Future Classic Friday: Kia Pride

David Ross, Editor
Fri, 14 Jul 2023

Might oaks from little acorns grow. And they don't come much littler than this. The mighty Korean manufacturer Kia we know today started right here with the Kia Pride.

Heavily based on the Mazda 121 (or the Ford Festiva outside of Europe), which hardly registered with UK buyers either, the Kia Pride was about as humble as small cars got, redefining the phrase 'non-threatening'.

As you'd expect from a manufacturer entering a new market it was sold at a cut price and like many new brands it got over one of the biggest hurdles by using someone else's hardware.

But that wasn't necessarily a disadvantage when you consider the other bargain basement new cars available at the time included the likes of Lada and Yugo that were still using 20-year-old Fiat technology.

The Kia Pride was humble, decently nailed together and sturdy. A 1980s-era Japanese interior is hardly the worst place to be sat and although keeping costs down underlined the whole approach, that got buyers interested.

Starting from scratch with little brand visibility and a handful of dealers, Kia sold 2000 Prides in its first year. Last year the brand sold more than 100,000 cars in the UK.

To drive, the Kia Pride wasn't as bad as you might think. For starters it weighed less than 800kg - so about the same as an S1 Lotus Elise - so although it only had 88PS, it was enough.

It steered sweetly, and although the ride quality wasn't fantastic, it bumbled along quite happily. The skinny tyres (whitewalled if you were really fancy) didn't offer much grip, but that was part of the fun.

Its simplicity also meant there wasn't much to go wrong, with rust the main issue that has claimed most of the cars that were sold in the UK.

A 1.1-litre Pride hatchback might not have been anything special (unless you were daring enough to go for the optional Nail Varnish Pink Metallic) but it was decent, reliable, comfortable and inexpensive. . 

It was old-tech when new and archaic by the time it was pensioned off in 2000, but the Kia Pride was actually a decent little car.

It was offered as both a three and five-door hatch as well as a lesser-spotted panel van, though UK buyers never got to sample the delights of the Kia-developed Kia Pride Sedan or surprisingly pretty estate.

There are very few surviving examples but the odd one does pop up for sale and they tend to be cheap. A perfect contender for a future Festival of the Unexceptional. Find a classic car for sale.

Ask HJ

Do modern cars have automatic chokes?

I've just purchased a 72-plate Kia Picanto GT Line S. Do modern cars still have automatic chokes? My immediate area has 30mph camera controlled restrictions and I can poodle along in 5th but on the level and with foot off the accelerator it surges to 40mph so I actually have to either brake or change down to 4th but it does seem like the car is running away. When I first set out from cold, being in 1st and especially 2nd has a similar effect. I'm old enough to relate it to when you pulled out the choke too far I noticed that idling speed is around 950 rpm, which is higher than many cars I've owned and I wondered if that's why the engine is so eager. I didn't buy it from my local Kia dealership but called in at mine and asked one of the service chaps but he stated that 950 was about right; would you concur with that? I of course have the turbo but going back to the 'running away', I assume the turbo doesn't kick in unless there are driver inputs on the throttle?

Modern cars do not have automatic chokes, as the ECU will adjust the fuelling based on a number of parameters, including engine temperature, load, throttle position and so on. The phenomenon you are experiencing is the ECU trying to maintain the correct idling speed to prevent stalling, and because you are in fifth gear this causes the vehicle to accelerate. Although the idle speed may be high in comparison to cars you have previously owned it is not exceptional, and given this is also controlled by the ECU we see no reason why it would be incorrect. In addition the turbocharger requires a certain engine speed to being providing significant boost, and although most small turbocharged engines are designed to deliver boost from low engine revs, we would not expect it to be providing a great deal at idle. We would suggest selecting a lower gear so that the engine is above idle to maintain lower road speeds.

Answered by David Ross

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