Kia Problems

You might like your Captiva but we need to compare it with its direct size and price rivals. On that basis, the Captiva runs a very poor third to the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe in many areas, including ride and handling, quietness, quality and warranty.

It’s a good car that has failed to proceed, although there are still some in dealer stocks that should be sharply priced. Also expect some fleet cars with low kilometres to come on to the market in the next few months.

You haven't said whether you want to buy new or second-hand, but with your requirements and just $22,000 to spend I would guess that you're looking for used model. My recommendation would be a 2010/2011 Kia Grand Carnival diesel. It would have the room you need, the economy you want, and it would be reliable.

The Sorento has a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Auto safety braking is great to have but it will be some years before it is fitted to all new models.

The often-overlooked Rondo is a good car that would definitely do the job for you.

It's easy to understand your frustration with Volkswagen but it's still a great company with top products. On the Kia front, the local suspension tuning by Graeme Gambold is a game changer but new-generation engines are at least three years away.

Like you I doubt very much that changing to higher octane fuel will have any affect on the problem as you describe it. It seems likely that it’s a problem with the idle setting and that’s where they should be looking. Follow the dealer’s advice and run two fills of 95-octane fuel through it, so you can rule that out as a solution when you take it back. The only thing you can do is to keep the pressure up on the dealer, and to register your complaint directly with Kia’s customer assistance people.

The Cerato is a great package. If she is a keen driver who wants the sporty feel of the Focus, go with the Ford.

The Sorento has just been voted the 2015 Car of the Year so it gets The Tick from me. There is an all-new CX-9 next year and a Santa Fe update soon. Today, the order is Sorento, Outback, Santa Fe and CX-9.