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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  Fun SUV! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Becca - December 24 - 11:40 pm

  We downsized from a minivan to this and I have loved everything about it since the minute I sat in it. It looks and drives great. It was a mothers day gift for me, but my husband loves to drive it! He has compared it to other suvs in the same class, and there is no comparison. It drives like a sports car. I get so many comments about it by everyone. Only problems we have encountered is we cant have one window down at a time or it sounds like were in a helicopter. Its also a tight squeeze for a family with 3 kids in car seats, but are able to make it work. Oh another thing - buy the 4 wheel drive. This cutie (we purchased the base model) does not like to drive in snow or ice!

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  Sooooo Glad - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By SUV to MiniVan - December 24 - 10:00 am

  I am a new owner and I must say, I love this Minivan. Its comfort can only be compared to the top sellers. Its look is very impressive to the eye, its price is the best part of all. I hated driving my 2000 Ford Expedition. It is huge and cumbersome to drive, ya should have seen me trying to put my baby in the car seat, had to get in the truck. The Sedona is easy access from both sides. I could easily afford all of the top brand and I test drove them all, I even put a $1000 deposit on a Honda and changed my mind at the last minute after driving the Kia

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  242,500 Still going strong!!!!! - 2001 Kia Spectra
  By Terry - December 23 - 5:10 pm

  I guess This says it all.

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  Two months and counting - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By GLJOD - December 21 - 11:36 pm

  Previously had 3 Chrysler Mini Vans but 5 transmissions so time for a change. The 5K rebate got me. So far the van is fine. Mileage seemed to be as issue with many but I am very happy with mine so far (2000 miles). 18 in the city and 24-25 on the thruway which is better than expected.

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  Excellent so far at 8500 miles - 2010 Kia Forte
  By wam927 - December 21 - 10:05 pm

  I have the 2010 Forte EX sedan with the Fuel Economy package and could not be happier. This is actually a car for my daughter to drive, so the safety features were an important consideration. We drove the car from Washington state to the gulf coast and averaged 35.2 mpg, including climbing over the Rocky Mountains, driving generally the speed limit (up to 75 mph). While the transmission hunted for gears somewhat with the cruise control in the mountains, the car performed flawlessly. The 5-speed auto. transmission is highly recommended. The 2011s 6-speed would be a welcome step up. The paint quality leaves a little to be desired, but overall the exterior seems to be reasonably good.

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  50k+ and zero issues - 2011 Kia Optima
  By deeper - December 19 - 12:01 pm

  Car has shown no wear on leather seats or elsewhere. No squeeks. No issues. My Lexus LS430 had more problems at this mileage and mention this because at 1/2 the price makes Kia Optima a compelling used car buy.

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  Fix the defrosters - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By buffalotom - December 16 - 5:47 am

  Submitted review back on 08/27/12 12:30 PM which I still stick by. As for the turbo issue I was having it got fixed, pressure switch needed calibrated for the hot gas bypass, Ive not had any issues since. Got 56,000 on the car now. At this cars price point, you wont find another SUV with this kind of power and gas mileage.

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  Cool But needs some Enrichments - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Mustapha Selim - December 15 - 10:00 am

  It is a verywell car. but its interior materials r not so rich.... a cute exterior .. good Engine but some kinda heavy.. actually i got a 1600 C.C one .. but it is soooo Convenient

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  Not comfortable - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By clhughart - December 12 - 6:23 pm

  In 2012 we purchased a 2008 Sedona with 65,000 miles to replace a 92 Plmouth Voyager that had 210,000 miles. The Sedona handled much better and had lots of power compared to the Plymouth. Our Sedona had non-power cloth seats; my back would hurt after about an hour and my wife complained about her legs hurting. We sold the Sedona after owning for three months. First time Ive had a vehicle for such a short period of time. Also, the carpet was sort of like that trunk carpet where you cant hardly sweep anything out of it (sand/grass/etc.). The doors would easily freeze shut in the cold, and the interior trim just didnt look like it was gong to hold up as well as the Plymouth did.

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  2000 Kia Sephia LS - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By pgluck826 - December 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used with 19,500 miles on it for $8700. It has been reliable and gets great mileage (I average 23 MPG city and can get nearly 30 MPG highway). It performs well. I have had to do some minor repairs (alternator and A/C system). Its low on frills, but the engine and powertrain are still under warranty. I added a trunk-mounted CD changer. Overall, a great little car for not much money.