Nippy Ciaz worth a look

button, illuminated front footwells, electrically folding side mirrors, chrome touches on the door handles and boot, rear personal reading lights and a rear sunshade.

The Ciaz handles well; very well, in fact, when you consider that the engine is not bigger than it is, nor a turbo. It’s nippy where it ought to be, comfortable, spacious, belying its “compact” moniker. It looks great, too.

Quite frankly there’s a lot of car for your buck – and it’s also very well made.

Perhaps the only downside is the less-than-generous warranties: three years or the 60 000km service plan, three-year/100 000km warranty and the three-year unlimited roadside assistance.

I say this because, in today’s day and age, most vehicles are financed at a minimum of five years, with some banks even willing to extend this original period to even six or more, to say nothing of the lease arrangements which require secondary finance plans if you want to keep the vehicle.

Equally, one of the biggest concerns for car buyers is the cost of servicing their vehicles – a non-negotiable issue if you want to retain warranties and sell your car for the best possible price when you trade it in. This is something the Koreans cottoned on to several years ago, pushing the envelope and leading the way when it comes to extremely generous warranty and service plan limits.

It’s a pity. It’s a lost opportunity, but one that’s actually very easy to fix because it’s just a policy change.

Bottom line: the Ciaz is definitely worth a look. Make up your own mind about what’s important and what’s not in terms of bang for buck and peace of mind.