- Sign in
- Write a review
Kia Pregio has been discontinued. See all Kia Vans.
Kia Pregio
CT.II (2003-2006), CT.I (1995-2003) (See All)Bought new in 2003 with cargo barrier, power windows, central locking and air con. Non which failed. Stereo was garbage and sheet metal window blanks needed addressing for rust with in first couple of years covered by warranty. Slow to get going but lasted well over 520000ks. The only major service was the fuel pump otherwise very little ever went wrong. These vehicles are so simple and easy to maintain. Serviced every 7500-10000kms. Got abit slack with the servicing at around the 250 mark but it still never missed a beat. Never even replaced ...
Read morethe glow plugs water pump, clutch. Just filters, engine oil, the odd belt and bulb. Never dropped oil. Sold in 2016 due to starting to look abit ugly from dents and rear main oil seal was just starting to get damp but a pretty easy fix. Never stored under cover and the paint held up well. I think regular oil changes on a pregio will reward you with reliability. Our mechanics were impressed. Have bought two used ones since which are still in use today.Purchased in for $22,000.
- 5 reviews
- 11 likes
bought one a few years ago for working in own business
heaps of room and over 1 tonne carry load
non turbo motor is bit slow going but if you drive it accordingly it'll pull loads all day, just give yourself time and room when pulling out into traffic lol. Is a bit noisy too as others have mentioned.
Serviced mine every 4000k's / 4 months just to be sure on keeping it going and thats what it did for me, kept on going. Servicing is cheap.
Decked it out also for camping and it performed great as there is so much room in the back.
Could fit 3.6m l...
Purchased in .
I bought my Van a few years ago and I would guess it has had a few different owners. The noise in the cab can be fixed by just putting gear behind the seat. Has given me no trouble and as it was a pretty cheap van it has been good value for money.I have traveled the state and further into some interesting camping spots without any problems. Had a few electrical issues when I bought it but soon got them sorted. All in all, I love this little Van . Its great to drive, easy to park, fast enough and good mileage as its Diesel.
I purchased this LWB van for plastering ,painting for 5000$ from ex laser electrical in Hamilton on trademe ,as a diesel mechanical son my old man a diesel HD fitter said strong reliable motor .but valve train damn noisy ,doors no springs ,weak sheet metal ,large areas dent easily ,paint work crappy ,camber alwAys 1.8 % out always changing tyres over ,no reverse lights ,no aircon ,no turbo .a few lemon issues .
Find out how Kia Pregio compares to other Vans
Know better, choose better.
Bullet Proof Reliable Vans, but Loud to Drive, Slow and Gearbox is Sticky
Some history about this van: What Kia did with the Pregio is they licensed the technology for the drivetrain (engine, transmission) from Mitsubishi. So while the engine has a Kia stamp on it, it's actually a Mitsubishi diesel engine from the 80s! It produces 81hp so it's slow, but it has a lot of torque to pull you up the hills.
The van is bullet proof as long as you take care of them. They were cheaper than the Toyota Hiace, and it was a lot bigger than the Mitsubishi Express. It even came with the diesel engine and power steering as a ...
Read morefree upgrade, so we set on it. When we went out of business I bought one and still have, and it has over 550,000km now. The diesel engines will last forever. My mate bought one, never changed or filled the oil and ran it until it was dry, seizing the engine, but that's his fault. The problems you can get with these vans are with the camber on the front suspension, and the friggin doors don't stay open on hills. Leave it up to Koreans to design a commercial van where the doors don't stay open! And what happens with the wheels is that they can go pigeon-toe'd and wear unevenly on the inside. The other problem is that they only have 81hp, people get frustrated with them being slow and drive the engine up to redline. But this van is built like a little road train. Everything is loud: the engine is loud, the transmission is friggin loud, the gearbox is difficult and clunky. It's all tech out of an 80s commercial van, and that's exactly what you get. But they are solidly built and go forever if you just change the oil.- 2 reviews
- 8 likes
I'm the 2nd?3rd owner, its a campervan,now at 209,000Km,,easy to drive, good turning circle,only paid 7G 4 yrs ago 2013..its not a Ferrari up hills but Perth is quite flat. No probs yet, changed diff & gear oil ,& eng oil ev 10,000Km. city gets 9-10L/100k, country 7.5-8.5L/100k if you keep under 90kmh
I put some soundproofing stuff over the engine, & touch up any small rustspots..a tradie nearby has done 500Km in his van ! Inside front tyres wear down first, will swap with rear wheels later..cant do anything about the set camber.
- 3 reviews
- 4 likes
Having bought the van for $3000 a year ago I thought I had got a bargain, until I worked out that the seller had stuffed the engine with stop smoke, and the engine w only 160.000km was showing signs of blow by, I was devastated. I changed the oil to Valvoline Super Diesel, and now I get next to no smoke from the sump case. The engine is less noisy and all is well, yes the van is a little rough and the previous owner didn't look after it, but I do, I change the oil every 7000km as I want this workhouse to go another 250000km and I don't push it...
Read more past 100-105km/h (3000 rpm), just my personal believe. I run a mix of Diesel w waste vegetable oil and the engine runs fine. Love driving my noisy "truck" and have only had to change alternator (eBay $230 DIY) Auto electrician wanted $800+. Great workhorse w plenty of room, I have to get the drivers electric window fixed so it will open, and the heater, but the aircon worksRelated Articles
For the most part this Van is a dream to drive and handles really well, loud as its diesel and the engine is right under you.
the battery cavity opening is too small to easily get the battery in and out, i suggest taking 10 minutes to remove the drivers seat from the car so you can access it easier and not destroy your clothes with battery acid... or tape the breather holes on the battery first cause you must angle the battery to get it in.
I bought my preggio with 166,000 mm on the clock and are turning it into a camper to travel Australia. It runs beautifully. I had a full service done and the injected needed a little adjustment and it runs even better.
You do sit very high in the driver seat and tall people will be looking through the blue tint in the windscreen. The door won't stay open when you're trying to get in and the little step to get in. Is in an awkward spot. There is not a lot of room between legs and steering wheel.
But over all it's a great van and would recommend it :)
Find out how Kia Pregio compares to other Vans
Know better, choose better.
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
Had my 2004 pregio since new after 11 years and 580,000 K my van is going great. Sure u will fix the wear and tear items and the altinator isn't reliable as I've either repaired or replaced 8 in my time but after 580,000 I just replaced my first clutch. Very happy with it and am looking everywhere for another with low ks
- 4 reviews
- 4 likes
My first review of my van was not really fair to the vehicle as the problems were more to do with the dealer than the vehicle. Now I have owned this van for 9 years from new and after reading other reviews I felt I should say something more. Fuel economy has been brilliant, consistent and has not ripped the bottom out of my wallet. Mechanically it has been rock solid. Tyre wear has not been a problem with all tyres being rotated regularly they wear evenly and give good service life, this may be a factor more to do with tyre manufacturer than th...
Read moree Kia Pregio as the initial set of tyres it came with were rubbish and all replaced at 13,000km after one catastrophic failure where the side wall of the tyre completely blew out. Since then I have only run Japanese TOYO tyres (recently learned no longer being made in the 8 ply though). I drive my van alternately with my Mazda BT50 - using the van when I do not need to go off good roads to get to fishing or fossicking spots, usually it is hooked to my trailer boat or loaded up with camping gear and the usual bits and pieces used to dig and sieve, not a maximum load but enough to make it work. The van handles it well and is extremely comfortable to drive long distances. I did install some extra sound proofing to the undersides of the engine access panels and around the front of the engine bay, cheap enough from ships chandlers such as Whitworths. This virtually eliminates the engine noise now if I could only reduce the noise of the air-conditioning fan LOL! Rear windows were fitted because the metal panels rusted away and left rust streaks down the body work, so that was one problem and I have just replaced the rear shock absorbers as they had become soft and all the rubbers had crumbled to powder, front struts still serviceable but not 100% so they will likely be the next maintenance step - had them tested and the mechanics said give them 6 months, but they were fine for the moment? Otherwise I really cannot complain, the van served well when I was still working and using it for business, and it is still serving me well in retirement. In fact if I were to be realistic I would have to say that the Kia Pregio I have is worth a heck of a lot more to me now than it was when I bought it new, if I had to buy a new van now it would cost me double the price I paid for it. Great van at any price! BTW it now has almost 800k kilometres on the clock and still runs like a well oiled machine should - never even had to replace a light bulb.I have owned a 2002 model for a year now and travelled 25000 km , which has brought it up to 235 000 km and have only replaced the clutch. Had full service history and no heavy loads so I know it has been looked after. I did only pay $3500 au dollars for it and it was money well spent . If you want a van that isn't going to give you problems all the time buy a hi ace , and I know they are 3-5 grand more but that's for a reason. So if your electrics give problems or your sun visor is not what u want , next time spend $10000 more and get exactly ...
Read morewhat u want . I also know its not nice if stuff starts going seriously wrong with it but that's most lightly due to.someone not looking after it . I like my van , it drives alright , it is a non turbo diesel so.it is slow , but its fuel economic , will last along time if serviced regularly , gets my tools safe , and has so far been100 percent reliable . So if your in the market for 1 , get a mechanic to come with and look over it , should cost about $200 and just know it is a cheaper van for a reason and either u suck it up and put more money in or live with a window that once in a while doesn't open , seatbelts that are some what floppy , and I'm sure many other various faults , but all I can say to all , under no circumstances , driv through sand cause your gonna get bogged..... reliable if looked after. cheap with nice extras like powe windows , aircon , power steering. only what you want there to be.Find out how Kia Pregio compares to other Vans
Know better, choose better.
- 3 reviews
- 1 like
Pleasantly surprised at the car like ride and value for money. A bit noisy and thirsty at highway speeds, more at home around town. Feels very solid. Support from local Kia dealer has been very good.
Cheap to buy, comfortable on the road, the sealed cabin area makes the heating/cooling much more effective and reduces noise although engine is quite noisy.
More awkward to get in & out of compared to similar vans. Have had some electrical problems and the brakes are DANGEROUS ! The immobiliser/keyless entry has a mind of it's own.
i bought mine with 120k on it and just clicked over 200k now they have a problem with the diffs going on them , don't buy a new one or 2nd hand they do the same thing just get the bearings replaced with japanese ones, cost me only $550 not $1280 for a new one , motors are bullet proof if you service them regularly , im a plumber and carry a fair bit of weight and i get just over 600klm out of a tank thats 75ltr
brakes are soft but they work fine, its not a toyota but they are cheap and for the $$$ they have a few issues but all cars do they are...
Hello. Thanks for the review. I just bought a 2004 and I discovered it has a bad diff. Did you take yours to a transmission specialist to replace the bearings ? Did you do it yourself ? Where did you...
Read more get the bearings from ? Do you think a brick-and-mortar meachanic could do it ? Thanks.As an Electrician that is employed by a company that has a fleet of vans which include Kia Pregios and Mitsubishi Express' the Mitsubishi's are a far better van. The most worrying thing about Pregio's is apparently the camber angles of the front wheels can't be adjusted so the inside of front tyres get worn down to the wire while the outside of the front tyres look new. I have seen this on alot of Pregios. Driving for over half an hour makes you feel like screaming to block out the Diesel chatter.
Plenty of loading area, CD player, electric windows.
Engine is awful, very noisy, gutless, camber angle of front wheels.
Questions & Answers
Hi does anyone no where I can get a 2.7 diesel motor for a 2004 Kia Pregio van
Get an answer from our members
ProductReview.com.au has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence our content moderation policies in any way, though ProductReview.com.au may earn commissions for products/services purchased via affiliate links.
Good to hear...im a plumber and just about to buy a 2nd hand one...appreciate the review!