First-Generation Kia Rio

Nowadays I respect Korean cars, especially the Kia brand.  That wasn't always so.  You see, I spent the better part of a year (1963-64) in Korea on Army duty.  Back then, Korea was economically backward, having barely recovered from 1950-53 war damage.  I didn't think much of the place, especially in comparison to Japan, which was doing quite well.  (I spent a few weeks in Japan attached to the Stars & Stripes newspaper and while on leave.)

As for Korean-made cars, very few were manufactured when I was there, and those were Datsun Bluebirds assembled by a firm later named Daewoo, now defunct.  That company was associated with General Motors and, as best I remember, some models were sold as Pontiacs in the USA -- I recall renting a disappointing one once, years ago.

Another Korean car I rented was the Kia Rio (first-generation, 1999-2005).  I had just bought a 2005 Chrysler 300, and the dealer needed to do some make-ready work, so they rented me a used Kia Rio for a couple of days.

Styling was satisfactory for a car with a 94.9-inch (2410 mm) wheelbase.  Its designer was the Italian I.DE.A Instutute (references here and here).

The problem was that Kia Rios of that generation were mechanically quite basic, almost primitive -- not nearly up to the standard of many contemporary Japanese and European cars of the same size class.  Truth is, I hated driving the thing.  I thought that for the same price, a good used car would have been better to live with.

The images below are of a for-sale car and otherwise perhaps factory-sponsored photos.

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