Given the limitations of many in the class, the Kia actually can hold its head high, says Declan Colley.

FOUR of the top contenders in the rapidly expanding, wildly popular crossover segment are essentially two pairs of cars which are very closely related to each other.

To the end of February Kia lay in 10th place on the Irish new car sales charts with a total of 1,972 units registered and a market share of 4.32%. It was not a bad performance, but not quite up to that of sister company Hyundai, which ratcheted up some 4,199 units and a market share of 9.19%.

FOR two years, I have been banging on about how the “Koreans are coming” and I’m not referring to the military strength of Kim Jong-Un’s recently inherited Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but to the industrial strength of their hated southern neighbours in the Republic of Korea.