KIA AURA (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY JONATHAN CROUCH

Introductionword count: 92

If you had to name the fastest growing franchise in Britain over the last few years, household names like Citroen, Peugeot and Rover would surely spring to mind. Up near the top, though, is a name which might not occur to you - Kia. One of the cars originally responsible is the Kia Pride, a supermini that was built in Korea and affordably priced. Used buyers in the know keep a close eye out for low-mileage Prides. When you realise how reliable and cheap to run these cars are, you'll probably agree.

Modelsword count: 28

Models Covered: 1.1 three-door [L,] / 1.3 three-door [L, LX] / 1.3 five-door [LX] /1.3i three-door [L, Start, LX, S] / 1.3i three & five door [LX, SX]

Historyword count: 159

The Pride, a rebadged Mazda 121 built under licence by Kia, first landed on these shores in June 1991, as both a three and five-door hatchback. It styling was restrained and mechanically, there was nothing innovative, yet its sensible-shoes packaging, strong warranty and bargain pricing quickly made it a success. There were both 1.1 and 1.3-litre engines available from the launch, though the smaller unit only ever came with the three-door body and basic L trim. Fuel injected models replaced the original 1.3-litre cars in November 1994 and these were then referred to as '1.3i'. By now, the 1.1-litre unit had been deleted. The Start 1.3i three-door replaced the L in December 1995 and the range was again slightly revised in June 1999, when prices were reduced, the entry-level three-door re-christened yet again as the S and the plusher three and five-door models dubbed SX. Production ended during 2000, leaving the newer Mentor II as Kia UK's entry-level range.

What You Getword count: 44

Basic transport with no frills. Stretch to the LX and SX models and you should find all the equipment you really want. That includes rev counter, remote tailgate and fuel filler releases, adjustable front head restraints, a split-folding rear seat and a four-speaker stereo.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227