The Bongo Frontier's 1999 four-wheel-drive version didn't just add capability — it retired the rugged Ceres truck line, a lineage stretching back to the 1977 Mazda Bongo.
Median 160 hp across 47 similar cars
Lead trim: Bongo Frontier 2.7 JS diesel (80 PS) · up to 89 hp
Kia Bongo Frontier third generation1997–2004
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Kia Bongo Frontier third generation yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Bongo Frontier's 1999 four-wheel-drive version didn't just add capability — it retired the rugged Ceres truck line, a lineage stretching back to the 1977 Mazda Bongo.
The third-generation Bongo appeared in April 1997 as the "Bongo Frontier" (the related Pregio van was introduced in November 1995 and continued until 2006), with a four-wheel-drive "Bongo Frontier All Terrain" from December 1999 that meant the final end of the Ceres trucks. It carried the same JS-series 2.7 litre engine with 80 PS as before, plus an optional 3 litre JT engine with 90 PS from the beginning (four horsepower more from August 2001); a facelift came in 2000, the truck was discontinued in late 2003 and the van and coach models continued until May 2005.
Collectors Spotted in the Kia Bongo Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Kia Bongo yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bongo Frontier 2.7 JS diesel (80 PS) | 1997–2004 | 2.7 L | 79 hp | 122 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Bongo Frontier 3.0 JT diesel (90 PS) | 1997–2004 | 3.0 L | 89 hp | 141 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The humble Bongo went electric: Kia launched a battery-powered Bongo III in South Korea in 2020, good for up to 211 km (131 miles) per charge.
The Bongo Frontier's 1999 four-wheel-drive version didn't just add capability — it retired the rugged Ceres truck line, a lineage stretching back to the 1977 Mazda Bongo.
"Besta" means "beast" in Portuguese and several other Romance languages — and it didn't stop this Kia coach from becoming the best-selling minivan in Brazil.
The tougher Bongo Ceres farm truck outlived the regular Bongo by seven years, still built on a design traced back to a 1977 Mazda.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
The GMT400 split the twins for good: 1988 was the year "C/K" became Chevrolet-only badging, while GMC's version of the very same truck became the Sierra.
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When this GMT900 Sierra launched for 2007, GM kept selling the outgoing truck alongside it, badged "Classic," so buyers could choose old or new side by side on the same lot.
Toyota showed it as the T150 until Ford sued over the likeness to the F-150, and the production truck was renamed Tundra.
A Louisiana owner put over a million miles on his 2007 Tundra in eight years; Toyota gave him a new truck and took his apart to study it.
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Its launch colours had pun names such as "Anti-Establish Mint" and "Freudian Gilt", sent to Lee Iacocca by a friend.