Sometimes ya just have to share your thoughts....

When stranded in Sydney by Aunty Mary's failed master cylinder cup, we were provided with a Kia Cerato 5 door auto for the journey home by NRMA Classic. I was very grateful and it brought us home just fine, but I cant help but treat it like a test drive.

Lets just say...... it doesn't suit our purposes.
We had the four of us plus gear, so it was a fair trial. First thing I noticed was the small boot. I took stuff out of the Florian and loaded in to the best of my packing ability, but could only get 2 thirds of it in. The space is about Bellett sized or a bit smaller.
Then the front seats, firm (hard after the Florian) with no lumbar adjustment and hollow in that section.
Out on the highway, the cruise control didnt hold the set speed, dropping from the set 110 to 100 without dropping down from 6th. When throttled down it dropped to 3rd (or 2nd?) suddenly with a sound of valves threatening to come tnrough the bonnet! Running downhill, it overran to 115 before I clicked it down to slow it, and would have ran further.
Onto the B road and the tyre roar became evident, but it was when we went onto the dirt I had to stop and find the source of the racket. There are these plastic things forward of the back wheels...

These things almost drag on the ground with a load in, and all the stones from the front wheels hit them. The sound is similar to being in a hail storm, a big one! Unbelievable! The radio didnt have a chance!
Once home I checked the fuel economy, 6.9 l/100k. Not bad, but just 0.4 better than the Santa Fe for the same run.

Conclusion:
Would I buy one? ......No.
Would I swap for our 12 grand Sant Fe? .....Not a chance.
Would I swap for a 69 Florian? ..... Not even that. With better comfort, more suspension travel and boot space and way better dirt road performance, it suits our needs better.

OK, its a 20 grand car, perhaps I am expecting too much. But it is the 21st century, and this is supposedly tuned to Aussie conditions. Just not our conditions.
Sorry to be so negative, I'm sure it would be an OK town car. I really am grateful. Really really. Wheels mag writers fail to see the appeal of SUVs, but I see it. They are just more practical, as long as they are diesels.

My next review: Toyota Carolla. We picked up a rental today while the Santa Fe is in for repairs, complements of AAMI.

Cheers, Matt

great read matt .....cheers davo

I am waiting for your test report on the latest Porsche GT 3 RS. Should be good reading......
(I realise it is not an SUV)

KB

Can you get those from Hertz?

It probably wouldnt suit our purpeses either, but perhaps I could adjust my requirements?

Mate, I just looked it up. They are $387,300. Plus onroads! For that I could go to Japan ( and wherever else I need to), buy a GT fastback, Bellett Express, Florian TS, and a TX550. I could import them all, pay someone to make them like new and build an epic shed to house them. Then I could buy a 370Z, Toyota 86 or even a Tesla with the change.

And it says they use 12.7l/100k. How can that be?

Why am I so practical minded?
Cheers, Matt.

How do you find forward vision to the right? The only car I've hit driving into a spray booth by misjudging. Was a brand new 3 layer snow white pearl one. It had been dented in the door whilst having window tint done. Didn't even know I had scraped the guard until unmasking the next morning. Big oops! A mad rush to paint the guard, luckily I had the two bases left and it didn't dent. Drove the smaller Rio the other week and taking a glance out of the small window under the a pillar at 110 on the motor way gave me motion sickness. The second time I have gotten that. Last time was from a the display screen in an Audi A6 displaying the front camera at lower speeds.

Like many new cars the forward vision is badly impaired by ridiculous A pillars. Tricky in roundabouts. I guess it is for crash strength, but avoiding a crash by having smaller pillars might be just as important?
The Corolla we have now is better, but the rear view mirror is placed too low and impedes left entering traffic vision. The back window is like a porthole.
I get back in a Bellett or Florian and the vision is like a motorbike by comparison!
Recently I went car window shopping. The best vision of anything I sat in was from a Pajero, boxy, but good.

What we need is retro Belletts and Florians. Exactly the same shape, but with modern brakes, equipment and panel fit. Its a beautiful dream......

Cheers, Matt.

or build your own?