So from what I hear the Rio has been getting some serious attention in the automotive market lately. I have been doing some work for Kia lately and there has been a lot of discussion about the JD Power award they just won. I like Kia cars but all this attention is kind of a surprise to me. On the other hand, it is really impressive to me to see a car company actual doing something for real to improve their cars. Anybody else know what I’m talking about. Let me know what you think

 

i hope you are talking about the current Kia models, cuz i owned a 02 sportage and it was crap, unfortunatly i gave Kia the benfit of the doubt when i was choosing my first car i tested most of the 02 models and it was crap after crap after crap, all they were was a newer Geo and just like Geo they were ****ty and and very unsafe and required alot of work to be made half decent. The only Kia that worth my time was the Rio and another plus side to it was it actually had a decent amount of aftermarket parts for it, but i went with the sportage only because of space, and that was second mistake, my first mistake was choosing a Kia in the first place. The sportage was soon destroyed and replaced with my current Mazda 3.

 

a girl i... was dating... had a kia sonata with like, 20,000 miles on it. it clicked in reverse and slammed violently into gear.

i'll never own one. ever.

 

I think Kia sucks! [:'(]

 

Purchasing an '02 Kia Spectra 5spd new was the smartest decision, economically, that I've ever made. The car got 33.2mpg over the 119k miles I had it, and cost me, 8.9 cents per mile to run, including purchase, and all repair and maintenance costs. I would've been a repeat buyer in Dec '05, but the dealership didn't have what I wanted, and didn't seem all that interested in selling me a car, so now I'm a proud Mazda6 owner.

Mark in MA

 

personally i think kia is a cheap car. if your going to get a car, save your money for something that looks good and will perform well...

 

if kias such a cheap car then ur callin a lot of mazdas cheap miata with the 1.8bp escortgt (ford) but mazda 1.8l bp and drivetrain- the 1.8 bp has vics oil squirters in the combustion chamber and kia designed a better flowing head to yield more power out of the bp-it may be a somewhat older motor just redesigned but thats how they keep their cars so cheap by using the same parts over various models- thats y a audi tt or 350z isnt extremely expensive cause they share the same plat form as other cars in the makers line, that may also be y both r heavy for a sports car but they have to it to keep cars moderatly priced by using genaric parts. its like a old hyundai tiburon uses mitsus 2.0l but slightly changed. so what would u rater do pay 15000 more so u can have 20 extra horses by having engineers design test and build a engine from scratch (honda)with technology like v-tec, i-vtec, using oil pressure to engage a secondary set of cam lobes- mass produce it and hope it wil be reliable in the long run and not kill u on maintenace-like the 3.4l dohc v6 out of the mid 90's convertible cutlass supreme and gtps, and have the motor get a bad rap after the first set of timing belt change and maintenace that is scary pain in thea-- and difficult for 220 hp as apposed to the newer 3.4s 175hp-200ft.lbs of torque way more reliable(except intake gaskets) than the old soft steel cam 3.4's. or do u think its better to take a proven reliable motor like the bp with aftermarket support improve,update a few things(head) to give u good performance no 60000km suprises(rsx types and throwing rods blowin motors while still under warranty) and keep the overall cost of the car down. i myself am not by any means a kia fan or enthusiast but u have to respect the level of power, reliability and overall improvement along a whole car makers line up while keepin the price under others in its class

 

In my country..a Kia Rio cost about US$30K....not worth considering it's interior and craftmanship is beyond Jap standard..most of my frens changed them to Jap cars...at least

 

Kia was recently acquired by Hyundai, and that has apparently brought the quality standards up quite a bit from the original Kia's. I haven't personally driven one. But from what I hear it's supposed to be a vastly improved car from what it was originally.

 

IMO, buying a hyundia or kia is like buying no-name products....like oatie oats instead of Cherrios.....if you havent noticed, kia and hyundia seem to be getting theyre inspiration from other japanese cars...take the Sonata for example, it looks surpisingly similar to those Acura's everyone has. then the other day i was flipping thru a magazine when i saw an ad that i thought was for the new Nissan Maxima until i took a second look....i was made by kia...or hyundia?? cant remember. and then the back end of a Hyundia looks alot like those bentleys/rolls royce's....and i always get excited when i see one only to realize its a friggin hyundia....anyways, i'll never drive a hyun/kia ever....mostly because ive spent my whole life making fun of them and if i drove one, id be a hypocrite.