We too missed the hybrid by just a couple of days so went ahead with an order for the mild hybrid despite a couple of misgivings, one of which has already been mentioned viz the DCT gearbox and the long-standing issue of hesitation with these twin clutch devices Indeed we opted for our manual VW Tiguan four years ago for this very reason. Anyway, hoping for the best and that’s the worst you can always knock it into sport mode which should help things. On questioning, the salesman said he actually preferred that transmission to the hybrid six speed but not sure how much credence should be given to that…
The other disadvantage is that it is only available in AWD. Despite living in the Scottish highlands this is hardly ever needed these days and adds about 3 to 5 mpg I believe and plants performance a little. Unfortunately KIA Don’t give you the slightly more powerful version of the Engine with this drivetrain as they do in Europe and which the Hyundai Tucson has. Still can’t wait for it to arrive though…