- sedan 90,409
- 7,500 overpriced
- Peoria, AZ
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- autoshopper.com
- sedan 90,409 gasoline white
2001 kia sephia review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. A price-leading compact sedan. introductionkia sephia delivers a reasonable ride for not a lot of money. It's a basic car without a lot of luxuries, but with a base price of just over $10,000. Coverage includes 10 years/100,000 miles on the powertrain (the engine and transmission), a five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, five years of unlimited roadside assistance, and rust protection up to 100,000 miles. with good gear ratios in the manual transmission and engine torque slanted to excel at lower speeds, the sephia more than holds its own in commuter traffic. Factor in the spark of sephia's energetic powerplant and a price several thousand dollars below japanese competitors like the honda civic and toyota corolla, and this kia shines in a crowded field of compacts. lineupprices for the sephia start at $10,845 for the base model. As a result, the overall appearance of the sephia seems familiar; it looks similar to other compacts on american roads. Side panels look flat, interrupted only by delicate bulges of soft flares ringing each wheel well. Various protective moldings match the body color on ls models as upscale accents. The superstructure above the doors shows more glass than sheetmetal, with a gentle arched line apparent from narrow roof pillars running front-to-rear across a flat roof. in back, a high trunk deck rolls over the trailing edge in blunt descent to color-keyed bumpers. A sporty decklid spoiler may be attached as an option to any trim of sephia, although it looks incongruent with the understated design. interiorsephia's interior arrangement maximizes personal space for passengers and delivers more room for heads and legs and shoulders than the class-leading competitors. Twin bucket seats appear in front separated by a center console, while the three-person rear bench has a seatback that folds to expand cargo space in the trunk. also, there are a number of comfort features and perks aboard that are usually not available in this price range. The driver gets a footrest on the left side, for example. The driver's seat cushion on the ls tilts for a better fit, as does the steering column. Front seatbelt anchors on b-pillars adjust vertically for comfort. the standard audio system, an am/fm/cassette stereo, mounts high above the center console for better access, with control knobs and dials enlarged to fit american-size fingers. A cd player is optional for ls models. Dashboard instruments include an analog speedometer with white-on-black face, with a tachometer installed for the ls. sephia is nicely trimmed even at entry level. Fabric covers all seats as well as inserts in door panels, which have low map pockets. Twin sunvisors and cupholders are provided for front seats, along with two front air bags and three-point seatbelts. Windshield wipers offer two-speed intermittent operation and remote releases control the front hood, fuel door and trunk lid. some small cars skimp on safety features, but sephia matches the class leaders with air bags, adjustable three-point seatbelts, and an internal emergency trunk release. Its chassis structure features integrated front and rear crumple zones, steel bracing in each side door, a collapsible steering column, childproof rear door locks and rear infant seat restraint anchors. driving impressiontake a sephia out for a test drive and it sells itself with zippy acceleration and precise road manners. It particularly impresses with tight control for steering and the independent suspension. The suspension keeps body roll in check and maintains a relatively flat stance through a set of curves. we played with a sephia ls on winding strips of blacktop strung around granite ramparts in the pine-clad black hills of south dakota on a cold and windy day. To create its mechanical components, kia teamed with noteworthy names from around the world for subsidiary automotive systems. Kelsey-hayes devised the anti-lock brakes and bosch lh motronic did the engine's fuel system. the suspension, with macpherson struts in front and a multi-link design in back, incorporates front and rear stabilizer bars to check the body roll. Installing sway bars in this economy class of compact sedans may be unusual but they're a welcome addition because they allow sephia to handle the curves with confidence and comfort. brakes are conventional with front discs and rear drums linked to power assistance. Abs may be added to ls models for $800. power for sephia comes from an iron-block engine originally developed by mazda, which once owned a piece of kia. The engine, now produced by kia in korea, delivers more horsepower than most other compacts in this class, with lively acceleration in lower gears. However, fuel economy figures for sephia's engine do not score nearly as high as the competition. a manual five-speed gearbox is the standard transmission and shifts easily through a short-throw stick. The koreans have obviously figured out how to develop and build a nice japanese-style compact sedan without the mark-up inherent with japanese pricing. The fact that these models lock out vibrations and noise makes sephia an even better selection. model lineupsephia 10,845); ls 12,195). assembled inhwasung, south korea. options as testedam/fm/cd stereo 295); carpeted floor mats 70); alloy wheels 340). model testedsephia ls 12,195). Anti-lock Brakes✔ Power Mirrors✔ Tachometer✔ Bucket Seats✔ AM/FM✔ Air Conditioning✔ CD Player✔ Cruise Control✔ Alloy Wheels
7,500 Peoria, AZPeoria, AZ at autoshopper.com