2001 Kia Sephia Review
2001 Kia Sephia Review
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Used Sephia for sale
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Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Low price, impressive build quality, roomy interior, incredible warranty.
Cons
- Unrefined drivetrain, weak tires, cheap interior materials.
What’s new
The 2001 Sephia features new safety items such as child seat anchors, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and an emergency internal trunk release. Changes for the 2001 model year also include dual visor vanity mirrors, a coin tray and a gas-cap tether.
Edmunds says
The Sephia will never be called a great sedan, but for some, it might prove to be a good bargain.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$177/mo for Sephia Base
Sephia Base
vs
$179/mo
Avg. Compact Car
Vehicle overview
The Kia Sephia is proving itself a contender in the compact sedan market, greatly aided by its extreme affordability. Two trim levels are offered and both come equipped with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 125 horsepower to the front wheels through a standard five-speed manual transmission. A responsive four-speed automatic is optional.
Base equipment on the Sephia includes power steering, four-wheel independent suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars, wheel covers, dual exterior mirrors, theft-deterrent system, rear defogger, cassette stereo, 60/40 split-folding rear seat and fabric upholstery. The upgraded LS adds air conditioning, power windows and door locks, bodyside moldings, tilt steering wheel and a driver's seat cushion tilt feature. Buyers can add wood grain dash appliques, a rear spoiler and floor mats to any Sephia, but goodies like cruise control, alloy wheels, power mirrors and ABS are limited to the more expensive LS.
Upscale styling tweaks make Sephia appear more expensive than a car this cheap has a right to look. Even build quality ranks high for a vehicle in this class, based upon our experience. Slam any one of the four doors and you will be rewarded with an impressive "thunk" usually reserved for Hondas and Toyotas. Oddly, however, Kia often scores well below average in terms of initial quality according to J.D. Power and Associates, as reported by owners of the car.
The Sephia is certainly not a performance car, despite its optional rear spoiler, but the motor makes a decent 108 ft-lbs. of torque. This allows the 2,500-pound Sephia to scoot away from stoplights with authority, but the engine doesn't generate much passing thrust at higher rpms where the engine makes more racket than power.
Boasting a capable, Lotus-tuned suspension, Sephia is severely hampered by cheap original equipment tires, which are noisy and make for sloppy handling in the twisties. The front disc/rear drum brakes, available with ABS on LS models, won't help in this regard, proving weak and generally ineffective with lousy pedal feel.
Perhaps the Sephia's greatest strength, aside from a low price and extensive warranty package, lies in its roomy interior, which, according to Kia, is larger than the 2000 Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, among others. With a truly useable rear seat, four adults can fit with a minimum of contortion.
Sephia offers better up front, out-of-pocket value than many competitors. The new Kia Long Haul Warranty Program helps this value equation. It consists of a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty, a five-year/100,000-mile anti-perforation warranty (which protects against holes in the body caused by rust) and a five-year, unlimited mileage roadside assistance plan.
But, is that enough to sway buyers? Unimpressive mechanicals and a bad rep for quality will, for some penny-pinching consumers, be offset by the low price and great warranty. The Sephia would never be called a great car, but for some, it might prove to be a good bargain.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2001 Kia Sephia.
5 star(31%)
4 star(32%)
3 star(20%)
2 star(10%)
1 star(7%)
59 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
3.63 out of 5 stars
2001 kia sephia 225000 and still running tough
2001kiasephia, 02/15/2011
2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
i have a 2001 kia sephia ive been the only owner it has been by far the best car ive ever bought i have done routine oil changes and tune ups on it and ive done the timeing and water pump every 60000 on it and she just keeps running like a champ and i get 30 mpgs out of it and im am very happy with it..
4.38 out of 5 stars
Pleasant surprise
the v, 03/10/2008
2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
I had very few expectations of this car, but it has really grown on me. It is excellent in every way. Reliable, fun to drive, very zippy (except when driving over 80 mph. It gets a little scary at that point, but what do you want for the money?). I would definitely buy a Kia again. But, this car has over 85000K miles on it and shows no signs of stopping, so I will keep it until the … wheels fall off!
4.25 out of 5 stars
No Problems Yet!
ladle24, 08/19/2005
2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
For an economy car -- paid $10,600 brand new (standard w/ AC), this has been a faithful car. Four years and 60,000 miles later, I have no complaints, although the older I get, the more uncomfortable the sparse interior gets. One great plus -- we live in a bad neighborhood, and our car is tough to break into. We see marks where people have attempted it, but so far no one has gotten into … it (it took the tech 1/2 hour to do it once when I locked my keys into my car!). This car has taken us clear across the US (coast to coast) at least 3 times, and this summer, we took it all the way to LABRADOR, Canada (from Chicago) with 2 kids and camping gear. We've definitely gotten our money's worth out of it!
1 out of 5 stars
My Kia
Gina, 12/04/2004
2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
I knew that I was not buying a luxury car, so I didn't expect it to be comfortable. But I did expect that for 20,000 (with interest) my 2001 Kia Sephia would be reliable. My car has failed on me 10 times in the past two years, all ten times the problem being my battery...dead, no matter the weather or how long my car was sitting. My dash lights also go out on occasion which really … sucks because it's usually nice to know how fast you are going. My Kia stinks.
2001 Sephia Highlights
Base
Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee | $10,845 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 24 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $177/month |
Seating | 5 seats |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger5 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver3 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRolloverNot RatedDynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalPoor
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintMarginal
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