VW New Beetle’s bud vase was rather obvious.
I have advised people in desperate need of a bargain car to look for a pink soccer mom van along with several other model/color combinations that are largely ostracized. Don’t get me wrong, I have my own aversions to certain models but if a Cadillac Escalade got 40 mpg and was as cheaply and easily repaired as my old trucks I might offer someone $2,000 for a late model low mileage regardless of the color.
But just think about this @Jman136 , if the spare tire were mounted on the front bumper and a kayak tied on the roof a Sportage would look kinda Manly.
Yup!
Many years ago, I knew a guy who was desperate for a cheap, new vehicle and he found an Isuzu Rodeo that was…more or less…fuchsia in color, and as a result it had been languishing on the dealer’s lot for a very long time. He got a YUGE discount on that vehicle because of the very unusual color.
A good customer once took my advice and checked out the Montana vans and found one in a realy garish color. He said he thought the dealer was ready to pay someone to drive it away to make room for something that would sell. With 2 toddlers and new born twins he needed all the room he could afford and he couldn’t afford much, needless to say.
