This was the best car I have ever had. The four wheel drive is very handy when in the snow. It's a good cheap priced SUV that looks good and expensive, but actually isn't.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 8th February, 2004
Cheap to buy, but no bargain
Persistent problems with tracking - dealer unable to fix to my satisfaction.
Heat shield on exhaust rattles - replaced four times under warranty.
Rattle from 4WD transfer box. Sorted under warranty.
Perspex instrument cover cracked. Six month wait for replacement.
Poor finish on chrome wheel nuts and spare wheel support. Both rusted despite regular cleaning.
Untraced electrical gremlins left me stranded on one occasion (refused to start).
Good driving position. Comfortable interior, but poor fit and finish.
Ride is poor - the rear over sprung and under damped. This can be improved by carrying some weight (e.g.a couple of bags of sand).
Engine is noisy and thirsty (26mpg), but mechanically sound. (I believe it's from a Mazda 626)
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 20th August, 2003
The worst all-time SUV
I have replaced everything or almost in this vehicle. I've had engine trouble and had to pay 630$ US while waiting three weeks for the car cause the dealer didn't have the replacement parts in stock.
Replaced the clutch, brakes, battery.
Electric windows are slow.
Smoke came out when I tried to fix the position of my outside mirrors.
No acceleration at all.
Smoke of all colors except red and blue come out of the pipe.
Makes so much noise while driving that alarms from other cars go off.
There's a lot of noise inside the car and nobody knows why.
Had to replace the thermostat.
Odometer went dead.
One of my fog lights only works when it feels like it and the dealer worked on it twice already.
All the lights inside the cabin went dead after someone closed the door with force, and not all of them came back.
Car can't take in the gas as it should, everybody is giving me a different story.
This is no doubt the worst SUV ever made. If you see KIA written somewhere, run for your life and I mean for real.
Performance gets worse and worse every 6 months.
Desperate to find some ignorant willing to buy it from me and I'm prepared to lose money over it.
Can't take this car to the dealer anymore, the expense is just not worth it.
There is no excuse for making a car of such low quality. If you have never bought a KIA, don't or you'll regret it, this I guarantee.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 6th June, 2002
26th Jul 2004, 12:21
I bought this car for just under £5000 in 2002.
At first the whole family were delighted with it. It is easy to drive and is extremely comfortable for driver and passengers.
However, the last few months have been a headache and the car is continuing to cost us.
The car is at present not drivable for the second time due to an electrical fault (again).
The dealer seemed puzzled the first time and did not remedy the problem as the brake lights, horn and power antennae do not work.
I have had to wait 3 weeks for a second appointment.
I noticed today that the radiator is leaking.
I have a very good local mechanic, but he cannot always sort the problem as KIA seems to be very individual.
I will not be recommending KIA to others now as, despite the initial bargain, it is proving to be expensive to maintain, the parts are hard to get hold of (even for the dealer) and I have found the dealer, to put it bluntly, smarmy, patronizing and ignorant.