[jonnyi]

Hi folks -

Only had the car (56k) for a month or so but, having had autos in the past, I feel that the Kia revs a lot higher than previous cars before it changes to the next gear.

At least it sounds like it's revving high - the rev counter doesn't indicate it gets beyond 2500 usually, but it just sounds like it's taking too long between changes if that makes sense? I'm starting to find I'm using the auto in semi-auto mode so I can change up myself, which sort of defeats the object.

Does anyone else have any thoughts? Is this just me and a different car or is there a way of updating management software that might change gear change settings?

 

[RandomBob]

2500 RPM is normal. that is what mine shifts at and seems fine.
I mean it if you think about it the car weighs 2 ton, and the engine only has 300NM and 150kW.
Being petrol and originally designed in the 90's (Mitsubishi engine) the torque would be ever increasing till peak at ?4000 to 5000 RPM? i would say rather than linear like newer petrols, and diesels.

Can i ask what you shift it at?

When i had issues with the 4wd system, it shift early to protect things i guess (limp home mode almost) but no engine power drop or anything else like that. it was shifting at about 2000 or 2100 RPM and just felt a little too early. it would just struggle a little momentarily while it picked up the revs again in the next gear. Felt like that every gear change.

Are you possibly missing any sound deadening material to make it sound better if the sounds like it shifting late rather than feeling like its shifting late

 

[jonnyi]

2500 RPM is normal. that is what mine shifts at and seems fine.

Can i ask what you shift it at?

Just had a run out and it appears to shift at 2500rpm as well, which I guess must be the norm.

I guess I must be closer to a 2000rpm shifter, or somewhere in between. I just feel almost that the sound of the engine doesn't match what I'm seeing on the rev counter - as if it's revving fairly hard. Probably it's because I assumed that with a 3.5 v6 it would take hardly any effort to shift the Kia, but you've informed me as a novice that it's very heavy and not necessarily that powerful an engine!

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[RandomBob]

The engine is a pretty old design.
I was actually surprised it only shift at 2500 and goes pretty decent all things considered.

The engine is a Mitsubishi design and seems that it first came out in 1993.
I would have liked to get the 2007 sorento with the 3.3 V6 as that was a new engine (a hyundai engine) with more power, and same torque. But it used a fair bit less fuel.
But for me the price difference was too big, couldn't justify it..

 

[Jonkias]

I suppose that price difference it worth that. However we pay for what we can afford.

 

[cmar]

The engine is a pretty old design.
I was actually surprised it only shift at 2500 and goes pretty decent all things considered.

The engine is a Mitsubishi design and seems that it first came out in 1993.
I would have liked to get the 2007 sorento with the 3.3 V6 as that was a new engine (a hyundai engine) with more power, and same torque. But it used a fair bit less fuel.
But for me the price difference was too big, couldn't justify it..

All true and pretty much the same reason I bought the 3.5, also the 3.5's are far more common on the secondhand market. I guess people must hang onto the 3.3 V6 and 2.5 diesel models.

However if you have ever driven a Pajero with the same engine from the mid 1990's (1994-1999) I think they used the quad cam engines, you would notice the Hyundai / Kia version is actually a nicer motor.
The original Pajero version is more powerful, but power delivery is peaky, it needs a 95RON minimum fuel and it is very thirsty because of the narrow torque curve means you need to rev it constantly to keep the power on the boil.

Hyundai fiddled around with the compression ratio, cam profiles, and engine map (and reaped the benefit of 10 more years of microprocessor advances) to make an engine slightly down on power from the Mitsubishi version but with a much flatter torque curve which will run happily on 91 RON or even E10 fuel. It is also more economical than the original, and a much better tow engine becuse of the improved torque. This is the engine Mitsubishi SHOULD have built.

Oh yes and my car also feels like it is slow to change up, particularly when cold. I just put it down to the computer map. The changes are smooth and crisp so I don't worry and I'm used to it now. I did find it improved slightly after I changed the oil, which looked like the original (120,000 Km old) oil.

The 4 speed boxes are Aisin, as used in Toyota Landcruisers, Prados, and Hiluxes, they are pretty tough and reliable units.