MOTORS

A DRIVING day featuring almost their whole car range highlighted just what a motoring force Kia have become in the UK.

Yours truly was one of the northern journalists invited to try out the Kia range at the recent event near Skipton – from the diminutive Picanto up to the fire-breathing new Stinger – nearly all models were on show.

They each have their own merits but I chose to put two in the spotlight, the all electric Kia e-Niro and XCeed PHEV as hybrid and electric cars are very much in buyers’ minds at the moment.

First up was the XCeed, which I tried out in 1.6 GDi ‘First Edition’ spec. As the name suggests there is a 1,580cc conventional internal combustion engine doing most of the work but this is mated-up with an electric motor to give 104bhp on tap.

The first figure everyone wants to know is the electric only range – around 33 miles – while the combined mpg is a claimed 167.

What is impressive is the seamless way the car switches between power plants or employs both together under hard acceleration. It is comfortable and fast enough for most with a 10.6 0 to 60 time and top speed of 99mph. That battery system can be charged up in just a few hours so as the average commute in this country is less than 25 miles, providing you can also plug in at work, driving almost completely on environmentally-friendly electric is possible.

For an on-the-road price of £34,905 this XCeed is mid-range (prices start from £31,805 for the PHEV models) and comes with 18” alloys, panorama sunroof, leather seats (memory, heated and cooled in the front), heated steering wheel, smart cruise control, 10.25” infotainment central touch screen, park assist with reversing camera, digital dashboard and a whole heap of safety systems. As with all Kias these days build quality is good as are the materials used throughout and then there is the manufacturer’s much lauded 7 year warranty to fall back on in the unlikely event of a problem.

From there it was into the totally electric world of motoring with the e-Niro. I tried the ‘4+’ spec range topping model which is £39,395 on the road (e-Nero prices start from £30,345).

That all-important electric range is up to 282 on a full charge in mixed driving and Kia say the car will fully charge from zero on a domestic socket in 29 hours, but that drops dramatically if you use a 100kW commercial charge point to just 54 minutes. In reality topping up the charge overnight at home will be feasible if no long journeys are planned.

What also changes is performance as this car’s 64kWh motor can get it from 0 to 60 in just 7.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 104.

Again the quality in both build and materials is evident and a long spec list includes such essentials as heated leather seats (again memory and cooled in the front), big central infotainment touch screen with sat nav, wireless phone charger, smart cruise control and the usual comprehensive line up of safety systems and driver aids.

Kia has just picked up two category wins at the annual What Car? Electric Car Awards for their EV6 and the e-Niro. The EV6 has won the ‘Readers’ choice’ award and the e-Niro earned the title of ‘Best electric small SUV’ for the second year running.

So you don’t have to just take my work for the quality of their cars. Kia’s growing trophy cabinet is also testimony to their products and services.