Kia has a new design direction, and boss, which had started to get my attention (Koupe Concept). However, I'm not envisioning myself driving a Hyundai/Kia any time soon. I still feel that their improvements are skin deep and they are not there yet in terms of engineering, platforms and powertrains. Genesis/Genesis Coupe are good efforts, but they are just the first efforts and they are the flagship cars.
If I was to buy a compact SUV today, I would still buy the Outlander despite its flaws in execution; it's been trouble free for me for almost 2 years now and still, there is no other CUV out there in this class, today or upcoming, to meet my needs/wants. Maybe the new redesigns will change that, but they are 2-3 years away.

 

If I would be buying a CUV today. I would probably have to consider between Rogue, Tiguan or Outlander, but tomorrow I will pick a different car like Audi Q5.

 

Audi's are nice, but from a reliability point of view they are far from the best. I have an uncle who loves his Audi's , he has had 5 in a row. He also spends lots of time at the dealer, and by now he knows him very well. He used to trade them in every 2 years but the resale value was horrible,. He kept his second last one for 8 years and will probably keep his new A8 for a while. Personally I think that Audi make sales by bluring the buyers judgement with "brand prestige", technology and gadgets!

 

We test drove a Rogue but hated the CVT. We also wanted a V6.

I have to disagree with your statement that the outlander is cheaply made. It felt no different than the more expensive SUV's. The engine is pretty much bullet-proof and the warranty is one of the best. Also, the outlander is one of the least expensive SUV's in the crossover market.

 

I am not talking about engine quality, I am referring to interior quality and newer Nissan cars use much better interior materials and workmanship is much higher. I also have 08 Sentra SL and it feels higher quality then Outlander which also has horrible road noise insulation and ton of rattles. As far as CVT it's a personal opinion. My 08 Sentra also has CVT and I am fine with it. Despite that Outlander has higher "fun to drive factor"... at least for now... the "fun" things for me are 4wd, hid and navi

 

Not arguing with you on Nissan quality...I own an 05 G35 coupe

I just didn't care for the Rouge...and the Murano was just OK. The road noise everyone complains about is most likely due to the tire design.

At the time of my purchase, the 0% APR and the excellent warranty sold me on the Outlander. Plus, I had nothing but good luck with my 02 Lancer.

(I also hated the CVT on the new Lancer...just doesn't feel "right")

 

wrt the OP - that Kia has a nice new design - but don't forget it's a conceptual so the production version will look less aggressive, especially the wheels/alloys.

In 2010 Outlander will have a new nose too more in-line with its lancer brethern. But it really depends on what your priorities are in a vehicle. For me Outlander has the best cargo area in terms of useability and size at this price (real-world pricing which includes financing), which was one of my most important factors.

But if your most important factor is edgy design then thats a different story.

 

There it is... has something Outlandarish in it

 

If I wanted something that has "Outlandarish in it", I would buy an Outlander. But that's just me. Sometimes experience can be the greatest teacher. Since I've had it with Kia, I don't think I'll ever go back.

I can't complain about Outlander's interior, because I saw the interior before I bought it. It's a little bit too late to complain about the interior after you bought it.

I think if you trade in you Outlander for something that has "Outlandarish in it", that just might work.

 

When I bought my 08 XLS, I considered the Rogue, Murano, infiniti EX35, Rav4, Highlander, and I also read about the VW Tiguan (but it was not really on the market then) and Forrester.

The Rogue was very small in size and it wasn't much cheaper than the Outlander. Rogue has much less features compared to the Outlander as well, namely the lack of Xenon, HD Navi, and V6.

I like the Murano. When I considered it, it was still the first generation. The price was higher by like $4-5K with all the features comparable to the Outlander. Of course the Murano has better interior, but it was just out of my budget.

EX35 was nice, but it was small and overpriced. IMO, EX35 went the luxury but less utility route, which is not what I wanted. Outlander on the other hand was a decent crossover packed with utilities.

Rav4 was really the closest competitor. I sat in it at the dealership, I like all the features it offers, but like the rogue, it lacks Xenon, Smart Key and HD Navi while it is about $2-3K more expensive than the Outlander. The other thing about Rav4 that turns me off was a million different trims and models, which was confusing as hell and I just couldn't get one trim that can be easily comparable to Outlander. I was frustrated looking through the details and I went hack with it.

Highlander was a good alternative if I was willing to pay like $5k more for more room but less technology. I like the Highlander styling too, but out of my budget. But if I could move my budget to accomodate the price for an Highlander, I would probably had gotten the Murano at the first place.


VW Tiguan was not even on the market, but I knew it was considerably smaller in leg rooms and cargo rooms. Pre-production hyped up the technology that would be available on the Tiguan, but when it was released it wasn't really all that exordinary. In fact, the 09 Outlander has almost everything offered by the Tiguan such as back up camera and rain sensing wiper, although I like the panoramic roof on the VW. I was glad I didn't wait for its released. I think it is priced about the same as the Outlander, so it would have been a good competitor in terms of bang for the buck. But VW/Audi has the reliability issue that worries me. My friends' GTI and A4 constantly have Engine Light on.

Forrester. I really really like it. It was on the boring side of the scale in terms of styling inside and out, but can't beat the utility of this vehicle. I didn't get the Forrester because my wife opposed to the Forrester due to the old-school styling.

After over 18 months of ownership of the 08 Outlander XLS, I still think it is one of the best on the market considering size, features, utility and price. If I had to get rid of my 08 XLS and buy a new crossover today, I think I would get the 09 Outlander. The newer crossover like the Audi Q5 and MB GLK are way too expensive for what they are. GLK standard is about $31K without leather interior, no Xenon, no Nav, etc. Fully load it will cost someone well over $36K, which is smaller than Murano with about the same luxury features and price, or is about same in size with Outlander/Rav4 for about $5-6K more.