The Star E-dition

KIA’S PEGAS IS SUITABLE FOR A FAMILY |

PRITESH RUTHUN pritesh.ruthun@inl.co.za

WE came away surprised at Kia’s new Pegas compact sedan driveability and flexibility. It has more than enough space to satisfy families of four and thanks to an energetic engine and transmission package, and doesn’t feel tiresome to drive or lethargic compared to some of the small sedans in this segment. Here’s five reasons why you might want to consider a Pegas if you’re looking for your first new car:

1) Small on the outside, big on the inside

Measuring in at 4300mm in length, 1 700mm wide and standing 1 460mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2 570mm, the Pegas fits squarely amongst its key competitors such as the Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze. It has a larger boot than most of them.

The trunk is also lined with carpet, unlike some of its competitors, which reduces noise in the cabin. Kia says the rear seat will fold, but the batch that we drove didn’t offer this function, which can come in handy if you load larger items such as flat-pack furniture.

There’s plenty of room for up to four adults but it’s a space that’s wellsuited to two adults and two kids. Thanks to large windows, the view from the cabin is a pleasure.

2) So easy to drive, even with a manual gearbox

It’s refreshing and pleasing to drive a compact car with nice manual gearbox that’s easy to row and accurate with nicely spaced ratios. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd give you more than enough oomph to make haste from traffic lights while 4th and 5th give you flexibility on the highway when cruising at the national limit.

As I was one-up in the vehicle due to observing strict Covid-19 protocols, I didn’t really get to feel the perfomance with passengers in it, but I can tell you that the engine works well with the manual gearbox with enough torque pick-up low in the rev-range so you don’t have to wring its neck every time you want to overtake.

The engine is the familiar 1.4-litre naturally-aspirated petrol unit that Kia’s been fitting to most of its compacts since 2018 and feels amazing to rev out. With 69kW and 132Nm on taps, you’ll be surprised when you take one for a test drive. I’d also urge you to drive the others in this class, the Amaze and the Dzire in particular, so you can feel the difference a few more cubic centimetres make under the hood.

3) Comfortable enough to take on long journeys

I was able to take the Pegas on my usual jaunt along the N1 towards Pretoria and then I hooked north west towards the Hartbeespoort Dam for a quick loop back around the Cradle of Humankind. I usually use this route for high-performance cars and grand touring vehicles and my mind was blown at how capable and comforting the car was on this route.

Point to point it’s not going to set any hearts alight, but once you get comfy in those slender seats and you sink in with a good song (via Apple music or whatever your preffered provider thanks to CarPlay) the journey becomes very relaxing.

There’s no fancy suspension system here, it’s the tried-and-tested-Kia torsion beam at the rear, but thanks to years of refinement (it was originally launched in global markets in 2018) the car rides well on broken surfaces and undulations. I was especially pleased at its stability at the national limit of 120km/h and under braking with very little in the way of rear-end shimmy under hard brake loads.

It’s a relaxing, confidence inspiring drive that won’t vibrate you or give you headaches due to dazzling mirrors or buzzing trim pieces on the inside. It feels solid and well put together.

4) Packed with features you actually want

The big news in the Pegas world is the addition of smartphone connectivity in the form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. I tried out CarPlay and it worked a treat as I was able to stream music without any glitches. I did struggele with 4G signal out towards the Cradle, but I switched to a downloaded playlist and the system worked seamlessly.

It was also nice to have WhatsApp support, as the car will read you messages to you and you will be able o reply with voice inout, never having to touch or look at your phone while driving ever again. I haven’t tried apps such as Signal on CarPlay yet, but I find Whatsapp for messaging and Apply Music and Spofity work best and it’s nice to have this system in the Pegas as its competitors come with old-fashioned systems that are a nightmare to pair your phone with sometimes.

Other nifty treats that you will aprreciate includes a reversing camera with a nice clear resolution and rear park PDCs to ensure you don’t scrape its bumper in those tighter parking spaces. You also get remote central locking, electric windows all around, and anti-lock brakes and a couple of airbags. The addition of disc-brakes all round and electroni brakeforce distribution does give you decent stopping power as mentioned earlier.

5) Great first car or upgrade from a hatchback

There’s no arguing SUVs are the future as cars become electric and the premium segment vehicles evolve further, but it’s this entry level segment that will remain the bread and butter for most manufactures in South Africa. This Pegas makes a great play as a first new car or as an upgrade from a compact hatchback.

I like the car’s styling that enables you blend in and the interior treatment that is not too future-forward that you don’t know where to find critical controls such as air-con switches. The ergonomics in general work well, and the centrally located electric window switches add some charm.

Kia is adamant that the Pegas is not just for taxi cabs and Ubers, and I agree as it’s a decent family car, with sub 7l/100km fuel consumption and no fancy engineering items that can go wrong in the near future. If you’re in the market for something new and you don’t want to break the bank on it, give this little Pegas a twirl and you might just end up signing up for one. PRICING

Pegas 1.4 LX Manual: R225 995

Pegas 1.4 EX Manual: R236 995

Pegas 1.4 EX Auto: R251 995

All KIA Pegas vehicels come with a five-year/unlimited kilometre mechanical warranty and five year roadside assistance plan as well as a fouryear/60 000km service plan with Service Intervals pegged at every 15 000km.

FRONT PAGE

en-za

2021-06-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/282106344592881

African News Agency