When many people buy compact cars, they are actually doing a screening question: In the case of a limited budget, what quality do I value more about a car?
Most of those who pay attention to the comfort of space choose Xuanyi; those who enjoy driving pleasure will choose Civic; those who attach importance to economy and durability may choose Corolla; they tend to be mature in technology and reliable in quality, and choose Langyi.
At the "K3 Youth by You FUN" test drive event held on April 1, the author found that there was such a "master" lurking in the original compact car market, which turned the consumer's car purchase process into a multi-choice question: What can I choose at the same time when the budget is limited?
High value, large space, driving texture, car economy, excellent quality, intelligent technology... A brand new Kia K3 that makes people no longer satisfied.
Appearance: Kia shot and never missed a hand
High value has always been the exclusive label of Korean models, and the newly redesigned new Kia K3 has also amplified this advantage at the design level. The model I tested was a top-of-the-line version, which added the GT-Line sports kit, and the overall shape became more youthful and sporty.
Specifically, the new Kia K3 still adopts a highly recognizable tiger whistle grille in the front part, and the inside of the grille is a straight waterfall design composed of multiple vertical chrome trim strips, with sharp headlights on both sides, showing a more sporty and radical side. At the same time, it also eliminated the fog light design and replaced it with fang-shaped trim panels, filling the entire front face shape with visual tension.
On the side, the new Kia K3 looks very full and powerful, with the upturned double waistline design giving the body a swooping posture, embellished by the 17-inch Lage Wheel's two-tone wheels, creating a more sleek sporty style.
The tail design is also outstanding, using the popular through taillights, which stretch the width of the tail horizontally and bring excellent visual effects when lit. It is worth mentioning that the new Kia K3 has also added a lot of sporty modifications in the tail, and the exhaust layout of the bilateral double is one of them, with the diffuser design at the bottom, it can be said that the dynamic temperament of the tail is vividly displayed
Space: Comfort and technology, all arranged in place
Move your gaze to the inside of the car, you can see that the interior layout of the new Kia K3 adopts a symmetrical design, and the division of the functional areas is also very clear and clear, whether it is a function button or a storage space, it is in accordance with the use habits of most consumers, so the author feels very comfortable in the actual use process, for example, it is designed below the air outlet a column similar to the piano button air conditioning control area, daily driving when reaching out to control the temperature, wind, etc., very suitable for blind exercise, And the feedback during the key press is good.
In terms of materials, the new Kia K3 is also very thick, not only using a large number of high-grade soft materials on the center console for covering, but also adding a very delicate red stitching, as well as a large number of chrome trim strips for embellishment, creating a texture higher than this level for the entire interior.
10.25-inch suspension central control screen and 7-inch full LCD dashboard to join, then play the role of "science and technology", before use, it has created a good atmosphere of science and technology, specific operation, you can find that the central control screen is still very material, it is equipped with Baidu map, QQ music, Internet of Vehicles, etc., are some practical functions. It is worth mentioning that its built-in Baidu navigation is different from other car navigation, accurate positioning, but also to provide some effective information to avoid congestion, with it, the author believes that our mobile phone should be able to quietly "lie" during the driving process.
The steering wheel shape of the new Kia K3 adopts a three-panel flat design and is wrapped in leather material to enhance the feel of holding, in addition to the addition of paddle shifters, GT-Line exclusive logo, which is a more "rebellious" operation in the domestic car market, highlighting the personality and helping to ignite our driving passion.
Talking about the ride space, the body size of the new Kia K3 is relatively outstanding in the same class of models, the length, width and height are 4660/1780/1450mm, the wheelbase reaches 2700mm, and the central platform design is slightly convex, but it does not affect the riding comfort of the intermediate passengers.
In addition to the spacious space, the comfort of the seat is also in place, its surface is covered with leather material, the interior is filled with thick, the engineering design of the entire seat is very close to the curve of the human body, the wrapping and support of the wings are also excellent, even in more intense cases, the seat can fit together with our body, there is no slippage phenomenon.
As if to emphasize its specialness again and again, the new Kia K3 also sewed the GT-Line logo on the seat backrest, further accentuating the sporty atmosphere
Driving: excellent mechanical quality, intelligent configuration blessing
Although there are many highlights after the new Kia K3 redesign, the author is more looking forward to its dynamic performance on the road.
As we all know, Anji is famous for its winding mountain roads and alpine beauty, in which various "serial hairpin bends" are continuous, and its steepness is comparable to that of "Akina Mountain", which will be a severe test for the new Kia K3. The route of this test drive, in addition to crossing the steep mountain road, but also in the complex situation of the township road back and forth, which undoubtedly adds a new problem for the new Kia K3, so can it be solved? We'll know it when we try it.
The model tested by the author is equipped with a 1.4T engine from the new "Smartstream" power system, which has won the title of "Ward's Top Ten Engines", and its mechanical quality is deeply recognized by the industry. It delivers 95 kW of power, peak torque of 211 Nm, and is partly matched with a cleverly tuned seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
In the initial stage, the author can clearly feel that the power reserve of this 1.4T engine is relatively sufficient, just tap the accelerator pedal, you can get timely power feedback.
Continue to step on the accelerator pedal, when the engine speed soared to 3000 rpm, the feeling of pushing back came as expected, at this time not only can feel the strong power is still in the continuous output, and there is no obvious turbo lag phenomenon, this feeling continues until about 100km / h, when more than this speed, the power output of the car becomes more linear and uniform.
In addition, the new Kia K3 this 7-speed dual clutch transmission also left a very good impression on the author, in the driving process almost did not perceive any frustration, the overall performance is very smooth, and in the case of rapid acceleration, it cooperates perfectly with the engine, the upshift is not delayed, the downshift is not delayed, and the use of sharps is strong.
Immediately after driving to a more congested section, the new Kia K3 equipped with BCW side blind zone warning and FCA-C forward collision avoidance assist system came in handy, the former broadening our driving horizons, and the latter paying full attention to the dynamics of the vehicles in front of us, effectively avoiding collisions. After that, we also "stole a lazy" and turned on the SCC intelligent cruise control system, which can realize the "automatic driving" function in the full speed domain, so that the author can relax his hands and feet and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Anji.
The continuous curve after the car can be described as a big test for the control performance of the new Kia K3, but the new Kia K3 does not panic at all, it adopts the suspension structure of the front McPherson rear torque beam, coupled with the professional tuning of the sporty suspension by Kia engineers, which can not only filter out some of the shock sensations on the road, but also play a good support role for the body, so that its body posture is still relatively stable when continuous cornering, giving us sufficient confidence.