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What's new from Kia?
By Holden
Lewis • Bankrate.com
 A
Kia showroom is kind of a chicken hatchery: Visit one and you're overwhelmed
by "cheap! cheap!"
Man, those Kias are inexpensive!
And, unlike fluffy yellow chicks, Kias come
with a 10-year or 100,000-mile limited power train warranty. When a chicken
stops moving, you eat it. When a Kia stops moving, Kia fixes it.
In addition to the power train warranty, all
new Kias come with a limited basic warranty for five years or 60,000 miles and
free roadside assistance for five years, no matter how many miles you put on
the vehicle. The South Korean automaker knows that Americans are skeptical about
the quality and durability of its vehicles. It promotes that warranty to give
shoppers piece of mind.
The big news from Kia is the introduction this
fall of its midsize sport-utility vehicle, the Sorento. It will be bigger
than its stablemate, the Sportage. Kia brags about the Sorento's truck-based
ladder frame, its auto-leveler and available four-wheel drive. Yeah, yeah, whatever
-- the big news is that the base model starts at less than $20,000 -- a good
$4,000 less than a Toyota Highlander. And you get that warranty.
The Sorento has four 12-volt power outlets,
a driver's lumbar support, front and side airbags, lots of storage bins and
a sunglass holder. OK, maybe a sunglass holder isn't a big deal, but Kia brags
about it. And don't forget: that sunglass holder is protected by a five-year,
60,000-mile basic warranty.
Kia will take a break from making its smaller
Sportage SUV and introduce a redesigned version for the 2004 model year. That
could mean savvy shoppers could get a good deal on one.
Kia offers the most inexpensive minivan in
America, the Sedona. The base model comes standard with air conditioning,
power door locks, front power windows, cruise control, four 12-volt power outlets,
a pair of glove boxes and removable back seats. Kia's suggested price: a shade
under $20,000. And, like all Kia models, it sports that long warranty.
Kia's three car models -- the compact Rio,
the slightly larger Spectra and the midsize Optima. The main drawbacks
are the generic styling and forgettable names. The main attractions are price
and, yes, that warranty.
Kia Rio |
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The Rio won't set your heart aflutter with
bells and whistles. You have to pay extra to get floor mats, air conditioning
and a tilt steering wheel (it's the tilt that costs extra; the basic car does
come with a steering wheel). But look at that price. The thing costs less than
$10,000. That's less than $1,000 per year of limited drive train warranty.
The Rio also comes in a station wagon version
called the Cinco -- perfect for the low-paid concert cellist who needs
space to stow the instrument.
The Spectra is slightly sportier and a little
roomier than the Rio and runs from about $11,000 for a bare-bones model to about
$15,000 for a well-equipped hatchback version.
The mid-size Optima is what Kia calls its "flagship"
"luxury sedan." While it might not be all that luxurious -- a stereo
and cruise control are optional -- the base version retails for about $15,000,
and a V6 model with automatic transmission, cruise control, power windows, air
conditioning, stereo with CD player and leather-wrapped steering wheel goes
for a suggested retail price of a little over $20,000.
And, it has that warranty.
-- Posted: Oct. 1, 2002
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