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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  Everything Looks Good So Far! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Donovan - October 17 - 2:26 pm

  My wife and I bought a used 2003 Kia Sorento EX w/4WD from a dealer last week, and weve been impressed by it. The body feels solid, the steering is light and smooth (though an adjustment if youre used to more road feel), the acceleration is better than reviews suggest, and its loaded with amenities (power drivers seat -- a must, considering the clunky manual adjusters; sunroof; leather interior -- love that smell). Best of all, we got it used at a great price! They say that the low resale value of the Sorento is a bad thing, but not for us! Even new, though, the price cant be beat. Amenities, 4x4 ability, great looks, good cargo space -- cant ask for anything more!

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  Its a good one - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By johnj - October 16 - 6:40 am

  So far I have 18,000 miles on the vehicle; during the summer I took a 4,000 mile trip over a 2 week period. The gas mileage was between 20 and 25 MPG; around town I get an average of 17. I still enjoy getting in and driving it. I would recommend it to anyone. The vehicle I traded in on this one was a 2003 Kia Sorento which was excellent and this Amanti is too.

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  Ya gotta love it! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By KRZAN - October 15 - 9:56 pm

  My wife drives 25000 miles per year. We are about to head back to our KIA dealer and trade the 06Â’ we bought new for a new 09Â’ We have 75000 miles on our Spectra EX. It has been the most reliable, trouble free vehicle we have ever operated. We replaced brakes one time, tires one time, and of course, oil changes at every 3000 miles. Ya gotta love it!

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  2002 Kia Optima Excels - 2003 Kia Optima
  By S. White - October 15 - 10:00 am

  Although I have not had this 2002 Kia Optima LX-V6 very long, it has impressed me with its quality build, comfort and performance. I highly recommend the V6 engine over the 4 cylinder. Much smoother and better performance with the automatic. The car is roomy and I am a large man who is over 6 feet tall.

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  Best Bang for the Buck - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By dan01801 - October 15 - 10:00 am

  I did a ton of research looked at the "luxury" used suvs and for the same price I got the Luxury 03 Sorento with the great warrenty !!

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  Amazing car, amazing price - 2013 Kia Optima
  By psyclopps - October 13 - 1:04 pm

  After test driving the 2013 Mazda CX-5, 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid and coming from a 2010 Nissan Maxima (fully equipped), my wife and I settled on the 2013 Kia Optima after our Maximas lease expired. For the price, (30k even after negotiation) on a fully equipped SX, we received what feels like a better car than our Nissan. The interior is a little more tame and slightly lower quality, but it is loaded with more features, better styling and very similar performance with much better mileage. I love the option for an ECO mode which improves mileage at the cost of performance. Gas prices were a factor but we did not want to give up fun. This seemed to be a perfect match.

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  KIA Not Loyal to Me - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By jarhead6591 - October 12 - 2:14 am

  We bought a brand new 08 KIA Sedona EX, with all the bells and whistles (leather heated seats, adjustable pedals, sunroof, DVD system, etc., except navigation). We had an 06 Sedona LX that we liked and I figured wed go for top of the line. Dont get me wrong, we love our EX, but will never buy another KAI again; no trade-in or resale value. We average 20 miles to the gallon, combined city and highway, but wanted something better on the gas. We checked into the KIA Sorento, really liked it and it gets excellent gas mileage with the 2.4L GDI engine. When I asked what I could get for a trade-in, I was told $13,000. My best advice...check resale values before you buy your next new car.

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  Worth the money - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Frugal Driver - October 11 - 9:20 pm

  Solid, dependable transportation. Used for carpool and as a construction material transporter (built on a truck chassis, takes the weight, more flexible than a small pick-up). Search parts suppliers on the web to avoid buying dealer parts, have yr. local mechanic install them, example, brake pads, rotors, struts. Change all fluids often to ensure vehicle longevity. Be prepared for front end issues as with all front wheel drive vehicles (see above comment re: parts). Now 90,000 miles, runs well, maintenance about $500/yr. all in. (Fluids and repairs). Seats are uncomfortable to install or remove. Belt tensioner requires tightening flywheel occasionally-cost=0

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  Battery dies due to factory draw - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By mandalyn - October 10 - 3:07 pm

  I own a 2007 Kia Sedona LX. I have had it since Nov if 2009. I m replacing my battery every six month due to the fact that the vehicle has a draw and has had since the day I bought it.. It was under warranty and I have taken it there complaining about this problem. I was told that when they test my charging system it has the normal factory draw. I took it there again and was told it is working fine and not to return. They made me feel crazy.I have been fighting this problem for 4 years. Upon talking to others with this same year they also have the same problem. KIA wont fix it, it is a factory problem. Dont buy a sedona

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  Great Car! - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By MelissaP - October 10 - 2:16 pm

  I bought my 5 speed Sephia brand new in 01 and have never had a problem. I think this is a great investment. I do regret to say I am thinking of trading my car in after a few years (and 2 children) but good news is its for another Kia! Very Dependable Car!!!