This Sephia-based platform had a long global afterlife — built on as the Spectra in Cairo, in Malaysia until 2010, and in Russia until 2011.
Lead trim: Sephia 1.5 B5-DE DOHC
Kia Sephia / Mentor / Shuma / Spectra second generation1997–2003
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Kia Sephia / Mentor / Shuma / Spectra second 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.
FactThis Sephia-based platform had a long global afterlife — built on as the Spectra in Cairo, in Malaysia until 2010, and in Russia until 2011.
In 1997 the Sephia was completely redesigned in-house by Kia (with help from Mazda) as a four-door sedan and five-door liftback, using a DOHC 1.5-litre and Kia's own new DOHC 1.8-litre (the T8D, originally developed for the Kia Elan) and an improved air conditioning system, on a 2,560 mm (100.8 in) wheelbase; it is related to the Kia Carens (RS). Production totalled 628,168 Sephias. It was also badged Kia Mentor, Shuma and Spectra: in South Korea the Sephia label was retired in 2000 and replaced by the Spectra; North America received the Sephia sedan for the 1998 model year, the liftback launched for 2000 as the Kia Spectra, and for 2002 both bodies were facelifted and rationalized under the single Spectra name (trims S, GS and GSX). Arab American Vehicles built the Spectra in Cairo circa 2002, IzhAvto in Russia until 2011, and the liftback was assembled in Malaysia between 2001 and 2010. In Australia it was badged Mentor from May 1998 (entry-level SLX with the 1.5-litre, five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic; GLX with the 1.8-litre option on the liftback); from June 2000, after the distributor changed to Ateco, the sedan and the 1.5 were dropped and the liftback rebadged Shuma (with a limited-edition Shuma FX), and a May 2001 facelift with redesigned headlights, new front bumper and an overhauled four-speed automatic made it the Spectra (single-specification LS), discontinued in 2004. The page gives no power figures for this generation. Length 4,530 mm (178.3 in) for the 1997 sedan, 4,510 mm (177.6 in) for the 2001 sedan and 4,525 mm (178.1 in) for the liftback; width 1,700 mm (66.9 in) sedan, 1,725 mm (67.9 in) liftback; height 1,410 mm (55.5 in) sedan.
Collectors Spotted in the Kia Sephia Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Kia Sephia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sephia 1.5 B5-DE DOHC | 1997–2003 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Sephia 1.6 B6 | 1997–2003 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Sephia 1.8 T8D DOHC | 1997–2003 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the Sephia 1.5 B5-DE DOHC 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.
In the Community
Open CommunityNo notes tagged with the Kia Sephia / Mentor / Shuma / Spectra second generation yet.
Photographs
This Sephia-based platform had a long global afterlife — built on as the Spectra in Cairo, in Malaysia until 2010, and in Russia until 2011.
To sell this Sephia in Brazil, Kia didn't just localize the trim — it studied Brazilian road surfaces and imported 1,000 litres of actual Brazilian gasoline just to tune the engine management for it.
Launching the Sephia in Brazil in 1994, Kia didn't just retune the suspension — it imported 1,000 litres of actual Brazilian gasoline to properly calibrate the engine management.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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