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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  Solid Car for the $$$ - 2004 Kia Optima
  By grinder - January 7 - 2:00 am

  I love this car! For the money I paid, I felt like I was stealing this car from the dealer!! Great warranty. Lots of power. Decent milage. Solid and (so far) reliable.

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  AWESOME.... - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By VERY SATISFIED - January 6 - 7:30 pm

  This is my second Kia, the first being the 2005 Rio, which is still in great condition. Needed larger vehicle for longer trips. This vehicle is fine looking and fun to drive. I guess I had hoped for better fuel economy but at 21 MPG, it isnt bad. I agree with other reviewers...miss my armrest, the vehicle could shift more smoothly and I would like to have a guage for the eng. temp instead of an idiot light. I also would like the outside temp reading but that is not of great significance. Mine has everything but the nav system, and that is because I have an excellent portable that is cheaper to upgrade. AWESOME RIDE for the price!!! Could not have made a better deal!!!!! The warranty, GREAT!

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  My Sedona - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By k mallard - January 6 - 10:00 am

  A lot of "bang for your buck". I test drove the Windstar, Montana, Venture and the Caravan. None were as attractive as the Sedona in looks or in price. I purchased the EX Luxury model. (with leather an sunroof). Most standard features on the Sedona were optional on all other vehicles, which, of course drove the cost out of reach. A very smooth ride and with the ABS feature and front wheel drive, made for some easy handling in snow and ice conditions.

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  Great Used Car - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By WHS - January 5 - 8:30 pm

  I bought my 05 Kia Amanti used from a Toyota dealer. It has been the best used car Ive purchased yet. My wife loves it! It has been on two long trips and the gas mileage is great (26 mpg).This has been with three people and two large suitcases in the trunk.

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  My Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Diane - December 31 - 2:46 pm

  I do alot of mountain driving and the car handles with no effort. The manual trans. is very smooth. No lurching. The ride is very comfortable for all passengers. The interior is extremely quite, its nice to have a conversation whithout having to yell. The service from the dealership has been exemplary. I very much like the rear seat center shoulder strap safety belt. I dont worry about the middle passenger flying forward. The cargo area is spacious considering the car is small in comparison to the full size suvs Ive recommended the car to several people. To date, two other people have purchase a Kia, one a Sorento the other a Spectra. Both seem to be very pleased.

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  It IS possible to like a van - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By little BIG - December 31 - 10:00 am

  We purchased in May 02. Got a steal on our trade-in and we ended up paying 24k (CANADIAN). Have had no problems as of yet, we are at the 15000 km mark already. It drives so well, my biggest regret is that it doesnt come with a standard tranny. Lots of room, although the trunk space could be made bigger. PLENTY of power. The gas mileage has improved dramatically since we started driving it. If you are in the minivan market, you have to consider this one, especially for the price. We test drove the car on a whim (we were going to settle with the MPV) and were convinced within the first 5 minutes of driving that we were going to buy the vehicle.

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  Kia Sorento - a great SUV for anyone - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By R. Gaudet - December 30 - 12:20 pm

  My Kia Sorento has been a pleasant surprise. Its handling and ride quality will match anything out there in its class. I consider this vehicle the best I have ever owned.

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  What fun! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By richie46 - December 30 - 11:47 am

  Weve had it 2 weeks, 800 miles. Great car, especially considers all the features vs. cost. In shopping, this was the first we tried. Then drove Accord and Fusion. Optima easily surpassed those. Were were going to look at Mazda6, Altima and Camry too, but we liked the Optima so much we decided to curtail shopping.

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  I dont care about the name "I LOVE IT" - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Issac - December 29 - 9:40 pm

  I didnt realize untill i did my shopping that this comes with ESP, Traction control, and Anti-lock brakes all standard! And with the 10 year warranty, theres no other small SUV at that price that can compete.

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  Great SUV for the money! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By nampa45 - December 28 - 10:00 am

  We purchased our Sorento recently and have been very pleased with it in the short time we have owned it. It rides great, with no squeeks or rattles and we would recommend this vehicle to anyone who is interested in a 4WD SUV. The price is very reasonable compared to other higher priced brands on the market.