Kia Problems

Kia originally introduced its long warranty to overcome the belief held by some people that it was a cheap-and cheerful brand selling cars of dubious quality. The company was so confident in the quality of its products that it was prepared to back them for seven years. It’s been a successful move, but only because the cars are indeed of a good quality. The long warranty does give Kia a huge advantage over others with a shorter warranty.

All of them would be good choices, but I would prefer the Mazda CX-5 or the Kia Sportage. Either would be fine.

Both would be well suited on the basis of what you have told us. The top Sportage is more expensive than the top XV, but it’s more economical, the service intervals are a little longer, and it comes with a 7-year warranty compared to the XV’s 3-year deal. If you planned to keep the car for a number of years I would suggest the Sportage is the better choice, but if you turn your cars over regularly I would probably go for the XV.

There is a new model on the way, as you say, and we would say hold off if you can.

That’s the problem with VWs, you can get six good ones in a row, but the next one could be a lemon. Rather than a wagon you’re probably looking at an SUV. I would suggest a Kia Sorento, Subaru Outback, or Toyota RAV4.

As you say, the choice is bewildering. All the models you have been looking would be suitable; you could also look at the Nissan X-Trail. I would go for either the Mazda CX-5 or the Kia Sportage, but that's not to say the others aren't worth considering. Why don't you go shopping and check each of them out to see how they fit your needs.

That sounds like a system that’s well out of date, one that should be updated by Kia. You might have an argument that it’s not fit for purpose under our consumer laws, so if you want to take it further you could contact the Queensland state consumer affairs people and seek their advice.

Your budget limits you to older models, around 2010-2012. One to look at is the Suzuki SX4; others are the Kia Sportage and Mitsubishi ASX.

If it were my daughter I would be looking for safety and reliability as top priorities in a first car. With your budget I would be looking at a 2013/14 Mazda2, a 2014/15 Kia Rio, and a 2014 Toyota Yaris.