Korean Job Discussion Forums

[createasaurus21]

I was originally going to find a used Jeep Wrangler, but a new Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage just seems more practical for resale value, warranty, and for affordability and accessibility of parts and maintenance.

Does anyone have experience with either SUV? I know the Korean versions are a bit different from the American ones (Korean versions available in diesel for much better gas mileage for example).

[giraffe]

I bought a 2013 kia sportage in last december directly from KIA. We made our order in November and it took about 4-6 weeks to have the sportage delivered.. We bought the Diesel Automatic 2WD TLX with panoramic sunroof... No point in getting 4wd where I live in Korea. If you live up north I'd consider it.. In my case Its not worth the Extra 2-3 million won...

I've also never own or driven any other SUVs before this one so my opinion on the car is pretty one sided... It doesnt "feel" like a SUV ... its really just a COMPACT SUV. Its not big at all.. It's just higher up off the ground compared to a sedan.. It's more like a Soccer mom Type of ride except you cant fit in many people.. Generally speaking I love it. Only thing i dont like about it is the front windshield support bar on the driver side is kinda in your field of view when turning left. And the back window is a bit small.... Otherwise I'm happy....

We looked at the hyundai tucson but we decided to go with the Sportage. I think the engine is slightly better on the sportage and also i preferred the Sportage sporty design over the hyundai. both are pretty much the same/ similar though... The hyundai one might have better Trims than the sportage..

Notes:

-Road Tax wise You will be paying 1 million won a year ( 500k won per 6 months) roughly... for the first few years. After that the tax will start dropping as the car gets older...

-Expect to be paying 20-50kwon more monthly on your health insurance just for owning a new sportage

- Generally in the City we've been getting roughly 7.5-9 km/l . On the highway It's gone up to 15km/l .. Its rated to be 14.9km/l I think But you'll NEVER get that in the city here in KOREA with all the lights and traffic...

- The car is in my wife's name Because it was apparently easier to put it under my wife's name. Because its under my wifes name I have to pay driving insurance for the both of us even though she doesnt have a license or know how to drive haha. We're with Samsung insurance and pay 1.1 million won a year for the highest coverage. IF i took my wife off insurance wouldnt be much cheaper.. just 100k won less a year.. I could switch the car to my name But that costs money ( more than just keeping her on the insurance plan haha)

feel free to PM or ask any specific question here...

[createasaurus21]

Giraffe, thanks for your detailed reply.

I noticed that too with the left part of the car's frame on the left of the windshield. I noticed that right away when I sat in it the car in the showroom, it seems a bit wide and obstructing.

I was expecting to pay the taxes you mentioned, I didn't know about the hike in health insurance though.

That's surprising you only get about 8k/L city with the diesel engine, that comes out to be around 18 miles per gallon, which isn't much considering the fuel prices here.

I've always owned a mid-size truck or mid-size SUV and I like to do a little light-moderate off-roading, outdoor sports and I plan on towing a small boat in the future, so I was highly considering the 4wd model. But thinking about the fuel inefficiency you mentioned also makes me want to eff the whole idea and just get a Hyundai Sonata!

[giraffe]

ehhh..

The frame obstructing the view ,You get used to it!!! every once in a while you wonder why it was designed that way but You honestly forget about it and it doesn't really bother me anymore..

The Sportage is VERY VERy good for fuel efficiency. Other cars probably fare Worst than the sportage unless you're driving a hybrid OR a small car like a Spark/ morning etc... ... Actually the Sportage is known for its fuel efficiency . But you have to understand that Driving in a city you generally wont get Good fuel consumption on anything except smaller cars/ hybrids. Especially in bigger cities with lots of traffic , lights etc... Think The Top 5 cities in KOrea... The fuel consumption of the sportage is rated 14.9 km/l . Which is really good for a car its size. I've even seen people go up to 20km/l on the highway with it which is DAmn good But you have to be driving at a steady 100km/h on cruise control for a long while...


And i would say Forget about anykind of off roading with the Sportage or even Tucson haha. like i said, its not a SUV! It handles like a car.... Seriously.... And i wouldnt tow too much with it either..... If you want to tow anything you better get something bigger like the Sorento...

THe sportage/tucson is really just a soccermom wannabe suv. regardless, I love it and does the job... =).

[giraffe]

if you're considering the kia sportage/ tucson. You might want to look into the SsangYeong Korando C . Very similar to the sportage. similar price too. PLUS ssangyeong will basically give you Free upgrades like tinted windows , undercoating , GPS / black boxes etc.. they will hook you up..

Kia on the other hand WIll give you squat.. Unless theres somekind of "deal" happening when you buy your car... They might give you free tinted windows/ undercoating BUT its crap apparently. We paid for our own + custom fitted built in GPS at garage instead.. better that way..

Also, You should check out Chevrolet in korea. They will also hook you up and give you all the extras for Free. ( at least at the place we were looking). I just didnt like any of the car designs. BUt the interiors are really comfortable and they are really safe cars.. made strong. Thicker doors etc....

[createasaurus21]

I was thinking the same thing about the two Korean models as far as off-roading. But you'd be surprised how many fairly positive off-road reviews there are on off-roading forums about both models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzaKh0rrX98

older model off-roading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shQLTbUXQ3I

Of course I would never compare it to a Jeep in a sport and utility sense, but both the Hyundai and Kia can handle their own as far as light-moderate off-roading goes.

I even read some reviews from Australians with the diesel version that use the Sportage on outback ranches and trails.

[createasaurus21]

I'll take a look at the Ssangyong, I didn't know they still made them, I've always only seen older models.

[createasaurus21]

I've owned a Chevy before and it was by far the crappiest, most unreliable car I've ever owned. I know the Korean versions are made here in Korea by GM Daewoo, and although I took a look at the Captiva, I just don't want to take the risk of having another vehicle like my previous one. The Captiva was in the mid-30 mil. range, too... at that price, I might as well go 7 mil more for a new Jeep Wrangler.

[createasaurus21]

One review says: "The towing capacity of the Kia Sportage is 2000 lbs, so you�ll be able to tow a trailer and a pair of motorcycles but not much more than that."

That's about all the weight I plan on towing ... When I said small boat, I meant really small boat

[createasaurus21]

Wow, thanks for telling me about the Ssangyong! I'll check out their cars tomorrow. I like the Korando C and the Korando Sports

[giraffe]

good luck with the offroading with sportage =). I've seen plenty of videos of people doing it. Its a car with a motor .. It's capable of all kinds of feats . PErsonally i wouldnt be trying it ever. Not with my 2wd... Even if i had a 4wd i wouldnt want to tow/pull much more than a tiny Uhaul trailer maybe...

I only use it on weekends anyways for travelling..

Well the old korando looks like a Jeep. They stole the design... As you might have guessed , Ssangyeong motors used to build jeeps for the US army way back in the day. The New Korando C looks nothing like the old one. It looks sporty. Basically like a a sportage..

https://www.google.com/search?q=korando+c&aq=f&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=T1d6UY6dL6WAiQf3l4GABg&biw=1920&bih=952&sei=YVd6UezYEaaiigeGyoGICA#imgrc=DlEenKlJj6k3LM%3A%3B9c7qmAwuMbojwM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.the-blueprints.com%252Fblueprints-depot%252Fcars%252Fssangyong%252Fssangyong-korando-c-2011.png%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.the-blueprints.com%252Fblueprints%252Fcars%252Fssangyong%252F48172%252Fview%252Fssangyong_korando_c%252F%3B796%3B679

No opinion on Chevys myself. I've never owned one. BUt I did like The Chevrolet Cruize Hatchback when i tried that one. We ended up with a Kia because my wife was able to get a few % off the card price with a certain credit card. It's important what creditcard you have in Korea. You can get extra discounts ... Must have saved an over 1million won or so maybe...

anyways we're pretty happy with the sportage. It's not bad!! =)

[giraffe]

i think the korando C is more expensive in price though and less features than the sportage. YOu have to pay extra for airbags and a bunch of other stuff that just comes standard with the sportage. YOu do get more for your money with the sportage , thats for sure...

If you look on naver The Korando Sport cost anywhere between 20-27 million won. That's without registration , taxes and what not...

korando c is 20-29 million...

I'm sure you wont be buying the BASE models so you're probably looking at anywhere between 27-30 million once you register and pay taxes and insurance for the year =).

The fuel efficiency on the korando so is between 10-17 km/l .... In the city youll pull off maybe around 8-9 km/l .... Dont believe the numbers ssangyeong tells you because those are ideal conditions... Sportage has similar numbers.

But yeah i think if you go ssangyeong itll be more pricey in the end!

[createasaurus21]

You make some good points. I'm highly considering the Sportage, I haven't ruled out the Tucson, and I def want to check out the Ssangyongs tomorrow, especially the mid-size truck the Korando Sports.

Thanks for the all the info.

[Norn Iron]

I've had a 2011 Sportage 2WD TLX for 1.5 years now. Techno Orange....easily the coolest color!!

Pros-
Strong engine. Surprisingly good acceleration for this type of car. The torque is rated at 40nm which is amazing for a 2.0L engine. But you need to turn off the Active Eco button to get the performance.

Good looks....I still don't think there's a better looking CUV on the market.

Nice interior.

Diesel is pretty cheap usually. My daily work commute is a fairly balanced mix of city lights and longer stretches of country road. I'm averaging 12km/L


Cons -

As said above, this car does not have the best visibility. I think that's a sacrifice for the slick exterior styling though.

I find the drivers seat pretty uncomfortable. Not padded enough. That could just be me though. But I'm seriously think of asking Kia if there's another model of seat they could put in there for me.

The firm suspension is great for cornering but can make potholes and some speed bumps pretty jarring. Not a biggie though. I'll take the occasional bump happily to enjoy the Sportage's excellent cornering.


Overall I'm still a happy owner. It's so much more of a car than the stupid little Morning which it replaced.....which, btw, didn't save me any money on gas. You have to drive those little 1.0L cars like a grandmother to see fuel savings. I found I was thrashing it all the time and spending a fortune on gas.


AFAIK, the Tuscon and the Sportage use the same engine and are almost identical mechanically....but I think the Tuscon has a softer suspension.

[big_fella1]

I suspect that the Hyundai and Kia will hold their value better than the Ssangyong.

If there's a waiting list your discounts will be limited but you should be able to get several if you have a Hyundaicard, if its your first new car in Korea, and if you have a child thats about 800,000won in discount on either.

If they have a special finance offer and you don't have the cash watch the conditions. My 3.9% offer cost me 500,000won of discount and a 600,000won application fee, making an effective rate of 12.1%pa. I would have been better off to borrow the cash from the bank at 7% or less.

I'd prefer the Kia, I found the couple of Hyundai guys I spoke to had no interest in selling due to arrogance, the Kia guys were much more helpful even though I speak Konglish. I only visited 1 Ssangyong dealership and both of the salesmen went out to smoke until I left. Obviously not desperate for sales.