Kia's new concept car is easy to manoeuvre, has high visibility and is deceptively roomy, writes PADDY COMYN
THE BRIEF was to meet on the rooftop of a car park in Frankfurt at 10am on a hot morning; it sounded like something from a crime novel. But instead of exchanging suitcases and microfilm, we were there to have a preview drive of a real-life concept car, the Kia Number 3, first shown at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. While production versions of the car have already been spied testing in Germany, the concept model gives a hint of what is likely to appear on Irish roads early next year.
The concept – styled, developed and built at Kia’s European Design Centre in Frankfurt under the guidance of chief designer for Europe Gregory Guillaume – is part MPV, part family hatchback.
The Number 3 (after Kia’s previous efforts – C’eed, Carens and Soul – the name of the production car is anyone’s guess) is a five-seater with a long wheelbase and generous interior space. It is a good-looking car, with bold front lights, flared wheel arches and a glass area that tapers at the rear. The aim seems to be to give those who want more versatility from their car a vehicle to be proud of.
Having gently opened the car's doors we were greeted with the usual zany interior design of a concept, with gold seats and a full glass roof. Expect both to be absent from the production car, and features such as the automated sun visor are likely to get the chop. "It is always very difficult to make an MPV an emotional piece," Gregory Guillaume told The Irish Times. "That was the biggest challenge. We had to keep all the functionality of an MPV where people want the space inside, all the light going into the vehicle, but try to make it so as it has the proportions where people who really love cars can also love this type of vehicle too."
Kia expects the new model to sit somewhere between the next Rio model and the Soul, with the Soul seen as something out on its own rather than just another MPV. What is remarkable about this new model is that it doesn’t look like it has as much interior space as it does.
“There is always the balance between perceived space and how much you really need. Do you really need 30cm over your head in the back? Are you going to be wearing a top hat?” asks Guillaume.
“We thought it didn’t hurt so much to make this car two or three centimetres lower than you would expect . . . what was very important was to get a very big wheelbase, with the wheels in every corner so the inside will be as big as possible. There is a sliding rear bench in the rear and this also will give greater access to legroom where needed.”
So what is it like to drive? Well there were strict rules – stay under 50km/h and stick to the roof-top car park or a strip of road at the side of it. While there was little to tell from what was probably a mule engine fitted with an automatic gearbox, what was impressive was how easy it was to manoeuvre and how much visibility there was.
From the spy shots we have seen of the production version, most of the design has remained. Kia is staying tight-lipped about the engines but we can expect a small diesel engine to be the core powerplant.
Kia hopes to reach young families and empty nesters with this car, which we will see in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show later in the year. We would expect the new model, whatever it turns out to be called, to cost around €18,000 when it arrives in January.