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I've been looking for a mid-sized SUV. I've looked at Kia, Hyundai, Toyota Highlander, GMC Acadia, (terrian too small), and Honda Pilot. Not interested in Ford, Dodge, or Jeep.
The Kia seems to be the best value and rides very nice and is reponsive. My only concern is longterm durability and reliability. However a chevy/gmc salesperson I know said the Kia would be better in those areas than anything they had to offer.
Has anyone had experience with Kia SUVs built in the past few years? I know it is similar to the Hyundai Sante Fe that I also tested but the Kia seems a bit more updated performance wise.
The Toyota and Honda are at least $5000 to $7000 more comparably equipped.
I've been looking for a mid-sized SUV. I've looked at Kia, Hyundai, Toyota Highlander, GMC Acadia, (terrian too small), and Honda Pilot. Not interested in Ford, Dodge, or Jeep.
The Kia seems to be the best value and rides very nice and is reponsive. My only concern is longterm durability and reliability. However a chevy/gmc salesperson I know said the Kia would be better in those areas than anything they had to offer.
Has anyone had experience with Kia SUVs built in the past few years? I know it is similar to the Hyundai Sante Fe that I also tested but the Kia seems a bit more updated performance wise.
The Toyota and Honda are at least $5000 to $7000 more comparably equipped.
I would check Weymouth Honda outside of Boston. They have really good pricing. I almost bought a Pilot there last year and they were much cheaper than any of the dealers around here. I vote for the Pilot if you can get a deal on it. The Sorento which I also really like is a little smaller than a Pilot. So, it really isn't an apples to apples comparison. The GMC is okay but I would rather have a Honda. I don't like the Sante Fe. The Highlander is very nice but very pricey.
I think you should at least take a brief look at the new Durango. The reviews have been awesome.
I have a 2008 Sorento and, in general, it's been an excellent vehicle. Handles great and has plenty of power. Of course, my KIA and the one you are looking at are like apples and oranges...
Our biggest complaint is the service department. They seem to lack knowledge about the SUV, and are very good at making excuses for that lack.
They also have a reduced sense of responsibility towards the customer. As an example, Mrs. Tek and I were driving the Interstate and the Sorento suddenly lost power. The engine was still running, but only at idle. I called our service department and was told that it was a known problem and we should pull over (like we had a choice), turn it off for 5 minutes, then restart. That worked, but we had that happen 12 times before we got home. It was raining and at one point we were in the left lane when it did it and Mrs. Tek had to bail into the median full of mud. Luckily, she is an excellent driver and got us stopped without any trouble.
My gripe is that it is a known problem which they fixed by replacing a part. If it was a know problem why was I driving on the Interstate with the vehicle? Why was the part not replaced before that happened?
I went to get a vehicle I'm considering trading in appraised at carmax. While there the salesman was talking about Hyundai versus Kia. He said Hyundai cars have a strong demand and resale values are growing. He said Kia has a horrible resale and they are not the same in terms of reliability compared to Hyundai even though they share some common parts.
Definitely need to do some more research and look at the competition more closely.
I decided to buy a Toyota Highlander. Got a great deal and fantastic trade. It's my first Toyota since my 75 Hilux Pickup. I hope to have it for a long time.
I was going to chime in. My dad's had engine problems at a little over 100K miles. I think it is a car that is better to lease. It worked great up until that point.
My personal thoughts on Kia are not flattering. The people I know who have owned one keep having "stupid" problems; the cabin fan failed, one of the doors stopped locking, the carpet pulled out near the door trim, the washer fluid reservoir sprung a leak twice ... just boatloads of senseless little things that indicate poor quality control. No major mechanical faults ... yet.
I know you said you don't like Ford, but the Escape is about to get a major overhaul. You should be able to easily negotiate 20% - 30% off MSRP. I personally don't think the Escape is a good deal at $22k - $25k, but is at $16k - $20k.
And I have to agree with your dealer friend ... Kia is probably better than anything Chevy puts out right now.
You seem to have a really wide size and price range. Isn't the Sorrento more comparible to the Toyota RAV 4, Nissan Rogue, Suburu Forester, Chevy Equinox? Honda Pilots are a class above size and pricewise I'm pretty sure.
Of the small SUV's, I would recommend the Nissan Rogue personally (I have an '09). It's been an excellent, trouble free vehicle. I average around 30mpg highway and 25 city and I have AWD. You can get a well equiped model in the low 20's.
My last vehicle was a Ford Explorer Limited but I got sick of the weeks it was in the shop for repairs and the towing hassels and the 15 mpg milage. The Rogue rides better, get's better milage and is much more fun to drive.
KIA? I would stay away from anything they make. Just my opinion.
KIA? I would stay away from anything they make. Just my opinion.
Americans said the same thing about Japanese cars about 40 years ago.
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