In the Philippines, Kia has had a dismal history of poor quality vehicles, including the Kia Pride (Ford Festiva in the US), Pregio, Besta and the smoke-belching Carnivals.Small wonder that Kia's new generation vehicles are still suffering from brand snobbery, not purely from the prestige of the marquee, but from the (deservedly) bad reputation.Kia could have made a killing in 2003 when it first introduced the Sorento here. For a while, there was a 4-month waiting list for both the gas and diesel models. Instead, Kia run out of units and lost out to Toyota when it introduced the much-vaunted Fortuner not long after.It has, since stopped selling the gas V6, probably for its myopic fear that customers would be turned off by the guzzler. What we have now are the 2.5 Crdi models, with no option to upgrade to leather.Whatever PR blitz Columbian (the local Kia) could scrounge around was one year too late -- only after Fortuner was every grandaddy's deathbed wish. Today, you hear paeans being sung to the Sorento by these so-called car magazines, if only because, finally, Kia, had been able to loan them Sorentos for review. Had they done this a year, or maybe a couple of years back, this would have been a Kia Sorento country.Bringing in the 2007 3.8L V6 Sorento, fully optioned out with the fulltime 4wd, leather, top-notch tires, a tow hitch, and sunroof would certainly blow these Fortuner-loving Pinoys out of the water. Kia needs to showcase the best quality work they can muster in these shores, to counter the bad experience from Kia of old.Even the antiquated, leaf-spring based Isuzu Alterra has all leather option, for heaven's sakes. Or, shades of Hades, the obsolete Ford Everest!Until 2000, I didn't even consider Korean cars as an option. Until I bought a Hyundai Starex van (gray market, because it was the only place I could get a van with ABS, double sunroof, leather, 4 captain's chairs and a turbodiesel). Four years later, I sold it off a certified Korean convert. The Sorento was the obvious step-up to a Korean SUV (please, not Hyundai's Pajero clone), because it was slick, an original, and an underdog (Avis says, they try harder). 70,000 kilometers later, I am more convinced that Kia has come of age, and surpassed many of these other brands that can only copy from each other (attention: Mazda masquerading as a Ford Escape). But, that's just me...
Last edited by Swim : 07-19-2006 at 02:55 AM.
|
i read a lot of recalls from other countries and just wondering if we have it back here... thnx
Linear Mode
