Flying the Koup

If you think cars all look the same these days, look at Kia's Koup. For eight grand less than a hum-drum five-door Japanese hatch, it's as roomy, quicker, and much nicer to be seen in, says DAVE MOORE.

It was only last week I was lamenting the absence of affordable coupes, for those who can manage with two doors, like the added style of such designs, but still only have a small sedan budget to play with.

Typically, it's a Korean company that moves in to fill this budget coupe chasm, as the arch- conservative Japanese companies out there continue to lick their recession wounds by offering same-old, same- old cars to a market demographic that really needs a lift, truth be known.

By spelling its coupe's name "Koup" in the same way that 1950s Madison Avenue introduced "Krisp", "Kreme" and "Krazy" to the advertising copywriters' lexicon, at least Kia has given us something to criticise. It's just as well, because the rest of the car is largely blemish-free, disarmingly good-looking and devastatingly good value for money. So I won't mention that spelling again. It's silly, but it really shouldn't bother anyone with an eye for a good motoring proposition.

The Koup is based on the almost as pretty Cerato sedan, a car that arrived here earlier in the year and is deservedly being seen in increasing numbers on our roads. It is a good value four-door. At $28,990, it is six or seven grand cheaper than its closest, albeit lesser-equipped Japanese contemporaries.

Now get this, the Koupe is $1000 cheaper than the sedan on which it is based. This is partly explained by the fact that the entry-point LX coupe has a manual transmission - all the sedans are autos and frankly shouldn't be, in my opinion - but to be this good-looking at this price is still hard to compute.

Running on the same wheelbase as the sedan on which it is based, the Koup is lower by 60mm thanks to a more sporting stance and a 50mm lower roofline. A more stubby rear overhang shortens the Koup by 50mm and, by using more sporty side mirrors it's 10mm narrower.

This hasn't affected interior room much compared with the sedan, with space for up to five and despite that lower look, the roof height didn't present a problem for me in the front or rear, and I'm 1.88m tall. There's also a useful boot capacity of 358 litres with seats up, which again competes with family cars in the over $30,000 bracket.

Other connections to the sedan include the dash execution, but despite the car being derived from the Cerato four-door, the only carry- over body part is the bonnet, which means the car's transition from show concept to factory production line in just 12 months, is even more impressive.

It differs very little in production form to that show car, which was penned at Kia's Irvine, California styling base under the aegis of Kia's Chief Design Officer, former Audi man, Peter Schreyer

The Kia has a triple-slot frieze at the front under the bumper with black HSV-like side grilles and a central black-mesh intake. The main grille, again in black, blends out to the main headlamp clusters to great effect.

Nicely contrived wheelarch blisters and subtle side strakes help to impart some horizontal visual tension, while at the rear, a black- finished ribbed diffuser with twin exhausts helps to sharpen things off.

Thankfully, there's not a spoiler to be seen and anyone who ever adds one to this sexy wee Koup will incur my personal disdain - it would be like painting a moustache on Audrey Hepburn.

Where the Koup is most like the donor Cerato sedan is in its drivetrain. It offers the same twin- cam 16 valve 2.0-litre injected four, with 115kW on tap, though unlike the four-door it can be taken with a five-speed manual transmission, as well as the four-speed automatic.

At first I was a little underwhelmed with the Koup manual I drove, until I later tried another, and a sedan, and realised the first car was probably a little short of kilometres under its nicely-shod standard five-spoke alloys.

Anyway, accompanied by a nice "cammy" thrum from the separate twin exahaust, the Koup was a pleasingly nimble beast to conduct around the roads of Queensland last week.

It feels a little sharper than the Cerato sedan, which can be largely put down to the thicker anti-roll bar at the front, more aggressive wheels and tyres and the 10mm lower ride height. Kia says the Koup's steering rack is quicker, and that everything between steering wheel and the road is stronger and more rigid.

It certainly feels that way, with a pleasingly crisp turn-in, followed by a guileless neutrality that should give owners great confidence. The chassis certainly feels as if it would take a lot more power and torque, and I wouldn't be suprised to see a 190kW turbocharged version of the standard engine coming through fairly soon to give the range the hero product it probably deserves. There's word also that by facelift time, the Koup and the Cerato sedan will gain a six-speed automatic, eliminating possibly the one drivetrain weakpoint in the cars.

I'd suggest that for commuting purposes, the Koup would be at least as comfortable as any family hatchback alternative.

Kia obviously hasn't skimped on equipment in order to keep the Koup's price down to less than $28,000.

Both LX and SX models feature fog lights, remote door locking, steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise control functions, and a tilt and reach adjustable steering wheel and sunglass holder. Leather upholstery, detailed with red stitching, is standard on SX models, while velour clads the LX's cabin.

The LX's standard six-speaker MP3 compatible sound system is upgraded in the SX models to include a six-CD changer. The SX also comes with a power sunroof, reverse warning sensors and automatic climate control, as opposed to the LX model's manual A/C. On the safety front, like all Kias, the Koup gets standard ESP, and should the unthinkable happen, both models have six airbags.

Satisfied that the first Koup I tackled was not typical engine-wise, I was charmed by this competent, new and irrefutably attractive Korean. Kia may have the intention of marketing the Koup to younger people and I wish them well in that. However, affordable coupe aspirants in New Zealand have traditionally been a deal older than that, as retirees buy something sporty now that the family's flown the coup. Toyota experienced this with its final Paseo and Celica models.

No-one should pass-up a car as well priced and good-looking as this.

KIA KOUP

* Drivetrain: Transverse FWD 1975cc DOHC 16v four, producing 115kW at 6200rpm and 194Nm at 4300rpm. Four- speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission choice.

* Performance: Max 220kmh+, 0-100km/h 9.3 secs (Man), 10.5 secs (Auto), 7.8L/100km (Man) / 7.9L/100km (Auto), 186g/km CO2 (Man) / 187g/km CO2 (Auto).

* Dimensions: L 4480mm, W 1765mm, H 1400mm, W/base 2650mm, Weight 1308kg, Fuel 45L.

* Pricing: LX manual $27,990. SX manual or auto $33,990.

* Hot: Cracking price and value for money; gorgeous looks; competent undemanding chassis; ample space; nice details.

* Not: Both transmissions could do with more ratios; high performance model needed.

* Verdict: For the price of a dull family hatch, this pretty Kia proves that you can still turn heads these days.