Kia Pegas (2021) First Drive Impression: More space and spec for your rand

While certainly not the most interesting vehicle type on the road, there is most certainly demand for small sedans, some of which comes from the e-hailing sectors, government and of course, consumers who find the large, secure luggage space at the rear of a sedan more appealing than a hatchback or crossover.

Kia has decided to secure some market share from this segment, which includes entrants such as the Volkswagen Polo sedan, Ford Figo sedan, Honda’s Amaze and of course, the Suzuki DZire, by introducing the Pegas. We had an opportunity to sample to newcomer around the streets of Johannesburg recently.

Sedan proportions

We are certain that budget-friendly compact sedans are not gunning for design awards, with their aesthetics shaped entirely by their designers’ need to create as much space in a compact design as is possible. That being said, the Pegas is not unattractive, as is the case with some of its rivals. There’s a familiar Rio-esque front-end design with the signature grille. The rest of the car, from the rear and side profile, looks about as generic as it comes, which is not a bad thing as we aren’t looking for the small sedan to be reinvented, the conservative nature of buyers in this segment will appreciate the exercise in restraint from the designers.

Inside Pegas

The interior of the Pegus, much like its exterior, is basic, but with an emphasis on connectivity. There’s a 7.0-inch infotainment system with a reverse camera, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, a feature that Kia claims will place emphasis on the fact that the Pegus is aimed at private buyers. The system can be controlled via the multi-function steering wheel or on the screen itself. At launch, we sampled the Android Auto feature, which worked perfectly well, while the stereo system is acceptable for a vehicle at this price point.

We sampled the top-spec EX at launch, meaning that there are beige and grey artificial leather seats inside, perhaps not the best for those with children, but certainly effective at creating the impression of more interior space versus a darker trim. The boot is the real party piece in the Pegus, though, sporting 475-litres of space, making this an incredibly practical product. Overall, the interior reflects what the package is all about, basic motoring. There are the usual hard plastic surfaces that are common in this segment, however, the boot space and connectivity do a great deal in making a case for the Pegas.

Driving Pegas

Small budget sedans are not about setting your pants on fire dynamically, but rather place emphasis on fuel consumption and ease of use. At the launch event, we had a chance to sample the Pegas EX manual, which has a 5-speed manual gearbox paired to the ubiquitous 1.4-litre naturally aspirated engine from Kia, which in this guise produces 69kW and 132Nm of torque. There is an EX with a 4-speed automatic gearbox for those not interesting in swapping cogs themselves.

Driving the newcomer around Johannesburg revealed a few things, firstly, that the gearbox and light clutch action make city driving its forte. The next thing that became apparent was that the light steering and massive body roll mean that while the Pegus is easy to hustle around town, it feels less adept at freeway speeds. The addition of cruise control was a nice feature in the EX, though, while the reverse camera came in handy when moving out of a tight spot on the driving route. These small specification additions really make a big difference in daily driving scenarios.

The engine pulls relatively well too, particularly when compared with some of its rivals with smaller 1.2-litre units and allowed us to achieve a combined fuel consumption figure of 5.8L/100km during our drive across the streets and freeways of Johannesburg. The product performed as expected, providing a relatively quiet and comfortable ride certain to be comparable to the segment leaders.

Modern safety- and convenience equipment

The Pegas shares its Hyundai-Kia PB platform and powertrain with the Rio which was tested by the Euro NCAP new car assessment programme in 2017 where it achieved a 3-star safety rating. It is reasonable to assume that the Pegus is reasonably safe, until such a time as it is tested by C-NCAP, the Chinese car safety assessment programme, considering that it is produced in both China and Vietnam.

Safety items that come as standard in the range include dual front airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchor point at the rear as well as ABS with EBD, meaning that the basics are accounted for.

Kia Pegas range pricing

The Pegas range consists of just two specification grades, namely the LX and EX, the latter of which is available with both a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearbox while the former is only available with a manual gearbox.

Pegas 1.4 LX Manual R225 995

Pegas 1.4 EX Manual R236 995

Pegas 1.4 EX Auto R251 995

The pricing includes a 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty as well as a 4-year/60 000km service plan, comfortably making it the best in class from this perspective.

Verdict

It can be argued that those shopping for a vehicle in this segment are willing to forgo absolute style in favour of value for money and practicality. That stands the Pegas in good stead as it provides a highly competitive product offering in this segment, with the best warranty and service plan, the biggest boot, respectable connectivity and the fact that it is the newest product to arrive locally, despite it having been around since 2017. If you are shopping in this segment, the Pegas has to be on your list of test drives.