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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  KIA Motors Unfair to Consumers - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Pirate62 - July 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought a KIA and had the thing for 1 year. An electrical fire behind dash destroyed car. I called KIA and asked them to correct this issue. KIA refused.

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  fantastic!! I LOVE it!! - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By james miguel - July 28 - 2:00 am

  feel like BMW 7 series! Save tons of $$$! Best car in This class!!

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  love it - 2004 Kia Optima
  By ryjake03 - July 28 - 2:00 am

  i love it. i feel beautiful in it.

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  Review for Fully loaded Kia Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By SEM - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Built well for an SUV, with a good price and exellent warrenty, very reliable.

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  2004 EX Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Hue - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Just got this 2004 Sorento EX. Never thought I would own one but really like it so far. Looks like a 300 RX and the fit and finish are very good. The plastic wood isnt up to par. Fuel economy isnt either. Less power and worse fuel economy too. Something wrong there. Going to work on that and hope that the warranty isnt effected. Very nice to drive on the highways and as a solid feel to it.

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  Kia Spectra 2006 - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By dan - July 27 - 8:26 pm

  This car is a huge step from the Geo we had to buy in the 90s for a cheap car. This car comes standard with all the options a person needs; power windows, door locks, air conditioning. keyless entry, cd player. All the air bags you need. Four wheel disc brakes, 15 inch wheels. I can go on and on. You give me one American car under $15,500 with all those options. YOU WILL NOT FIND ONE. Oh I forgot to mention the 10 year, 100000 mile warranty on this thing. And the room in the back seat; it has the largest back seat of any small car Ive owned. The motor is a 2.0 liter 16 valve four cylinder. Thats more motor than a standard Toyota Camry. This is by far the best deal I have ever had on a new car.

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  Major value / minor problems - 2013 Kia Optima
  By Joseph - July 26 - 4:50 am

  Great car, but very poor on snow.

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  Love it - 2007 Kia Rio
  By deb126 - July 25 - 7:26 pm

  Really love the Kia cars, we own two now, just bought a 2008 Spectra after purchasing a 2007 Rio 2 months ago, now we both have Kias and we love them.

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  I cant believe I bought a Kia - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By flynmissP - July 24 - 3:33 pm

  I was looking for a family sedan, as I need to transport two teenage boys, a husband, my father and myself. After test driving the Altima 2.5 as well as the 3.5, the Saturn Ion, Ford 500, and a few other cars, we stopped in at the local Kia dealer on a whim. Not seriously thinking about even looking at the Kia much less taking it for a spin. Boy was I shocked ... speechless would even be appropriate. This car looks like a million bucks. After taking it for a test drive I knew our search was over. Im hard to please. I own a BMW and a Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer Edition. I like quality, and Im willing to pay for it. This car is a steal. Dont pay attention to the nay sayers ... try it.

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  Great Value for the $$$$$ - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By nick - July 24 - 1:33 am

  An excellent value for the money. Build quality and amenities compare favorably with much more expensive cars and Ive had no warranty issues over the first 15K miles. People regularly comment on its sharp appearance and attractive lines. Best car Ive ever owned.