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

click image for larger view

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

Lease or Buy? How much car can you afford? Bankrate helps you do the numbers with our calculators