Kia · 1995–2001
Kia Credos
The Kia Credos was Kia's first self developed mid-size family sedan, which went on sale in South Korea in 1995, and in Australia in 1998. The Credos is based on the fifth generation Mazda Capella/Cronos, which was also sold as the Mazda 626. It was powered by one of four gasoline engines. Initially, three engines are offered, depending on the trim: 1.8-litre Kia T8D engine; 2.0-litre Mazda FE SOHC engine; and 2.0-litre Mazda FE-DOHC engine. A fourth engine, a licensed version of 2.0-litre V6 DOHC Rover KV6 engine, was available with the facelifted version from 1998 and on, which also added a station wagon variation, called the Parktown in its native Korea, where it was a commercial flop. The car's interior was described as dull, but spacious and comfortable, as well as the boot being massive. The asking price for the basic 1.8 SX was £11,000, around £4,000 less than the equivalent Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra. In Australia, the Credos was introduced in May 1998, and was available only with the 2.0L engine. Sales totaled 839 units during the model's three-year run. The Kia Credos was replaced by the Hyundai sourced Optima in September 2000, ending the badge engineered relationship with Mazda.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Predecessor: Kia Concord · Successor: Kia Magentis
All Kia Credos data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →
Specifications
- name
- Kia Credos
- Manufacturer
- Kia
- aka
- Kia Clarus (Europe), Kia Parktown (South Korea, station wagon)
- Production
- 1995–2001
- Assembly
- Hwasung Plant, Hwasung, South Korea
- Class
- Mid-size car
- Body style
- 4-door sedan, 5-door station wagon
- Layout
- Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
- Related
- Mazda Capella/Cronos/626, Kia Carnival/Sedona
- Engine
- 1.8L Kia T8D Engine I4, 2.0L Mazda F I4, 2.5L Rover KV6 V6
- Transmission
- 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic
- Wheelbase
- 2665 mm
- Length
- 1995-1998: 4710 mm, 1998-2001: 4745 mm, Wagon: 4760 mm
- Width
- 1780 mm
- Height
- Sedan: 1400 mm, Wagon: 1480 mm
- Predecessor
- Kia Concord
- Successor
- Kia Optima
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q488997CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_CredosCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1333192231 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1996_Kia_Clarus_01.jpgPublic domain · Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Ilya p assumed (based on copyright claims). · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.