Used Kia Credos review: 1998-2001

They might all look the same, but not all four-wheel drives, or SUVs if you prefer, are the same. Once Hyundai broke through it was just a matter of time before the other Korean carmakers followed in their tyre tracks. One of them was Kia, although the company’s products were pounding our pavement well before it launched here in its own right.

While few realised it the Ford Festiva was actually built in Korea by Kia so there was some history with the brand before the Mentor and Credos arrived on these shores in 1998.

That history suggested that the Kia would do well once it did arrive, and there were buyers ready to shell out for these newcomers on the basis of the Festiva’s good record.

MODEL WATCH

The Credos was Kia’s ‘big car’, arriving in the wake of the smaller Mentor, and pitched against others such as the Daewoo Leganza and Hyundai Sonata.

Like those other cars from the Korean peninsula the Credos offered more room and metal than its rivals from Japan or Europe could. It was the same pitch that all Koreans were making, but it was a successful one.

Underneath it shared some components with the Mazda 626 that preceded it so there was plenty of reason to have confidence that it was a competently engineered car.

On top, however, he sheetmetal was all new, not that the styling was anything to write home about. It wasn’t unattractive, but it certainly came from the same jelly mould that was in use by many carmakers of the time.

The sameness in the styling was a true reflection of its position as a follower of the market rather than a pacesetter. There was nothing to make it standout, except for its price, but that was enough for most buyers.

Under the dumpy skin of the front-wheel drive Credos lay a 2.0-litre double overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine. With four valves per cylinder and fed by fuel injection it was up to the mark in design terms and boasted adequate mid-range torque. When pressed, however, it ran out of puff at the top end.

At its peak it pumped out 98 kW at 6000 revs while the torque peaked at 171 Nm at 4000 revs, all of which was fed into either a five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed auto and ultimately on to the front wheels.

On the road the Credos was competent without being thrilling. It got the job done without any fuss as long as you didn’t expect to outpace other models from Japan or Europe.

There was nothing new in the chassis, it was utterly conventional, but that really sums up the Credos. It was a conventional car that broke no boundaries; it simply delivered plenty of metal for the money.

There was just the one model, and it came with air-conditioning, power steering, central locking, power windows and mirrors, immobiliser, tilt steering, cloth trim and six-speaker sound. An option pack delivered leather, woodgrain and ABS brakes.

IN THE SHOP

While the Credos is Korean, which is cause enough for a careful inspection, they’re often bought by cash strapped buyers who can’t afford to service them properly. But because it’s a step up the model chain from the bottom feeders that are mostly affected by owner neglect it’s not such a problem.

It’s still worth going over them thoroughly and asking for a service record. It always pays to find out if it has seen the inside of a service shop.

The Credos will be fast approaching the 100,000 km mark, which means a major service and a timing belt change. Expect to pay around $600 for the belt change so it might be best to find one that’s just gone past that service point and had the belt changed.

Look carefully around the engine, transmission and power steering for oil leaks that will have to be fixed.

When driving the car carefully observe the auto shifting. It should be smooth and without hesitation.

The interior trim seems to hold up well as does the plastic hardware components.

IN A CRASH

A driver’s airbag was standard, but passenger airbags and ABS anti-skid brakes were optional.

There isn’t a lot of history from real life crashes so it’s hard to judge the performance of the Credos on the road.

OWNERS SAY

The low sleek appearance, generous rear seat legroom and the economy of its four-cylinder engine were what attracted Doug Higgins to the Credos. His previous experience with a Kia-built Ford Festiva also helped him decide on the Korean. The Credos, he says, seems to be designed for fast cruising as it sits low and stable on straight highways and hugs the road on curves. The power steering is a little heavy, but it has a firm positive feel with no kickback and good self-centring. The ride is harder than some other cars the same size, but the firmer suspension is good for road holding and gives a sense of security for the driver. The auto transmission kicks back smoothly one or two gears when accelerating and the engine breathes effortlessly through its four valves per cylinder. Doug says he gets 9.0 L/100 km on the highway and 11.0 around town.

Doug Johnstone is also a very happy Credos owner. His has done 110,000 km and in that time he’s only had to replace a power steering hose and a brake calliper, and repair a broken exhaust. It doesn’t use oil and he gets 8-8.5 L/100 km on a trip. He says it cruises at the highway speed limit quietly and is easy to drive. The handling isn’t pinpoint accurate, but is quite acceptable. The auto has funny ratios, but once you get used to its quirks, it is not a problem. Contrary to some early reviews he has found the seats to be comfortable, the trim looks a bit ordinary, but it has worn well. On the negative side he admits it’s as ugly as sin and the gauges also leave a bit to be desired. The speedo is hopelessly optimistic. Overall, though, he has been very happy and is in no rush to trade it in.

 LOOK FOR

• jelly mould looks

• modest performance

• blunt handling

• reasonable interior roominess

• commendable economy

RIVALS

• Daewoo Leganza – 1999-2001 – $6500-$8500

• Mazda 626 – 1999-2002 – $9000-$15,000

• Hyundai Sonata – 1998-2000 – $7000-$9500

THE BOTTOM LINE

Affordable and economical small sedan with plenty of features, but don’t expect high resale value when it comes time to sell.

RATING

55/100