Kias' Little Truck With A Big Heart

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday October 8, 2005

with BRENT DAVISON

When Mrs Motoring Writer saw the test truck parked in the driveway her eyes lit up.

"I've got a weekend of pain planned for that truck," she said. "I hope it's up for it."

Three days, a light truck, a major landscaping project and a whole heap of smelly stuff to be carried home from the hardware store.

Sounds like a chapter from Backyard Blitz and if it wasn't going to provide a sufficient test for Kia's take on a real-life Tonka truck then nothing would.

Kia brought the first series here a bit over two years ago and it became an instant hit, grabbing 52 per cent market share in the 2.5 to 3.5-tonne GVM class.

The reasons were many and all of them simple: the K2700 was cheap, it was well-equipped and it was robust. Moreover, it was a real truck that made more expensive car-based utes look like boys sent to do a man's job.

Second-generation K2700 is a bit different physically to the original but no different philosophically.

The cab is more rounded, roomier and with better aerodynamics, and while it is still a forward-control vehicle, this time around the mechanicals live under the seats and are got at through the cab rather than having to tilt the whole cab forwards.

That has led to the fitting of a "bonnette", a lift-up opening between the headlights that puts the windscreen washer bottle, jack, engine coolant bottle, wiper motor and the airconditioner top-up valve within easy reach.

Inside, the bigger cab has more storage space including a nifty tray and cupholder affair on the fold-down centre seat's backrest. The tray has its own clip for securing paperwork and its top lifts to reveal a storage area.

The cabin comes complete with airconditioning, power windows (but manual operation of the external mirrors), a CD player, remote central locking, cloth upholstery and a well-designed dash layout.

An adjustable steering column means not having to have a truck-like driving position and the cloth-covered seats are comfortable enough for the sort of work Kia expects K2700 to do.

However those in the know will tell you that trucks, even little trucks, are judged on what they do, not what they've got. So what does K2700 do and what does it do it with?

Start with the chassis, a ladderframe affair supporting independent double front wishbone suspension and a robust leaf spring arrangement on the solid rear axle to handle the anticipated weight.

With the truck empty the suspension has plenty of movement but settles with a bit of weight in the tray, giving it a reasonably smooth ride in a truck kind of way.

The chassis supports a 1.5-tonne load capacity and for $1200 Kia will sell you a 3110mm long, 1630mm wide drop-side tray to carry it all.

It's a good, solid unit with cab protection bars, protective rubberised tops on the drop sides and tailgate to stop paint damage, left and right side steps and plenty of internal and external tie-down points.

The dropped tailgate does cover the hazard flashers though and the tray could do with a rubberised cover or liner because its painted finish damages easily.

Power (and I use that word in the context of the K2700, you understand) comes from a 2.7-litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder diesel and the numbers are not brilliant. Try 57kw at 4000rpm and 172Nm of torque at 2400rpm.

Low power, adequate torque and high noise levels. Let's not beat about the bush. Those inside are sitting atop a big capacity, fairly agricultural diesel in a cab that is not exactly bristling with soundproofing. Holding a conversation means raising your voice a notch or two.

Kia's only transmission for K2700 is a five-speed manual with a l-o-w ratio on first gear, well-spaced intermediates, 1:1 fourth and an overdrive top. The reality is that, with the truck empty, first is not needed for anything but hill starts and, once it is rolling, neither is second.

With maximum torque developed at 2400rpm and a reasonable amount of the stuff available low in the rev range the truck is happy to trundle around with the quite smooth five-speeder flicked backwards and forwards between third and fourth.

Throws between ratios are not too long and clutch operation is smooth and progressive. It is a fairly leisurely gearbox though and double de-clutching on the downshifts is useful to keep things percolating with as much power as possible on tap.

And so to the gardening adventure from hell and our plan to treat the Kia mean and keep it keen.

Sawn-down trees, lengths of heavy timber, old concrete footings and dozens of unwanted bricks were thrown in the tray. Prunings and cuttings were tossed in alongside until the truck was piled high with the unwanted dross of Casa del Inquent and the whole lot covered and secured.

Did the Kia complain? No, and our mountain of rubbish was not even enough to have the little truck sinking on its springs.

Putting a load aboard showed up the K2700's distinct lack of urge, a power deficit that makes it a bit of a mobile chicane and elicits the odd flash of headlights, tooted horns and raised digits from frustrated followers.

But for $23,990 the K2700 is a bit of a star in the light commercial vehicle firmament because it can do things a ute or even one of the many one tonners cannot.

True, it is not at all quick and it might not have the cachet of some of our more sporty utes, but it has bags of practicality and purpose, plenty of equipment, surprisingly respectable handling and OK comfort levels.

At a glance

Model: Kia K2700

Price: $23,990

Dimensions: length (with tray) - 5120mm; width - 1740mm; height - 1970mm; weight - 1640kg

Engine: 2.7-litre, inline four-cylinder diesel

Power: 57kw @ 4000rpm

Torque: 172Nm @ 2400rpm

Transmission: five-speed manual transmission

Chassis: forward-control cab, mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel-drive, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, power-assisted front disc and rear drum brakes, 14x5-inch front and dual 12x3.5-inch rear wheels

Suspension: front - independent double wishbones, coil springs, dampers and torsion bar; rear - leaf springs and dampers

Fuel type/capacity: diesel/ 60 litres

© 2005 Illawarra Mercury

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