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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  Good Mini Van - 2012 Kia Sedona
  By prodriver82 - August 7 - 3:45 am

  Im not a soccer mom writing this review. After reading reviews for several mini van makers, and having a friend who just retired a Kia Rio with 346,200 miles on it, that swayed me to the Kia Sedona. Yea, its not a Honda or a Toyota. But it is a surprisingly great family ride. Im only sorry that Kia has decided to make 2012 the final year for production for the Sedona.

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  gas mileage - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By larry seedle - August 6 - 10:00 am

  just poor gas mileage but van is ok. they need to ork on the gas mileage. and more room in the back.

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  The headlamps - 2004 Kia Optima
  By The Captain - August 1 - 2:40 am

  The 2004 Optima has an issue with the headlamp lenses. It is sort of a cataract on the lens itself. After a while you will not pass an inspection As I found out and too late they refused to warranty this item since it is there problem, the dealer strung me along to come back and replaced light bulbs. SO that I would have to pay for new lamps Check your Kias and get it done before the warranty is out. I Like the Kia , but do to the poor quality of service networks I will trade for a better brand name next time.

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  Sweet Little Car! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Amanda Clark - July 31 - 11:40 pm

  This car is a great value. I have been the only owner for 6 years, 220k miles. Handles curvy roads great w/o the traction control. The traction control becomes a pain when driving curvy roads as the brake activates and locks up a wheel as your are mid turn. Other than that the acceleration is great. Has guts. Very comfortable for 4 grown adults. Have been very happy with maintenance, as good my moms Honda CRV. Really good gas mileage, I average 27-29 MPG, in the city it was up to 32 MPG! Compact size makes parking anywhere a breeze. Trunk has lots of space, even with 2- 12 Rockfords.

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  traded down from a Sorento - 2009 Kia Optima
  By Shanna - July 31 - 10:26 pm

  Bought car 3 wks ago after buying a Sorento I had 8 wks. This car was suggested by dealership. I highway miles a day so Im a bit dissapointed. My kids are a bit tight w/ 2 boosters & a 13 yr old in back, but its doable and he can buckle ok. The side mirrors are rectangular & takes getting use to, dont feel like I always get good coverage. Powers good & handles huge daily hill ok. The material is CHEAP & pills (balls up on seats). Ill be investing in seat covers! Got silver & it hides dirt well, looks sharp. Happy w/ purchase, wish I had electric seats/sunroof but was upside down & couldnt afford more. overall I dig it.

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  Safety - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By dover - July 29 - 10:00 am

  The only bad thing I have to say about this car is it is underpowered. The milage is great, as well as the reliability. We did not have one problem with our KIA. We recently were in a head on collision in the KIA and this car withstood this impact and kept my family safe. The wreck was pretty bad, but the Spectra did its job preventing serious injury. The car is now totaled and I would not hesitate to get another one...

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  Good for big people - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By assemblage - July 25 - 5:40 am

  Got this cause Im 64",280lbs and its very comfortable. Except for the parking brake placement Im very comfortable sitting in the SUV. Love the soft fuzzy cloth, engine power (much better than Sportage), being higher so others head lights arent blinding me, and it looks really stylish, very similar to a Lexus. Warranty is great & we paid a bit more for a 3rd party extended warranty to make it 10 year, 100k mile bumper to bumper. Fuel economy could be better, but with the price & warranty, itd be cheaper buying the extra gas then buying a Ford Escape or Saturn VUE.

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  Solid vehicle, great price - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Kevin 73 - July 23 - 10:00 am

  Very good min-van for the price, solid build quality. Powertrain is good, gas mileage is sub-par, could use sixteen inch wheels and tires. But overall, so far our van has been a very confortable riding reliable vehicle, especially the great deal we got on it, other dealerships want at least four to five thousand more for the same. Me and my wife are very pleased with it.

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  Better Sportage - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Kendra - July 16 - 5:30 pm

  I feel that this new design of the Kia Sportages are very cool. It is a whold new look and now they really look like SUVs. I would tell lots of people to buy one because, they are not that expensive and yet they are stylish.

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  Bang for Buck SUV - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By yvmor - July 16 - 2:00 am

  I have been a GM man for many years and Im glad I took a chance on KIA. I had a GMC Jimmy prior to the Sorento and could not justify paying $10,000cnd more for a new Jimmy. My only complaint with the Sorento is that it is a pig on gas. I have driven trucks and SUVs for the last 10 years so I dont normally complain. But I will spend more on gas if it means having a vehicle with a real frame (NOT UNIBODY) and that has some towing power.