2002 Kia Pride GTX 1.3 from Iran

Summary:

Good car for low-price

Faults:

The car is so light so it can be somehow dangerous to drive very fast.

The shock absorbers are not good.

The power drop off when you change gear from 3 to 4.

It has some vibrations and noises in steering wheel and dashboard.

It is not a family car so is not suitable for family.

General Comments:

Good acceleration, especially in 3rd gear.

Good Brakes.

Enough space concerning to its size.

Good air conditioning.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th June, 2003

7th Jul 2003, 04:46

I also have a Kia pride and I live in Iran. Mine has not had any problem so far (28000 kilometers) despite the bad assembly.it`s and economical car and I myself counted the consumption in the city and without standard condition it was around 8.5 liters per kilometer. and in subways I think it would be about 7.some weak points about this car are:

The drag coefficient is 0.35 so the car has problems in reaching the top speed (about 160 km/hr)

The maximum torque is gained in 3000 rpm so for quick acceleration you must change gear to the lower gear.

The handling is poor and you cannot dare to drive very fast. but in acceleration you dare to challenge faster cars and still be satisfied.

About safety the car is so poor.

However the car is good generally and I like it until I have more money to buy a better car.

13th Jul 2003, 05:35

I use this car in Iran and SAIPA company manufactures this car. he parts of this car are not selected well and there are lots of problems such as:

Fan broke down after 2000 kilometer.

Cooler ran out of charge in 2500 kilometer.

The Cabin and interior setting is too poor.

Drivability is too poor specially when you turn a bend and when I changed the tire to 185/60/13 it will became much better.

4th Aug 2003, 07:58

My pride was made in Yancheng, China. It's a cheap car, yet the engine is great, and so is the air-conditioner.

25th Nov 2003, 18:18

This is just a Ford Festiva designed in the late eighties as a very very cheap pocket car. You cannot expect much :)

29th Jan 2004, 00:35

I live in the Philippines and I own a 92 KIA Pride hatchback. It is now 11 years old and has gone through some pretty rough use. I am the second owner, and when I got the car it was in terrible shape. In the six years that I have owned it I have changed things from steering rack to dynamic damper to shock absorbers, carburetor, piston rings, brake master, tie rod, fuel inlet pipe; you name it! I learned a lot about cars through all these, and through it all, I'm still pretty satisfied with my car.

I have used the car to transport construction materials and the like. I've removed the backseat and this has given me an enormous cargo space at the back. It's really a jumbo mini car. The hatchback door is specially useful in loading and unloading cargo! On occasion I have removed the front passenger seat so I could transport 8' long pieces of lumber! For me it's a pretty basic car that's easy to maintain.