15 September 2005, 14:06 Cars

Kia Multi-S: Crossover Crossover

Dmitry Kiselev Well, who can you surprise with a crossover, and a conceptual one at that? But you can’t do without it - they’ll decide that you’re behind fashion and that all your life you’re just going to churn out small cars with a carnival-banana name that doesn’t really match your modest image. Kia presented the Multi-S concept crossover at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Cars, pickups and jeeps are commonplace. A crossover is a completely different matter. This is sport, style, and versatility, in short, an SUV, even better. The main thing is that the client forgets about “hot” hatchbacks, which still start faster from a traffic light, minivans, which are still more spacious, SUVs, which will not sit in too deep a puddle, and concentrate on the fact that he only has one garage.

True, the Kia Multi-S is not exactly a crossover.

According to the creators, the car combines the features of a crossover, minivan and all-terrain vehicle. That is, a hybrid of a hybrid. It is clear why Kia defines the class affiliation of its product with a newly synthesized term - CUV (Cross-over Utility Vehicle), that is, “crossover-utility vehicle.” And Multi-S stands for Sporty, Spacious and Smart, that is, “sporty,” spacious and intelligent.” The crossover is designed for families with children and an active lifestyle. Based on the number of seats in the car (there are seven), the activity of such families apparently manifests itself primarily in reproduction.

<1> There is little in the car from an all-terrain vehicle - except for the lean rear end. There is no information about the presence or absence of all-wheel drive in the car, but judging by the quite urban ground clearance with a wheelbase of 2700 mm, there is nothing to do off-road in the Multi-S.

For a minivan, the Multi-S is still too trim on the outside (external dimensions - 4545x1850x1650 mm). But inside it is a typical MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle), as minivans are also called. Overhead, passengers have a transparent roof and an overhead console with compartments for small items, and the dashboard is massive, like a Minivan, with a “chin” from which the gearbox “joystick” sticks out.

Under the hood of the Frankfurt exhibition model is a 2.7-liter petrol V6 and a five-speed automatic transmission with a manual “sport” mode. The car rides on 19-inch wheels shod with 245/45 tires. Koreans boast that Multi-S ESP, air conditioning, an audio system with “surround sound”, a tire pressure sensor, power steering with progressive characteristics, adaptive headlights, active head restraints, and airbags.

None of this, of course, will surprise spoiled buyers. Koreans will surprise you with something else - at a price for all these delights. It will certainly be much lower than that of Japanese, American and European competitors. Only when the car becomes a production car, Kia has not yet admitted.