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.
Lead trim: Bongo III EV · up to 128 hp
Kia Bongo III fourth generation2005–present
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Kia Bongo III fourth 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 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 fourth-generation Kia Bongo III was introduced in 2005 with modernised engines including a common-rail option; the 1.2- and 1.4-ton variants were discontinued in November 2006 and the coachvan, van and other trucks (except the 1- and 1.3-ton) ended on 31 December 2007, and the Bongo III went on hiatus between October 2011 and January 2012 to return with a Euro V engine. It is the Kia Jumbo in Thailand, the Big-Up (and Travello coachvan, discontinued 2019) in Indonesia, and in the Philippines the K2700 from May 2005 to August 2018, then the K2500 (with a driver airbag) and, from 2019, the K2500 Karga. The 2014 update brought a new six-speed gearbox, Euro IV compliance, a new front with a grille and 15-inch wheels; the K2500, K2700 and K3000S have either a 2.5-litre turbo (130 PS), a 2.7-litre (80 PS) or a 3.0 that adds five more horsepower, in standard, super or double cab; European sales (other than Russia and Turkey) ended in late 2007, and in January 2020 an EV version launched in South Korea with up to 211 km (131 mi) of range.
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
3 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 III 2.5 turbo diesel (130 PS) | 2014–present | 2.5 L | 128 hp | 188 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Bongo III 2.7 diesel (80 PS) | 2005–present | 2.7 L | 79 hp | 122 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Bongo III EV | 2020–present | Electric | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the Bongo III 2.5 turbo diesel (130 PS) trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
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.
GMC found 10 extra horsepower in the Sierra All Terrain X's 5.3L V8 with nothing more than a performance exhaust, no other changes needed to go from 355 to 365 hp.
This Sierra kept rolling off the line for a full extra year after its replacement arrived - badged "Classic" in 2007 just to tell the two generations apart on dealer lots.
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.
Toyota's Texas Tundra plant sits on land bought from the state's oldest working cattle ranch, and the 1794 Edition is named for the year that ranch was founded.
Its launch colours had pun names such as "Anti-Establish Mint" and "Freudian Gilt", sent to Lee Iacocca by a friend.