Kia: Definite Koup for learners

Kia's Koup offers excellent value for money and is NZ's most affordable coupe. Photo / Supplied

I've just driven the ideal vehicle for an inexperienced driver. The Koup is a chiselled two-door with rakish good looks that disguise a sensible driving demeanour.

It's the latest new-look Kia, it's based on the sensible Cerato, and at current exchange rates it's priced alongside - or undercutting - some fairly ordinary hatches.

What's new
Every body panel is new - bar the bonnet, which carries across from the Cerato sedan. So does the chassis and running gear, with suspension mods to suit the more sporting image. The handsome body features frameless doors, twin exhausts and more compact dimensions than the sedan.

The company line
Kia is not a Hyundai-clone despite the latter owning 51 per cent of the former, to create the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Kia bills itself as "the cheeky one" and boasts a younger, more dynamic design ethic very obvious with this Koup, the company's first two-door coupe.

There will be other cars spun off from the Cerato platform, with a hatch due for release mid-2010.

Kia NZ general manager Todd McDonald says Koup won't be a big seller, but adds spice to the model line-up and should increase brand awareness. Not that Kia's lacking in that department nowadays, with sales here up 3 per cent in a severely depressed motoring market, and share 37 per cent above this time last year. That's a huge increase, though the understated McDonald is as likely to celebrate with a good Kiwi beer as to pop champagne corks.

What we say
Plenty of folk want a handsome car, want a bit of style, but don't need high performance - or the pricier fuel bill that goes with it. Koup looks the part. It's smart enough to impress without making too many compromises; there's a 336-litre boot - better than most hatches - and rear seat space if you need it.

Koup could draw new buyers to Kia, especially given its competitive, $27,990 starting price that includes ABS brakes, stability control, six airbags and a five-year warranty.

What would you rather have for that money, a small 'n' sensible Honda Jazz, a worthy but dull Toyota Corolla, or a smart Koup coupe?

On the road
Koup's 2.0-litre 115kW, 194Nm engine doesn't reward vigorous driving, and neither do the CVT or five-speed manual transmissions - the manual's tall step from second to third most notably handicapping response and keeping this Koup firmly in the real world.

As for the handling, hustle Koup along a smooth road and its balance is impressively neutral.

However, bumps throw a spanner in the works as the rear suspension fails to cope and unsettles ride. Unsettles it enough to tip you back to a more relaxed driving style - not enough to give you a fright.

Meanwhile, moderately supportive seats and a pleasant cabin continue the Koup trend - to deliver a car that looks better than it costs.

Why you'll buy one
You want style but don't care about performance - or your teen wants style, and you'd prefer to limit their performance ...

Why you won't
Koup isn't designed as a tarmac burner. And you want to burn tarmac...