James Ruppert
If you’re after a used car, put South Korea’s Kia on the shortlist
People-carrier battle: Kia vs Ford
An Audi A4 Allroad is tempting, as £10,750 gets a 2012 2.0 TDI
Ilove questions. I may not get the answers right, of course, but it is jolly nice to be asked. At the moment, I get one a week (please keep them coming to the address at the foot of the opposite page) and the latest one could not have been simpler: should I buy a Kia or a Ford people-carrier?
Well, actually, neither is a good idea on aesthetic grounds. My loathing of any vans with windows is well documented and deep rooted. However, the value of seven seats can never be underestimated, especially when families are involved, so I had a good search online.
I discovered that a 2015 Ford S-max 1.6 TDCI Zetec with 37,000 miles can be had for £10,999. It is supposed to do around 54mpg overall. A one-owner car at a dealer, it seems like jolly good value, which is what all older Fords quickly become.
As for a Kia carrier, well, we haven’t had the Sedona here for a few years. That would give us the opportunity to look at the rather more interesting shape of a Sorento. With a 2015 car in mind, this SUV is going to cost a tad more than the S-max. A new-shape 2015 2.2 CRDI KX-1 with one previous owner and 25,000 miles is going to give us 49mpg. The cost? Just a smidge over £16,000.
The choice is obvious, then: the super-value Ford wins the day. It is great to drive and the amount of money being spent is less. That’s a used car win… except it isn’t, because the person asking the question also wanted reliability, a warranty and resaleability. Well, resale is a difficult one, but right here we have a fashionably practical and desirable SUV and the winning card is the balance of a manufacturer warranty.
Kia isn’t simply all about offering reassurance, which is what modern car buyers want. It also makes jolly nice cars. The rest of us can make a case for the Ford because it is a hoot to drive and not as much money, although both are irrelevant. Here is proof that used car buyers are different.
Days later, a long-standing Autocar reader wanted a towing barge that is up for the challenge of 20,000 miles a year and really must not break down. An Audi A4 Allroad is a fantastic temptation, especially as £10,750 gets you a 2012, 86,000-mile 2.0 TDI, but if there are problems, it will cost a bit to fix. Instead, you could just bag a boring old 2.2 CRDI Sorento. Same year, but more kit and fewer miles. Certainly, the sensible buy.
I think the used car world may well be turning Kia shaped.