Had to give up the golf for a Kia for a week.

[c17chief]

Went on a trip for business and got stiffed with a Kia Forte for a rental. Wow it felt good to get back in the golf again. Night and day difference haha.

That Kia had terribly numb steering, poor handling, slow, and what got me the most was poor MPG. On one hand, it is a Kia, and (the Forte) actually wouldnt be a bad car if Kia's were as dirt cheap as they used to be. Problem is despite the evident very cheap bits, good degree of being unrefined still, etc, it looks like even those are in the $15-$20k range these days...then the real kicker, only got me 26mpg average with a lot of highway and not even beating on it.

At either rate, the golf made me smile with relief when I hopped back in it at the airport to drive home. Felt like a new car again to me with all the added power, much better road manners, etc as I was driving home. Bonus was seeing the MFD breaking 50mpg , twice what I had been getting in the kia.

 

[raybo]

Rentals are often abused and aren't always maintained properly - bad alignment, cheap tires, etc. We had to rent two years ago and we got a car whose wiper blades were falling apart, cheap under-inflated tires, etc.

 

[c17chief]

Rentals are often abused and aren't always maintained properly - bad alignment, cheap tires, etc. We had to rent two years ago and we got a car whose wiper blades were falling apart, cheap under-inflated tires, etc.

True...but I got this thing with 800mi on the clock, so dont know how much that stuff would come in to play. I would be surprised if that car had been rented out more then once or twice before me, and of course maintenance shouldnt be a factor at that point.


edit--perhaps I should put it this way...of course it isnt going to handle like a better car or anything, and they actually wouldnt be a bad ride for what it is if you could still pick something like that up for like $12k new like you used to...but with them appearantly being just as much as say a corolla or civic these days AND not getting near as good of MPG as em, I'm just hard pressed to see any value in em.

 

[geoman]

i had a similar experience when my tb was being changed at brandon's(dcb automotive) and the lenders were both out. i rented the cheapest car @ enterprise so i wasn't expecting much but i got even less when they rolled up in a rio. cool styling for a little hatch and the cockpit was festooned with buttoned conveniences but it drove soooo sloooowly and felt so cheap and plast-icky. brutal daily driver.
i'll never forget my firstand only test drive w/the jsw. smooth solid power and i was wrapped up right in the middle of it. stupid smile on my face, instant sale for roxy @ queensway vw.

 

[pknopp]

My wife has a 2012 Kia Rio 5. She loves it. She gets in the 30's which is as good as she would have got with the TDI with the kind of driving she does. (nearly all city). On the trip home with it we got 37.

It was under 20K and has real leather, fogs, GPS, folding rear view mirrors, push button start and chrome exhaust tips.

It is more plastic than the VW. Doesn't ride or handle as well but it's 2/3 the cost. Overall for the money there is a lot there. I've only drove it twice and no, it's no TDI but my wife loves hers.

I have to admit though, it does smell much better with the real leather interior.

 

[aja8888]

Much better warranty than the VW line also.

 

[Vidgamer]

Looks nice. The styling on Kias and Hyundais has improved so much in the past few years. Too bad about the Forte; for its cool looks, I would have hoped it'd have some sporty handling to match. Oh well.

I don't recall my last rental. A Versa? Didn't seem as bad as some of the comments I've read about it. Much prefer the Golf in so many ways though! It's like the Golf just doesn't feel like an economy car; bit more expensive, but at least you get something for that

 

[tdi90hp]

My wife has a 2012 Kia Rio 5. She loves it. She gets in the 30's which is as good as she would have got with the TDI with the kind of driving she does. (nearly all city). On the trip home with it we got 37.

It was under 20K and has real leather, fogs, GPS, folding rear view mirrors, push button start and chrome exhaust tips.

It is more plastic than the VW. Doesn't ride or handle as well but it's 2/3 the cost. Overall for the money there is a lot there. I've only drove it twice and no, it's no TDI but my wife loves hers.

I have to admit though, it does smell much better with the real leather interior.

no offense but you CANNOT even put that car in the same league as a Golf TDI. I am sure it is decent transportation but have fun when you go sell it. I worked in automotive retail for 25 yrs+ ...used hyundais and kias are a tough sell and have to be super cheap to move. pay me now. Pay me LATER

 

[JSWTDI09]

Much better warranty than the VW line also.

The warranty isn't all it's cracked up to be. It only covers any single part once. I have a friend who bought a Hyundai (same company, same warranty) and after about 10k miles the cheap Chinese shocks were shot. Hyundai replaced them under warranty, and guess what? 10k miles later they were gone again and they refused to cover replacement under their 100k warranty. He ended taking them to court and got the car declared a "lemon" and Hyundai had to take it back. He will never again buy a Hyundai/Kia automobile. It's always the fine print in a contract that you have to worry about. The advertising sounds great, but the execution doesn't always match the advertising.

Have Fun!

Don

 

[pknopp]

no offense but you CANNOT even put that car in the same league as a Golf TDI. I am sure it is decent transportation but have fun when you go sell it. I worked in automotive retail for 25 yrs+ ...used hyundais and kias are a tough sell and have to be super cheap to move. pay me now. Pay me LATER

I said it was a very nicely equipped car for the price that my wife is very happy with.

The Golf better be nicer since as I noted, equipped similiarly it would be near $30K.

 

[pknopp]

The warranty isn't all it's cracked up to be. It only covers any single part once. I have a friend who bought a Hyundai (same company, same warranty) and after about 10k miles the cheap Chinese shocks were shot. Hyundai replaced them under warranty, and guess what? 10k miles later they were gone again and they refused to cover replacement under their 100k warranty. He ended taking them to court and got the car declared a "lemon" and Hyundai had to take it back. He will never again buy a Hyundai/Kia automobile. It's always the fine print in a contract that you have to worry about. The advertising sounds great, but the execution doesn't always match the advertising.

Have Fun!

Don

VW only covers wear items in the first year 12,000 miles also.

 

[JSWTDI09]

VW only covers wear items in the first year 12,000 miles also.

Yeah, but at least the OEM parts are of good quality.

Have Fun!

Don

 

[elitegunslinger]

veryyy interesting...

 

[No More Buffalo]

That pic is almost enough to wish my Golf was speeding ticket red. Almost.

Only color I'd change to in a heartbeat would be MkIV R32 blue.

 

[pknopp]

Yeah, but at least the OEM parts are of good quality.

Have Fun!

Don

As long as they aren't a fuel pump?

 

[tdi90hp]

As long as they aren't a fuel pump?

STOP STOP STOP already...go in a corner and play with your pump!

 

[Personne]

My SO bought a Soul 2U as a replacement for her 2nd Smart, Essentially to haul around our 90# black lab. Electrical seems sub-par - corroded connectors causing intermittent accessory faults. The interior design is however strikingly similar to my VW. She loves the small footprint for city parking and enjoys the elevated driving position.

 

[wutbürger]

My SO bought a Soul 2U as a replacement for her 2nd Smart, Essentially to haul around our 90# black lab. Electrical seems sub-par - corroded connectors causing intermittent accessory faults. The interior design is however strikingly similar to my VW. She loves the small footprint for city parking and enjoys the elevated driving position.

It is truly interesting how many VW ques get thrown into Hyundai and Kia designs. Take a look at the speedo/MFD setup in the new i30/Elantra GT or the interior of the previous Elantra touring

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

The hurdle that KIA & Hyundai have is the FORMER history they (companies) had and what they used to produce. They have come a long way and as an owner of BOTH KIA & VW I tell ya I don't regret either purchase.
The resale isn't great for VW's either, but the TDI certainly helps as VW does have shaky quality history at times. Are any of these makes perfect? NO ... is any make?

But when you compare a $7-10k difference of costs, sure some things are going to be different and it's amazing what is being offered in the lower cost vs. sometimes not at all in the upper price comparison.

 

[JKC_NC]

The hurdle that KIA & Hyundai have is the FORMER history they (companies) had and what they used to produce. They have come a long way and as an owner of BOTH KIA & VW I tell ya I don't regret either purchase.
The resale isn't great for VW's either, but the TDI certainly helps as VW does have shaky quality history at times. Are any of these makes perfect? NO ... is any make?
But when you compare a $7-10k difference of costs, sure some things are going to be different and it's amazing what is being offered in the lower cost vs. sometimes not at all in the upper price comparison.

It is interesting...I was in Ukraine in 2010...a country that didn't get durable consumer goods until recently. Korean manufacturers were dominating house ac, fridge, tv, washer, drier, cars. I had to think that the Ukrainian market was rationally evaluating the value proposition of the various manufacturers without prejudice. And the korean brands were coming out on top. Similar to what happened in the USA in the '80s with Japanees brands offering the best value prop. for electronics and cars. I wouldn't poo poo the korean cars makers. I witnessed their success in a previously un-automobilie-ized country. I carry predjudice and wouldnt own a kia...but...rational folk do!!!

 

[pknopp]

I carry predjudice and wouldnt own a kia...but...rational folk do!!!

I wouldn't have either but this car as 100% the wife's choice.