Kia Bongo

Kia Bongo
Overview
Manufacturer	Kia Motors
Also called	Kia Frontier Forland K1
Production	1980–present
Assembly	Gwangju, South Korea (Gwangju Plant) Indonesia Quito, Ecuador () Montevideo, Uruguay ()

The Kia Bongo (Hangul:기아 봉고), also known as the Kia K-Series or Kia Besta, is a pick-up truck and van produced by the South Korean manufacturer Kia Motors since 1980.

The Bongo was first launched in 1980 under the name Bongo. In 1997, the third generation Bongo Frontier was launched. As of 2004, the Kia Bongo was in its fourth version, confusingly sold as the Kia Bongo III. "Frontier" was dropped from the name with this revision.

Kia has produced small and large trucks for the Korean market for at least 25 years. Rear-wheel-drive Bongo trucks have been on the market in Korea since at least the late 1980s, and these were equipped with a four-cylinder diesel engine. The Kia Bongo Frontier was originally available in RV or pickup trucks. It was replaced by the Kia Bongo III in 2004. The Bongo Frontier was the first Kia Motors car to be exported to Europe and South America.

Production started in 1980 and coachvan started in 1981. Early Bongos had round headlights, although these were changed for square units in 1981. The first Bongos also used "Kiamaster" logos rather than simply "Kia". The Bongo originally came with the 2.2 liter "S2" engine with 70 PS (51 kW), although the 1.4 liter "UC" petrol engine was added in 1985. 'Wide Bongo' production started in 1987. Between 1987 and 1989 the Bongo was sold as the "Power Bongo", to reflect an upgrade to the 80 PS (59 kW) 2.4 litre "SF" diesel engine. The Power Bongo also has wide rectangular headlights, rather than the smaller units used previously. The first generation Bongo was removed from production in December 1993, although the tougher Ceres version continued for another six years.

The Kia Ceres was a special agricultural version, a one-ton truck. It shared a slightly longer front end with the Kia Titan. From 1986 this was also available with four-wheel drive; eventually the rear-wheel drive models were cancelled in the domestic market. The Ceres model was sold instead of the Bongo in some export markets where conditions are tough, such as the Philippines, Latin America, Australia and Turkey. The Ceres utilized the original BA2 cabin but with a unique front clip. It was facelifted in 1995 when it received a new front clip with round headlights.

In January 1989 the second generation Bongo Wide (sold as plain "Bongo" in most export markets) appeared. It was largely a rebadged SR-series Mazda Bongo Brawny. In 1992, a 2.7-litre engine was introduced. In October 1994, Kia's new logo replaced the old "chimney" design. In 1995 a reengined and lightly facelifted version called the "Bongo J2" appeared; this reflected the name of the new engine. The second generation Bongo model for passengers (coach) is named the Kia "BestA", usually referred to as 'Besta' - a word that unfortunately means "beast" (or "stupid") in Brazil. This did not stop the Besta from immediately becoming the highest selling minivan in the Brazilian market. The Besta name was also used for cargo van versions in many countries. The Besta originally had the 2.2 liter diesel engine with 62 PS (46 kW), but at the end of 1994 the 80 PS (59 kW) 2.7 liter J2 unit was placed in the Besta as well. This version can reach 128 km/h (80 mph).

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