Kia Gets Boost From Turbocharged Koup

November 25, 2013

Kia Gets Boost From Turbocharged Koup

It’s got the looks…and the all-new 2014 Kia Cerato Koup has got the power to go with its sporty, grand-touring image.

Because under the bonnet of the svelte new 2-door Koup nestles a turbocharged, GDI, twin-cam engine that delivers 150kW of power and, just as importantly, 265Nm of torque across a broad rev range for swifter response and more exhilarating driving.

“The first generation was praised as having the look of a genuine sports coupe,” says Todd McDonald, General Manager of Kia Motors New Zealand.

“With the arrival of the new 1.6-litre Turbo with 150kW – the first forced-induction petrol engine for Kia in New Zealand – it also delivers the performance to go with those stunning good looks.”

The Cerato Koup Turbo reinforces the sporting nature of the Kia brand and provides a ‘halo effect’ for the rest of the range and, with the top-of the-range SX model priced at a fully-equipped $42,490 + ORC, including Kia’s acclaimed 5-year Warranty Programme, the newcomer is set to be just a popular as the model it replaces.

“It brings with it a new sense of excitement and freshness to a brand already being driven by award-winning design, best-practice engineering and safety, along with leading-edge customer service and benefits,” adds Mr McDonald.

“And this is just the start. With the Koup Turbo filling the classic Grand Tourer role for us, the middle of next year will see the arrival of a focused performance model in the pro_cee’d GT.”

For now, all eyes are on the Cerato Koup T-GDI SX, which features a bolder but more sophisticated look, inspired by European coupes and created at Kia’s American Design Centre in California under the direction of Frankfurt-based Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer.

Except for the bonnet and front fenders, every exterior panel on the new Koup is unique to this vehicle and it also features a totally different grille. Though, like its Cerato sister-cars, Koup is sculpted to portray ‘dynamic muscularity’ and provoke an emotional response. The sleeker cab-forward styling, rising beltline, swooping C-pillar and distinctive eye-catching concave door contours project an aura of sporty luxury. Its new shape is more slippery than before with a cd of 0.30.

Unlike most other 2-door coupes, the Kia Cerato Koup is designed to accommodate up to five people comfortably in its award-winning interior, with genuinely spacious rear seating that will take two adults on long journeys or three on shorter trips.

That because it shares the same seating layout as the Cerato sedan and hatchback on its 50mm longer wheelbase (now at 2700mm, the same as the Sorento R), which translates into more legroom (up 51mm), shoulder room (up 15mm) and headroom (up 28mm). The new Cerato Koup is bigger all-round than the old model, being 50mm longer (4530mm), 15mm wider (1780mm) and 10mm higher (1410mm), plus, it’s 433-litre (VDA) boot is among the largest in its class.

Attention is, not surprising, focusing on the new twin-scroll, turbocharged, 1.6-litre engine – the first of its kind to power a Kia in New Zealand. The advanced power plant boasts a relatively high compression ratio for a turbocharged engine (9.5:1 versus 11.5:1 for the non-turbo 2-litre used in other Koup models not yet available here). That makes it immensely drivable and also economic. But it can get up and fly when urged, with a 0-100km/h acceleration figure of just 7.4 seconds and 222km/h tops speed for the standard 6-speed automatic (almost one second quicker than a Toyota 86 auto – the auto Koup is also quicker than the manual Koup, by three-tenths of a second).

The six gears in the Koup automatic transmission can be manually changed using paddles on the steering wheel. For those wanting the traditional 6-speed manual, it is available on indent order.

The ANZAC suspension, developed especially for this part of the world, has been further fine tuned to take account of the turbo performance of the new Koup to produce a sporty, yet supple ride and handling, whilst also being more refined, with the aim of reducing road noise. The new electrically-assisted power steering has three driving modes to allow drivers to personalise the settings: Normal, Sport, Comfort.

With an impressive array of safety technology built into the new Koup, it conforms to 5-star safety ratings, just like the Cerato sedan and 5-door hatchback, as well as benefitting from higher strength steels in its stiffer and stronger structure. It also comes with larger ventilated front disc brakes to match the higher turbo performance and equal length driveshafts to eliminate steering tug.

In keeping with its sophisticated Gran Turismo character, the 2014 Kia Cerato Koup T-DGI SX is very highly specified, a hallmark of all Kia vehicles. Among new technologies and creature comforts are remote keyless entry, standard alarm, power windows, power/heated door mirrors with puddle lamps, front and rear parking sensors with camera display, steering wheel-mounted cruise and audio controls, 6-speaker audio system with Bluetooth, multifunction trip computer, leather upholstery, dual zone climate control, drinks cooler in the glovebox, Xenon headlights, LED daytime driving lights with front fog lamps and unique 18” alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres.

There’s also factory-fitted SatNav, featuring a 7-inch screen and SUNA Live Traffic Update technology, providing real-time traffic information for drivers in the Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch regions.

Now, where shall we drive it…

ENDS

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