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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  "One Smiling Soul" - 2010 Kia Soul
  By S. Jones - November 19 - 7:33 am

  A car you can not help but have fun driving! I wanted a car as fun as my old mazda p5 who recently met her demise. The new mazda 3 looks like one of the "killer Clowns from outer space " one ugly vehicle. I checked out other 5 doors but $ always reared its head. So no brainer on features the Kia won. After the test drive I was hooked. It drives like a little sports car but with room for 3 golfers and their gear. The molten red Sport is a head turner. Every morning now I can not wait to drive with a smile and little more Soul.

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  good little car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By sak713 - November 19 - 2:00 am

  so far the car has been good we had one recall something to do with something in the gas tank but we took it back to the dealer and it was fixed in less then 30 min. so far nothing else has happened. Tires are a different thing.they suck.they need to find a different kind of tire to put on the car they are fine if you dont have to drive in snow. but trust me dont drive the car off the lot in the tires that are on the car if it snowing out. but other then that it a nice car. theres plenty of room in the back for a car seat. but if you have to put two in dont plan on anyone else riding back there. but we like it.

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  Love at first sight. - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By cbelkins71 - November 19 - 2:00 am

  My Kia Sorento is wonderful, it is equiped with all the necessities to enjoy driving, cruise, power outlets for cell phones, rear hatch, etc.. I test drove a Sorento and fell in love with the SUV. It is stylish and has great manuverability. Furthermore, there is lots of room and cargo space for trips. The backseat can comfortably hold a carseat and two grown adults. Lastly, with the 10 year/ 100,000 mile warrenty how can you go wrong?

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  LEXUS HAS COMPETITION - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By L and D - November 19 - 2:00 am

  I just got my Sorento and I love it! It looks just like the Lexus, but it has a much nicer sticker price. I looked at a lot of SUVs, and there arent any out there that can compare to the features for the price. I would like better fuel mileage though.

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  Still love the car, not a fan of customer service - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By weezul - November 17 - 12:42 pm

  Reviewed the vehicle 3 1/2 years after buying, has now been 5 1/2 years. 2 issues since the last review for the vehicle. Started to experience a stiff pinging noise in the front driver side sometime last summer when the vehicle was cold and taking hard left turns slowly. Contributed it to a failing shock, my service manager misdiagnosed twice as brake pad backing plate that needed adjusting. They finally tightened down the shocks cap nut, which stopped the noise. The other issue started two months ago, my passenger mirror and driver side door handle are both peeling the clear coat. Falls out of the 3yr/36 month warranty, but I wrote to express my concerns to corporate, with no results.

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  Kia vs. others - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By rubituli - November 16 - 6:40 pm

  We bought this Sedona on reviews alone. I read car and driver and trust their take on vehicle reviews. Also the consumer reviews were very helpful. This is a no frills product and very straight forward in design. Its very comfortable to drive and very practical. Better than the domestics and equal to the Japanese offerings. I would look to either this Kia or the Honda. In terms quality both are equal but the Honda is a bit more sporty. Lets see here - sporty vs. 10 year warranty? Take your pick, for me its the Kia, I really like this vehicle.

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  Soul EV is a Plus - 2016 Kia Soul EV
  By Ethan Derner - November 13 - 8:47 am

  I drove a Nissan Leaf for three years prior to taking delivery of a new Soul EV+ last month, and thus far it has been enjoyable. This is my second all-electric vehicle, and while it has key differences from the Leaf I do like it for the positive ones. On the downside, the cargo space is not nearly as capacious as that in a Leaf. And the hatchback release on the key fob only does that: release the hatchback. I am constantly annoyed at having to unlock the doors after Ive already unlocked the hatch when I walk around to get in the car. The extended range is noticeably different from my 2013 Leaf, and the driver only AC as well as the ventilated seats are a huge energy saver. The UVO EV Services are functional if not entirely well-executed. And I wish I could get out of the car with it turned on and NOT have it beep as loud and as long as it does. (Some volume and duration control would be welcomed.) The ride quality is sporty, it handles excellently on the city and highway roads Ive been traveling on. Parking is quicker as the backend isnt as extended as the Leaf. I am taking it on our first extended trip to the coast this weekend.

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  safety issues - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By eileen - November 10 - 11:26 am

  Ive had my Kia Spectra for 2 1/2 years and was very happy with it until recently. While avoiding an accident on the highway, my Kia lost complete control. My car spun out of control, and did 360s across 3 lanes of traffic narrowly missing hitting a guardrail and several cars. It was very scary, and I was very lucky. There was no way to control my car, I was totally helpless. Im a very good driver who has been driving a very long time and was never in an accident before. Im actually considering getting rid of the car due to this, and look for a car with ABS brakes and electronic stability control which I now know from experience is very important. Not a very safe car in desperate measures.

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  Great family car on a budget - 2007 Kia Optima
  By ps13_99 - November 7 - 1:10 pm

  Bought New in 2007 since standard safety features like curtain airbags, stability control etc were unavailable on other more pricey sedans. No problems at all with the car, just with the driver. Very roomy. Im 64 and am very impressed with the leg, and knee room. Steering wheel audio controls are great, intuitive. Very smooth transmission. Great headlights, halogen etc. I should have gotten the sunroof. Would definetily look for a used one if this one gets wrecked. Cant beat Kia or Hyundai for the money. Easily competes with camry. Highly recommended.

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  Interesting differences - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Wozza - November 7 - 10:00 am

  I am in UK, and have a 12/03 registered ex Dealer demonstrator 2004 model Sedona L. Unlike the US a 2.9 diesel engine is available and the fuel consumption on this is 30-34 UK gall per mile. Engine is not speedy but does have grunt. From what I can see from sites/reviews the main issue is quality control in Korea, also possibly does not like certain driving styles (heavy braking rather than anticipation..etc.) We wait to see how it goes over the years. A lot of vehicle for the money but the jury is out over longevity.