Test Drive Kia Sephia 1993 - 2001
Remember everything
A year has passed since the day, Sophia Lvovna made his debut on the pages of our magazine. All this time, her behavior was the starting point in the assessment of other machines tested. As before Kia Sephia Leo, she wound 24 thousand kilometers, holding all the time well. Annual operating experience in briefly can be reflected in one, previously already sounded, phrase: the hood was last opened 2500 km back, when the water was poured into the washer. We still note some of the features of this car and summarize. Driver's workplace. As much as competent and laconic instrument panel was found only in Audi A3. The explicit omission of designers is the absence of the illumination of the cigarette lighter, ashtrays, the keys of the rear janitor and the washer. All control lamps are well read when bright sun. With the exception of the orange lamp benzokolone, warning that less than 9 liters remained in the tank. Given the fact that this lamp glows more often than others, it would not hurt to make it brighter.
Claims to the salon only in terms of the selection of materials. Facing materials do not look cheap, but the parts made of hard plastic shelf in the niche of the instrument shield and the cladding of the center console are constantly creaked. Unsatisfactory the quality of some plastic parts: quickly destroyed bushings of the air visor fastening, and the steering wheel in the constant girth zone is noticeably exhausted.
Seat. There are no special comments. They feel comfortable in them in lightweight, and in winter clothes. Adjustments are selected without problems. There is something to find face. The belt belt belt straps sometimes faces the lever adjustment lever chairs. When tensioning the strap can grab it, and then the back will suddenly thrust. If you at this point tightly kept behind the wheel, you were lucky. So it costs more carefully for yourself belts. In general, it would not hurt to change the flag form or its location, excluding such contact with the belts. Nevertheless, in the new Kia Sephia II family, the design of the front armchairs is the same.
Salon ventilation system is not very. Circulation problems are noticeable with high humidity. The windows of the rear doors continue to fog even with a completely warm front section of the cabin. A variety of reference adjustments (direction, power, flow temperature) is not in focusing lead to complete ventilation without compromising temperature comfort. The interior is easily absorbed and keeping moisture. The only outlet is slightly lowering the rear windows on the go, continuing to turn the stove. As for directly heating and air conditioning, the complaints did not arise over the past period. In winter, the interior is quickly heated, and in the heat healthy helps the air conditioner.
Mechanics. To the engine, transmission, steering, suspension no complaints. Thanks to its dynamic qualities and manageability, hatchback fits perfectly into any transport stream among the cars tested by us and close in the Sephia Leo class, it is inferior to the pickup all the same AUDI A3 1.6, subjectively superior to a new Corolla, forever young Escort, not to mention Korean and Nexia Nexia.
Of all the test cars of the Kia Sephia brand has the most even and balanced characteristic of the steering and suspension. After installing Tires Dunlop Graspic HS-1 dimension 195/60R14, the car is especially good in braking and roll-up coating. In the same turn, where I used to move on the third transfer of the latitude, the winter Dunlop allows you to fall on the fourth without gas discharge. Also noticeably improved the permeability.
The only remark to the mechanic winter. It turned out that brake discs and pads are largely subject to icing. There is enough hourly parking machine with brakes in frost and friction at first braking almost zero, wheels are not blocked and even with a sharply recessed brake pedal does not work ABS. Therefore, before you go to a big way, I had to go on a lot of fright brakes on a small go.
The same picture is observed and with a long motion at a good speed, when the temperature overboard below -20 front ventilated brakes from supercooling do not work well. This is especially noticeable in the initial stage of movement due to the screen, before it is absolutely not characteristic. In such conditions, we recommend periodically to slow down the car, warming brake discs.
December 30-degree frosts have shown that in such cold 93rd gasoline is unsuitable for a comfortable and dynamic driving engine spinning like from under the stick, dramatically loses power when the gas is discharged and elasticity when switching gear. Inspoping the vapors of the 98th, he again comes to normal and begins to remove the car confidently.
The average fuel consumption in Moscow coincides with the passport in the conditions of the urban cycle of about 9.6 liters per hundred. From which we conclude that on weekdays Moscow and Seoul are equally hopeless in terms of economical ride. However, in the summer on weekends, without leaving the city, it was possible to meet at 6.75, and last winter on the highway in 5.7 liters of high-quality Finnish gasoline. The lack of body design is a wide gap in the fifth door connector. In winter, snow is stuffed there. Cleaning, it then turns into ice and prevents opening. Let's hope that LEO II has a more successful seal and drain.
Weak place fastening the rear door locks. Plastic bags are not the best solution for the machine operating on the roads of dubious quality. If it is not possible to take care of the replacement of the sleeves on the self-tapping screw, then the regular replacement for an authorized dealer will cost $ 13 each.
Accounting. The costs of three planned maintenance (after 1.5 thousand, 12 thousand and 24 thousand km) amounted to about $ 150 for work and new oil filters, plus $ 110 per 12 liters of Castrol RS engine oil. Refusal of standard low-profile tires cost $ 360. Unplanned replacement of spark plugs after 17 thousand $ 13. The only demand for replacement is the part of Kia itself. This is the resulting joystick of control of the outer mirrors. Costs $ 29. Also, I had to fork out $ 1, having bought two screws to improve the hinge of the gas tank cover. Now the cover does not hold on plastic sings, but on the head of the screws. We will not consider the replacement of wiper brushes to consider, we also do not consider the costs of installing and servicing the alarm. Filling the car by gasoline for all this time cost about $ 1000.
That's all.
Resource tests are carried out with the technical assistance of the Kia Motors general importer in Russia, LG.
Ivan V. Paderin
A source: Magazine Motor [№2 / 1998]
