Kia’s new Shuma 1,8 Sport isn’t the quickest car around, and it doesn’t have the solid feel of some of the more expensive cars on the overcrowded South African market, but it enjoys a huge advantage in the one area that affects most of us – price. The Shuma is the cheapest 1,8 litre family saloon available, and it comes with a pretty impressive list of standard features to boot. Air conditioning, electric mirrors and windows, integrated front and rear fog lamps, a radio/ CD with four speakers and two tweeters, ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), and dual front airbags are all included in the R139 995 price.
The interior of the Kia appears a little downmarket, which is acceptable when you consider the price of the car, but the instruments and controls are sensibly laid out. The test Shuma’s biggest downfall in my eyes was the lack of crispness it offered – it had just 4 000 km on the clock, but felt like it had done much more. The seat felt too soft, the switch gear lacked tautness and the clutch felt very soft and soggy. Because the car is fairly big and so well specced I found that I tended to compare it with cars that cost a helluva lot more, but every time I reminded myself of the price I felt more forgiving of the little things that irritated.
There’s plenty of space in the cabin, and the boot ‘s 344 litre capacity grows to 832 litres when the 60/40 split back seat is folded flat.
The Shuma’s a pretty fair performer as well – the fuel injected 1,8 litre DOHC four cylinder engine’s 84 kW and 160 Nm gets the car to 100 km/hr in around 11 seconds, after which it continues to accelerate till the needle’s hovering around the 190 km/hr mark. Handling too is as good as most, but the brakes felt a little wooden when used hard.
The Kia Shuma Sport is a good honest car at a good honest price. It doesn’t offer the classy feel that many rivals do, but it more than makes up for that in value for money. Included in the price is a 3 year/ 100 000 warranty with a 3 year unlimited roadside assistance.