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.

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.

Definitely not the Journey; the Territory is solid and good value; but my current favourite in the class is the Kia Sorento. It gets The Tick and is well worth the extra, even though the starting price of $40,990 is well beyond the $33,500 base of the Journey.

Before I spent $2400 I would want to be sure the car would be fixed. As the car is out of warranty, it’s seven years old, I wouldn’t expect Kia to come to your rescue and pay the full cost of repairs, but I would expect them to take a kindly view and pay for part of the cost. Go back to the dealer, and to Kia head office, and put your case.

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.

Of those you have been looking at I would rule out the Cruze on the basis of its transmission troubles. The Focus and the Hyundai are good cars and would do what you want nicely. Others to consider would be the Mazda3 and the Kia Rio.

It's clearly a happy camper when it's cold and it's getting the cold settings, it's clearly not when the cold settings are not in play. It could be a problem with the ECU, the crank angle sensor, the oxygen sensor, or the idle setting. You really need to go to a mechanic who can diagnose the problem for you.

I couldn't recommend either one, both have issues with their transmissions as your homework suggests. I would urge you to look at similar models from brands such as Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Kia.

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