New K2500 Light Truck has great business appeal

• Introduces ´driver-oriented´ fatigue-free working environment
• New levels of European style, performance and convenience
• Choice of three cabin layouts, with three or six seats
• Dependable 94 bhp, (69 kW) 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine

The latest version of the Kia Motors Corporation´s hugely popular K-Series light trucks - the K2500 TCi - will go on sale from October 2004 in Europe, offering customers even more generous dimensions and more attractive styling than before. A choice of two three-seater cabs, one six-seater cab and two equipment levels, STD or DLX, will be available.

Originally launched in March 1997, the Kia K-Series has become the world´s best-selling cab-over light truck - outside the North American market. In Europe, customers for the new K-Series will be offered a choice of three models with different cabin layouts: Standard, King and Double cab, with three or six seats. All three models feature a turbocharged, intercooled 2.5-litre, 94 bhp (69 kW) 4D56 TCi diesel engine, tuned to deliver 220 Nm of torque at just 2,000 rpm, and driving the twin rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.

"Building on the overwhelming success of its predecessors, Kia´s new K-Series will transform standards in this segment by establishing new levels of style, performance, convenience and dependability," commented Kia´s Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President and COO. "We understand that even in a commercial vehicle, the environment should be pleasant for driving and working. We have developed our ´Joy at Work´ concept to create the driver-oriented cab, with better ergonomics and many new convenience features. We have taken the fatigue out of long-haul and replaced it with surprising comfort and refinement."

The new Kia K2500 has been significantly improved and has re-freshed styling with a more European appearance - outside and inside, plus enhanced refinement, greatly improved driving environment and modified smoother-riding suspension. It retains all the practical features which attracted so many customers around the world.

Following the Kia design philosophy also applied to the Pregio panel van, the K-Series has become famed for its ability to ´work like a truck and ride like a sedan´. The new K2500 enhances that philosophy, and retains a traditional layout, with a longitudinally mounted engine, positioned between and behind the front wheels, beneath the cab, and driving the rear wheels. This layout does not restrict front wheel movement or steering lock (giving a tight turning circle) and when fully laden a large percentage of the vehicle´s weight is over the driven rear wheels, assisting traction.

The new K-Series is destined to provide tough competition for its closest rivals, the Toyota Dyna and Nissan Cabstar. The new Kia is 430 mm longer, 45 mm wider and has a 70 mm longer wheelbase than the Dyna, and can carry a 1,300 kg payload.

Streamlined curves inspired by Europe

The completely revised exterior appearance of the K2500 adopts a thoroughly ´European´ style. The uninterrupted sweep of the bonnet and bumper, plus new, larger clear-lens headlamps, give a clean look. The angle of the bonnet and the A-Pillars is swept further back to 44.8 degrees from the vertical (compared to just 34 on the old model) for better streamlining and reduced drag. The Cd coefficient is down to 0.502, from 0.539.

The sweep of the A-Pillars is echoed by the character line that flows up and back from the front wheel arches, and is then continued (at a lower level) down the side deck side rails and across the tailgate. Quadruple larger rear lamps give the K2500 a distinctive presence and a robust under-run protector bar is standard.

The K2500 TCi is available in a choice of four exterior paint finishes - Clear White, Savanna Beige, Light Green and Marine Blue.

New look Cabin Design

Key elements in Kia´s ´Joy at Work´ campaign are a range of major improvements to the cabin´s interior design and environment. Front headroom is increased by 17 mm to 1026 mm, legroom by 14 mm to 1008 mm and the seat backrest angle gains 4 degrees to 21 degrees. The three seats have thicker, longer cushions and thicker, higher backrests, with adjustable height-adjustable head-restraints.

The King Cab model provides additional storage space behind the seats, while the Double Cab model features four doors and a three-people high-back rear bench seat which can be folded and transformed into a luggage storage area.

Comfortable efficient Working Environment

In the new K2500, the driver´s seat now has 165 mm (+25 mm) of fore/aft movement. The new three-spoke, soft-rim steering wheel gives a clearer view of the new instrument cluster which features a maximum-clarity display, including a rev-counter on DLX models.

For even greater driver comfort, a tilt-adjustable steering column (with 15 degrees of movement), is available as an option, as is power-steering. The gear shift lever falls easily to hand and has short movements between ratios. The sun visors are enlarged and a footrest for the driver´s left foot is standard.

A new metal-grain finish centre fascia stack is angled towards the driver and neatly houses twin air-vents, rotary controls for the heating/ventilation, audio system and a small storage tray.

The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning unit is a more compact design (freeing up more legroom in the cab) and has a 20% increased capacity for higher performance. Both the glove box (13 litres) and the door speakers (6 inch diameter) are enlarged, while DLX models have electric front windows and central locking. Large storage bins are provide in each door and the centre seat backrest folds forward to provide a flat storage area with two cup-holders and lidded multi-tray.

With the new K2500 Kia has made major advances in suppressing NVH (noise, vibration and harshness). Interior cabin noise cruising at 100 kph is cut by 4 dbA to 72 dbA, while noise at idle is also reduced by 4 dbA to 88 dbA.

Larger safer Load Area

For a light truck that is just over 5-metres long, the K2500 gives customers an unbeatable 1,300 kg load-carrying ability. All three models have a common load bed width of 1630 mm and folding side rail height of 355 mm, while the load bed height is 804 mm from the ground. Load bed length varies with cab size. On the Standard Cab model the load bed is 3110 mm long. On King Cab models it is 2860 mm long and for Double Cab version it is reduced to 2185 mm.

Every model features a steel four-bar vertical load restraining safety barrier behind the cab, and easy to operate rubber-topped side rails and tail gate which can be raised or lowered individually for loading/unloading depending on site access.

Trusted turbo Diesel Power

Kia´s well-proven four cylinder, 2.5-litre, type 4D56-TCi turbocharged diesel engine produces a maximum power of 94 ps (69 kW) at 3,800 rpm and maximum torque 221 Nm at a usefully low 2,000 rpm. This engine meets Euro 3 emissions standards. For the 2004 model improvements include - moving the base of the snorkel-type air intake to under the right side of the load deck with a larger 12-litre air cleaner that reduces intake noise, enlarging the engine mounting rubbers and fitting the hinged engine bay cover with a heavy-duty acoustic double-seal to reduce noise levels in the cabin. The standard transmission is Kia´s M5ZR1 five-speed manual gearbox with ratios optimised to give brisk acceleration and quiet, fuel-efficient cruising at speed.

All models feature a large moveable panel between the headlamps which hinges upwards to give easy access to the windscreen washer reservoir, radiator top-up tank, engine anti-freeze, windscreen wiper motor, wheel brace and air-conditioning gas inlet.

Revised gas-damped Suspension

The proven K-Series suspension layout is carried over, but with small changes that bring customer benefits. Both front and rear, the suspension now features a pair of gas-filled shock absorbers which give consistent handling when lightly or heavily laden. The double-wishbone front suspension has improved geometry with reduced camber changes to keep the tyres closer to vertical under all conditions for better grip. Damping is provide by longitudinal torsion bars and the anti-roll bar thickness is increased from 25 to 26 mm.

At the rear, the multi-leaf springs are tuned to give consistent and well-balanced performance for a smoother ride. A limited-slip rear differential is available as an option for greater traction on slippery surfaces.

Improved active and passive Safety

One of the safety benefits of the new K2500´s fatigue-free cabin environment, is the vehicle´s ability to keep the driver fresh and alert. Whether manual or powered, the steering is accurate and lightly weighted, gas-filled shock absorbers give a smooth ride - unladen or fully loaded - and good stability, while powerful brakes are standard.

All three types of cab feature immensely strong 1.4 mm thick steel (up from 1.2 mm on previous models) and an energy-absorbing design developed to carry impact forces under the occupants. More precise cab construction, new interlocked C-section longitudinal chassis side rails, a robust cross-member beneath the cabin and four high-tensile attachments for the engine support bulkhead, all give greater durability and safety performance.

Active safety (accident avoidance) is enhanced by improvements to the K2500 braking system, including a move from single to tandem booster and fitting a larger master cylinder. The changes reduced braking distance by 6.5 metres, to 34.9 metres from 80 kph.

Safety-related equipment includes manual headlamp-levelling, larger double-glass door mirrors with a wide-angle lens, and rounded rubber edge strips on the load area side rails and tail gate. A battery-saver turns off all non-essentials whenever the vehicle´s ignition is switched off.

Editors Note
Prices for K2500 TCi will be revealed country by country, near their ´on sale´ date.

- ends -