Motorweek 1997 Kia Sephia Road Test

Motorweek 1997 Kia Sephia Road Test. I don't own this video.

[@boisegameshowguy]

In those days, this car was a godsend to the working class; I remember seeing Kia billboards in my area advertising “Got job? Got $199? Got Kia!”

[@kentworch]

I still have mine. I've literally driven the wheels off of it but fixed the wheel bearing and actually still drive it. The odometer hasn't even counted the last 300,000 miles as it stopped counting at around 256k But I know it's over half a million now and still kicking. The Mazda BP 1.8 dohc engine is one of the most bulletproof motors ever made in my experience.

[@kentworch]

Just change the oil in the poor thing and it'll practically run forever

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

Brings back memories of my first car. It was a 1997 RS, dark blue, automatic. Bought it on May 17, 1997 - twelve days before my 33rd birthday. I loved that car! I took it up to 110,502 miles by April 2007, when I traded it in for a year-old Chevy Cobalt at Enterprise Car Sales. I am now driving a 2016 Kia Forte, purchased used in 2019 at just under 55,000 miles (now 78,000 miles). Team Kia! Now I just have to keep the car thieves away. _(8/5/2022)_

[@kentworch]

I'm still driving the 5 speed version of this till this very day with over half a million miles. I'm still driving it in 2024. Only thing bad about it is that some of the pretty much impossible to find. Edit: some of the parts are pretty much impossible to find, but it's a very good car. Like I said I'm still driving mine and it's still burns rubber in 2nd gear and chirps in 3rd if desired. Yes I have the 5 speed manual with the BP 1.8 engine.

[@mattw8332]

This is my kind of car - no nonsense A to B transportation. For some reason the name of this car was changed to 'Mentor' for UK sales. Don't know why Kia bothered to change it.

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

Honestly it's a good-looking 90s sedan, even for today

[@gregg9672]

I remember things like the body side molding coming off and has lids that wouldn't stay close and after a few years that center dash would roll up from the windshield back. I haven't seen a First or Second gen Sephia in a long time.

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

The dashboard pad rolled up on my Sephia (I know exactly what you're talking about!). I couldn't do anything about it - except live with it. Turned out fine; the rest of the car held up well (I kept up the maintenance - oil and other fluid changes). I decided to trade it in before it started giving me problems. (See my comment above.)

[@socratespellegrini4962]

TENHO UM SEPHIA 94/95 AUTOMATIC, UM ÓTIMO CARRO NÃO VENDO POR NADA !!!

[@moeschizlac]

This had more power than a Corolla in 1997. The downside is it lacked a CD player, and cassette tape recorded music was becoming obsolete at the time.

[@mrdaykurutakuchannel]

My aunt used to own this, rebadged as a Timor.

[@benmoore1968]

It was a rental car from my memory

[@yudhabagaskara98]

Sold as Timor S515i in Indonesia

[@calvados6779]

Timor 1996

[@4HBirtcher]

Which Hyundai is this Kia based on?

[@sofiaplasencia7835]

Actually Hyundai still was not merged with Kia back then. The Sephia uses one of the Mazda 323 platform to be maded, but no, it doesn’t mean that it’s a rebadged Mazda 323 model, because the Sephia is 100% Kia car made using Mazda platform for the base design of the Sephia, however the 1.6 engine is from Mazda.

[@woofi22]

@@sofiaplasencia7835 Sephia doesn't use Mazda 323 platform but only use mazda's engine. because Mazda refused to provide the platform.

[@runoflife87]

Lol they really sold Sephia in the US? Can't believe because this car was just a bit better than Cavalier with no other advantages.

[@JDMHaze]

they definitely sold me when I think there was another generation of this car Here in the US, but it was equally forgettable

[@asikinturi3670]

the machine looks like mazda familia 323

[@sedona3495]

It *was* actually based on the 323 platform

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

I thought of it as a Mazda Protege with a $4,500 rebate.

[@kingkat8080]

Those were wretched cars. junk.