Car Shopping Round 1

After repeated calls from the Kia dealer, I decided to start looking at cars yesterday afternoon. I started at the Toyota dealer, first because they really only had one car I was interested in, and second because it’s at the extreme end of the highway that most of the dealers closest to my house occupy. I think with a couple exceptions every brand available in RI has a presence along Route 2. So in spite of the kid I talked to trying to sell me anything else but a 4Runner, I drove one. It’s not as big as I thought but still plenty roomy. It’s an honest truck based SUV, and the one I tested didn’t have many frills or unnecessary extras. It would be great for camping trips or hauling things, and I have no doubt that it’s plenty capable in any situation I’d be likely to throw at it, and then some. The problem is I’ll be using this car primarily for commuting in often heavy traffic. The truck based MPG and truck based ride kind of don’t make sense there. Even though the thing has some torquey grunt, it’s a big heavy truck so it doesn’t get off the line quickly. What I’m getting at is I think the 4Runner is great, but not the right tool for the job. I’ll probably look at it again when we decide to replace the Jeep.

The next stop was a Ford dealer. I didn’t actually drive anything here. I sat in an Explorer and a Flex. Both were very nice, but HUGE. Way too big to serve primarily as a daily commuter. I also took another look at a Taurus, just to be sure. I quickly confirmed that they are oddly small inside, like a reverse Tardis. The kid also showed me a Fusion even though I explained my issue with them. I get the impression that maybe he got some extra incentive if he sold one. Unsurprisingly, the center console remained unchanged, so I had no interest. I will say that all the Fords I looked at were nicely appointed. With the exception of the Flex what I looked at were midlevel trim models (The Flex was the only one on the lot and had all the options save a couple minor cosmetic things). Ford has really stepped up their game in this regard. I was impressed, but the individual pieces didn’t come together in a way that worked for me.

I drove down the road to the Hyundai dealer. I really only wanted to see a Genesis. After a brief glance at a Santa Fe and Tucson to ensure that they really are nondescript egg-like CUVs, I spoke to a sales person and drove a Genesis. There’s a reason Hyundai is using this car as the breaking off point into a luxury brand. This thing is NICE. It’s slightly bigger than the Optima, and the base model has more bells and whistles than I really want or need but it was comfortable. It’s also laid out intuitively, which is something car makers seem to struggle with as they cram more gizmos into products. I wouldn’t call it fast, but it hit highway speed with no effort, and it wasn’t afraid to pass. For a bigger car it corners well. There’s apparently also a sport mode that the salesman didn’t show me until after the test drive. I’m not sure it would make a huge difference, but I’d like to find out. I priced it out, and it’s easily in my range. This thing makes the short list.

At this point I was running into the time I had agreed to meet up with the Kia salesman, so I made my way down the road to the dealership. I was expecting it to be a quick trip, as I’d already decided the Sorrento is too big, and the only other option is the Sportage, which looks eggy. Or at least the 2016 model did. They’ve recently updated the looks and released the 2017 model (in March?). It’s slightly less hideous, and I’ve had good experiences with this salesman and this dealership, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and drove one. If you’re in the market for a car and not sure what you want, dump any preconceived notions you may have and go look at a Kia. They’re putting together some decent cars for fairly reasonable prices. The Sportage I drove was an EX, their midlevel trim. But it had heated leather seats, dual climate control, a heated leather steering wheel, a huge fancy power sunroof I would probably never use, and all sorts of the warnings and nannies and things that people want now.

It drove fine. It wasn’t exciting. The ride was fairly smooth. The seats are comfortable. It was capable on the highway. It’s got space for people and stuff. It’s a good solid all –around car. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. If it was crazy cheap I would consider it. The problem was, it wasn’t crazy cheap. It’s not expensive either, no Kia is except maybe the K900, but I’ve never actually seen one in person. They may be a myth. These things are fresh off the truck and Kia is trying to flush out the 2016 models, so there’s no incentives on them. That combined with the fact that I need to dispose of the Optima put the price just a few dollars shy of the Genesis. I can’t think of a reason I would do that to myself.

It took me about four hours to run through this gauntlet. I think they were fairly productive. I eliminated Toyota and Ford, and unless something interesting happens, Kia. I didn’t expect the Genesis to make the cut, but it’s currently a top contender.  I’ve also come to the conclusion that most SUVs are probably a bad fit for my situation, even if I like them (Jeep). I’ve also got time. I don’t need to rush to find something, and I can make sure I’m getting a  good deal when I figure out what I want.

On a final note, I’d like to encourage you again to go look at a Kia if you’re in the market for a new car. My opinion is likely strongly colored by the good experience I had at the dealer (Bald Hill Kia) and with the salesman (Al Paulo). The thing is, Kia really is building good cars now, and for the price it’s hard to beat the options. If they made an all wheel drive Optima, I’d take one in a heartbeat. They don’t currently, and the AWD options they do have aren’t meeting up with my personal taste and use case. Maybe they’ll meet yours though.