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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  This is a Kia? - 2001 Kia Optima
  By Elk - July 30 - 10:00 am

  other than the usual Kia fuel guage failure several times, this is a great car

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  GOOD RIO - 2002 Kia Rio
  By nick b - July 30 - 10:00 am

  i have had the rio for almost a year now.i use it every day an so far it hAS BEEN RELIABLE.I AM PLEASED WITH IT SO FAR.GOOD BASIC TRANSPORTATION.

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  2002 with 152,000 & still going - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Mike - July 28 - 6:53 pm

  Very well put together car. Blew timing belt at 120,000, so small stuff also, nothing major. I intend to buy another Kia next year and hope its as good as this one. No more 4 cylinders, no power and gas mileage is nothing to crow about. I liked the interior design, but the slide out drink tray has broke 3 times, all the lower flap coming off. Still, I would recommend this car to anyone. I sold and was a service director in chicagoland dealerships for 27 years. This was as good as any Chevy or Dodge that I had as a demo. Oh yes, I still have original rear brakes and they are like new. I am on my 3rd front set, which I think is a normal amount. Like I said. Great car!

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  Try it, You will buy it! - 2014 Kia Forte
  By getreal66 - July 27 - 12:26 pm

  I own a 2014 Kia Forte LX with the upgraded package. I have owned a lot of 4 cylinder engines in my time but I am blown away by how well the 1.8L engine in the car responds. I have no issues getting on the highway or passing because the car gets up and moves. I am averaging 39mpg but I drive mostly highways. The 6 speed transmission shifts smooth, unlike some of the competitors! The handling is good but not awesome. I have owned 3 other KiaÂ’s (Sedona, Rio & Spectra) and never had any issues with them. Kia had a rough start but they have really turned the quality & reliability around. I would recommend this car to anyone.

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  Absoloutly love this car - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Siobhan - July 27 - 8:30 am

  Love it, love it love, it. Very spacey and comfy have. Made many long trips in it and never a sore back or rear end. It handles great and is very quiet. Plenty of storage space between the two middle consoles and the under passenger seat console. Had it two years and has not been in the shop once except for regular maintenance. Upholstery repels stains very well. Have had a baby in it for 90 percent of the ownership and still no stains. Would definitely recommend this vehicle

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  RC - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Roger Clark - July 26 - 2:00 am

  Almost 20000 miles with no problems. I am suprised by the power which is more than enough but lots of fun for a van.

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  Great except for headlights - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By wisconsin owner - July 21 - 7:00 pm

  I have 78K miles on my 2004 Sorento. I have had great luck with the engine and original brakes and tires both lasted 75K miles. But I have replaced front headlights 9 times. Different bulb types, with gloves on, both at the same time, but they never last more than 6 months. Frustrating!!

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  And the winner is? - 2013 Kia Optima
  By autonut134 - July 20 - 12:41 pm

  Thats it Im done. I finally bought a car after a solid month of research and test drives. I looked at and considered ford fusion, Nissan Altima, vw jetta and passat, Mazda 6, Honda accord, Hyundai sonata, Acura tl and ixl, and maybe I forgot some.the Optima provided the most bells and whistles, and Im a sucker for those things, for and unbelievable price. But price alone didnt do it. This car drives and looks great and has an awesome warranty. The interior looks refined and the exterior is youthful and aggressive in a sea of boring cars. The other car that came close was the fusion but it was much more $. I hope the quality is there in the long run but right now Im very happy with it.

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  3 weeks old and already back for repair - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By jakesharet - July 20 - 8:50 am

  My car is 3 weeks old, 450 total miles. It developed a high pitch noise coming from under the car. The dealer has my vehicle already 3 days waiting for some kind of special grease. Just a heads up for everybody thinking of buying a 2011 sorento

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  not so bad - 2010 Kia Forte
  By malicioustoast - July 19 - 4:18 pm

  2010 forte ex sedan 2.0L 4 cyl automatic. overall, id have to say i love this car. traded my nissan titan for this in 2010, and im LOVING the gas mileage. now has 26k miles. the exterior and interior both look really nice, and the ride is comfortable. i drive from dallas to corpus almost every other weekend, and it handles like a boss. pick up isnt that great, but thats to be expected with a 2.0. only thing i dont like is this thing is prone to dents. i just leaned on the car and i got a dent on the drivers side door. a girl from my university also hit the passenger door with her purse and dented it, and her purse was freaking tiny lol. despite that, KIA made one nice little car :)