Kia stretches Kiwi line-up

Kia's range gets bigger by the month, reports DAVID LINKLATER.


Hard on the heels of the Carnival MPV, Kia is set to launch two more people-focused products in New Zealand next year: a mini-MPV and a longer, more spacious version of the Sportage off-roader. Left-hand-drive examples of the new models are doing the rounds of Auckland dealerships.

The mini-MPV, which is available with six or seven seats, is styled in a similar vein to Toyota's Picnic, with a high roofline and reverse-angle D-pillar at the rear. It is known as the Carens in Korea and in most export markets, but will almost certainly be called the Mentor wagon when it is launched in New Zealand.

"We don't want to risk confusing buyers with a new name," says Tony Randall of local importer Kia Motors. "Calling it the Mentor keeps it in line with the existing sedan and liftback range."

The name could also have marketing benefits, with the new model entering a difficult segment. While conventional wagons are a Kiwi favourite, mini-MPVs such as the Renault Scenic and Toyota Picnic remain a tiny part of the new car market.

The Mentor wagon rides on a bespoke platform and is powered by a version of the 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine from the Mentor liftback. Like the larger Carnival, accommodation in the seven-seat version is laid out in a 2-3-2 configuration. In the six-seater, the middle-row bench is replaced with two single chairs.

None of the seats are removable, but the rearmost row collapses and slides forward to liberate extra luggage capacity, and all the backrests can be fully reclined to provide a flat load space for long items. The backrests of the middle row also fold forward and have plastic tray tables and cup holders moulded into them.

Final specification - and hence price - is yet to be decided. But if the Mentor wagon keeps with the Kia tradition of undercutting its rivals, expect it to be significantly cheaper than the $38,000 Toyota Picnic. The top-specification Mentor liftback costs $28,995.

Kia distinguishes between its short and long Sportages by calling the former a "four-door" and the latter a "wagon." The extended model uses the same Mazda-derived 2-litre engine and basic underpinnings as the existing Sportage, but carries an extra 300mm in length, most of which goes into extra rear overhang. The result is a car with a very different profile to its shorter sister, along with significantly more luggage space.

There are no plans to drop the existing Sportage when the stretched version arrives. "In fact, we expect the shorter version to continue to make up the bulk of Sportage sales," says Randall."It is particularly popular in the fleet market, which is very price-sensitive."

Kia Motors has not yet established the price premium it will ask for the new Sportage over the current $29,995 DLX model.

Right-hand-drive production of the new models does not start in Korea until early next year. The Sportage wagon could hit local showrooms as early as April, with the Mentor wagon to follow in May.