Overview & Reviews

Kia Motors is a South Korean automaker that's relatively new to the United States. In its early years, Kia largely catered to budget-minded consumers with well-equipped vehicles priced below competing models. More recently, this growing brand has kept value a priority while also emphasizing technology and sportiness.

Founded in Korea in 1944, Kia started as a producer of steel tubing and bicycle parts. The company's name has its roots in the Chinese language, and means "to arise, to come up out of Asia." By the early 1950s, the company had produced Korea's first bicycle; by the latter part of the decade, Kia had branched out into motor scooters, with the rollout of the C100.

The 1960s saw Kia expanding its lineup to include motorcycles and three-wheeled cargo vehicles. Naturally, the next logical step was automobile production, and the company began moving in this direction in the early 1970s. By 1973, Kia had built a facility designed to make its automotive dreams a reality; its Sohari plant held the distinction of being Korea's first fully integrated automobile production facility, and went on to spawn Korea's first internal-combustion gasoline engine. A year later, Kia unveiled the Brisa, Korea's first passenger car. By the end of the decade, Kia's technology was being used to manufacture vehicles like the Peugeot 604 and the Fiat 132.

By the late '80s, Kia's lineup included new models like the Concord, Capital, Potentia and Pride. In 1987, Ford brought the Pride to U.S. shores, rebadging it as the Ford Festiva. Seven years later, Ford dealers got a replacement for the entry-level, subcompact Festiva in the form of another Kia constructed product, the Aspire.

Kia finally began selling vehicles in the U.S. under its own name in the early '90s, trumpeting its presence with the introduction of the compact Sephia. The car's rollout was gradual; in the early days of its production, the Sephia was only available in select Western states. By the mid-'90s, SUVs had emerged as a phenomenally popular and profitable vehicle segment. Kia responded with the 1995 Sportage, a compact SUV. By the end of the '90s, Kia's nationwide rollout was nearly complete.

Financial difficulties in the late '90s prevented Kia from expanding its lineup beyond those two models. Hyundai, South Korea's other major automaker, acquired the company in a merger in 1998.

Kia has been on a major upswing since its purchase by Hyundai, with improvements in build quality, performance and overall refinement. Reliability, previously a weak point, has also improved markedly and consumers' confidence was further bolstered by Kia's substantial warranty program. Today, Kia is on a dramatic upswing and offers a broad lineup of well-built coupes, sedans and crossovers that stand out for their value, performance and sporty styling.

User Reviews:

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  A real sleeper! - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Chip - December 31 - 4:40 am

  The Rondo is a well put-together small car that feels bigger on the road that it really is: the V-6 engine is very quiet, the transmission shifts smoothly, and the amount of room for 5 passengers is simply amazing. Im 65", and the Rondo has plenty of head, shoulder and leg room for me and a 6 passenger riding behind me. Maybe it wont set you heart on fire, but it sure gets the job done without any fuss.

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  Best mid-size SUV on the market today - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By cooooolio - December 29 - 3:07 pm

  I bought my 2011 Sorento SX AWD new and it has been an absolute pleasure to drive. It is the best new car Ive ever owned in my 50+ years on this planet. It was heavily researched before purchasing and there were very, very few negative reviews. Anything that did come up was related to some early transmission problems on the 4 cylinder models. The 2011 Sorento has been a joy to drive and I expect to drive it well past the 10 year/100,00 mile warranty. KIA knocked it out of the park with the Sorento.

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  Love my Amanti - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By Denise Ballard - December 29 - 12:36 pm

  I havent owned my Amanti long but felt compelled to share. I love the way it drives and get lots of compliments. I have been in a Durango and was worried about space but that is not an issue with the Amanti.

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  I Love My Sorento! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Molley - December 29 - 2:00 am

  The warrenty cant be beat. pick the one you want, price it and shop the dealerships on-line. keep shopping them until you get the best price. Its a wonderful car, I love mine. Looks like a Lexus but priced like a Kia.

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  Love it - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Kia Owner - December 29 - 2:00 am

  Never been happier with an SUV. Owned Hondas for the past 15 years with much satisfaction, but I cant say enough about the Kia Sorento. Much more for the money than anything wlse I test drove, including BMW x5,x3 & Lexus RX330. Buy one and youll see for yourself.

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  lx 4 wheel drive 3.5atuo - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By joseph daquila - December 29 - 2:00 am

  this suv is a good handling machine , with features ready to go , do ur comparsion and ur come back

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  Excellent except for the gas mileage - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By JoeG - December 29 - 2:00 am

  Excellent vehicle. Fun to drive. Head turner. Good handling. Quite. I had factory problem with engine. Kia immediately gave me a whole new engine - no hassels.

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  My Kia Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Kiddo - December 29 - 2:00 am

  For the money and safety ratings, I think that the Kia Sorento is the best mid size Suv. We love ours. We have had no problems with it since we bought it 10 months ago. It drives very well, and has a very comfortable ride to it. It has plenty of power for towing my 18 CC fishing boat.

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  great vehicle - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By DGagliardo - December 29 - 2:00 am

  the best vehicle I have owned, very well constructed and solid, fun to drive and smooth on the freeways.

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  MY KIA - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Hazmo1 - December 29 - 2:00 am

  We ahve been on two family vacations with this vehicle. So far it has been comfortable and very reliable. The mileage is a little low but it makes up for this with more than enough horsepower!!