Just want to know if the New kia models are already ok with regards to
their
performance and durabilty?
I am planning to buy one for our delivery but I'm afraid about what i
have
heard from previous kia owners for the overheating and  aircon problem.  
I
want my investment to be sure tnx.

They are ok as long as you follow the maintenance shedule in the owner's manual.  Most owner's however, do not even read it.  Let alone the drivers they hire to drive and care for the vehicle.

The 2.7 engine uses an aluminum-intensive cooling system which requires you to be running a 50:50 mix of water (distilled drinking water is preferred) and an ethelyne glycol based coolant (the green stuff).  You don't really have to be strict on the mixture.  Even 65% water will work (total capacities are in the manual).  The coolant in the system has been pre-mixed from the factory.  The coolant serves to raise the boiling temperature of the fluid in the system and to lubricate all the vital components used in cooling (esp. the water pump).

Some drivers are stupid enough to add water almost everyday to the radiator (nasanay siguro sa lumang sasakyan) which waters down mixture.  Not only that, they also use tap water which can have minerals in it which can get deposited in the cooling system causing the water pump to sieze or the radiator rods to clog.

Btw, this holds true for almost all modern cooling systems.  The system in the 2.7 just happens to be more sensitive so you must be more conscious of it.

Aircon problems are usually due to a leaking evaporator which is easy to replace or a non-working condenser fan which can be repaired naman.

a friend from a casa said to me that most korean cars( oo year or newer) mas ok na in terms of performance..

"overheating and A/C problem with the Kia's" i think i can understand where you're coming from. it's all about being Kia with all it's outright bad performance image. not being a toyota or honda with all it's outright superb performance image.

i'd say it's about how you maintain it.

i used to own a kia besta 2.7, we bought it brandnew -philippine release, not surplus from Kor. the family used it for a good 3 yrs. we never checked it's radiator for the first and 2nd year -my dad was never good in maintaining cars. it was only on its 3rd yr. when i started using it myself more often than my dad, that i thought of checking the radiator. believe it or not, water level is just about half inch below the lip.

while about A/C, i find vans' air conditioning system in general are not as cold as the cars [kotse].

performance, for 3 yrs it went to and fro bicol and baquio with the entire family and luggages, walang tirik whatsoever, top speed is at 145kph, we now hav an L300FB that would take a thousand years to reach 100kph!

I read that the new Pregio now uses a retuned version of Mitsubishi's 4D56-TCI.  

Quote from: DTNS on May 06, 2005, 09:35:17 PM
I read that the new Pregio now uses a retuned version of Mitsubishi's 4D56-TCI.  

Maybe possible bec. of the recent merger of Kia and Hyundai, in which the latter is a beneficiary of Mitsubishi technical know-how.

That's what I noticed also, the KC series now sports a 2.5 liter diesel engine as opposed to the usual 2.7 Kia-developed N/A diesel engine.

Quote from: Raymond on May 06, 2005, 10:04:24 PM
Maybe possible bec. of the recent merger of Kia and Hyundai, in which the latter is a beneficiary of Mitsubishi technical know-how.

That's what I noticed also, the KC series now sports a 2.5 liter diesel engine as opposed to the usual 2.7 Kia-developed N/A diesel engine.

that would be awful. i would expect a lower performance of these new models having this mitsu engine. the 2.7 was mazda inspired.

Quote from: DTNS on May 06, 2005, 09:35:17 PM
I read that the new Pregio now uses a retuned version of Mitsubishi's 4D56-TCI.  

The local units still use the 2.7HW engines making around 80 horses.  The 90+bhp 4d56 units are for the Korean market only for the meantime.

Alam ko yung bagong pregio ay 3.0.

Quote from: Arnold on May 08, 2005, 10:40:57 PM
Alam ko yung bagong pregio ay 3.0.

The 3.0 is not a new engine.  It is also a home-market engine available here via gray market dealers.

It has been in existence since the start of the Pregio model.

Just like XOB I am planning to buy a brand new Kia Pregio next month and still have a little bit of doubt in my mind concerning sa history ng older years model.
But thanks to your comments guys, my doubts are slowly fading away.
I hope more people will give their comments and personal experience sa new pregio nila para sa mga new aspiring owners.
Keep up the good work guys!!!

well, i used to ride a pregio when i was still in school...Lawton-Cavite shuttle system...he he he...no hassle...

haven't heard anything bad about them though, but Top Gear Philippines didnt like it in their June issue...well, it all depends on how you maintain it...even german machines break, do they...?