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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  Value-vs-Pre-Conceived value - 2008 Kia Optima
  By bilwhi - December 19 - 1:33 am

  With the exceptions of the following. Hard seats, blind spots, cheesy interior door handles, misleading mpg, it is a great little car. Knownn then what I know now, I would have never traded my overly-dependable 1989 olds 98 that delivered a honest 31 mpg & more comfort & mpg than Kia ever thought possible. Bottom line is like the car but I loved my olds!

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  gsx - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By gsxpress - December 16 - 10:00 am

  I am extremely pleased with my KIA Spectra, The car performes well and is a nice sports car with only minor adjustments. the car has nice styling and many people do not relize it is a 4 door when they first see it. This car gives the performance of a two door with the practicality of a 4 door.

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  Ran great for 2 years and now problems - 2012 Kia Optima
  By yogi111 - December 16 - 4:26 am

  For the most part I love this car. If I keep it at 80 or under on the freeway it can get 31-33 mpg. City mpg around 22. The battery died one month after the warranty expired and my fuel pump just went out...luckily I got it to the shop before I was stranded and it is still under warranty.

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  As good as a Camry? - 2006 Kia Optima
  By former PT cruiser - December 15 - 6:40 pm

  i bought the 2006.5 4 cylinder LX with 5 speed auto-stick. Listed for $18,500, out the door price was $16,000 after rebates and discounts.

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  Fairly Happy - 2005 Kia Rio
  By Ricky - December 14 - 8:13 am

  I got this little Rio about a month ago and so far I am pretty happy with it. I feel like I got a great deal on the car and the fact the car was going to be better on gas than my old 91 Dakota. While the fuel consumption on this car isnt too bad, I definitely feel like it could be better. The engine is a bit lethargic for highway driving and the car itself does tend to feel a little "unsafe" doing anything over 60 mph. The interior is bigger than what someone would judge it would be by the outside. Handling is pretty precise and it extremely light! Overall, this car seems dependable and practical so far.

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  excellent car - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By sizzle777 - December 12 - 3:33 am

  when my wife and i purchased this car it had 26000 on it now there is 86,000.since purchase the master cylinder went and the two catalytic converters.At that time i had a 60,000partial warranty so they were covered. nothing major since then except up keep maintenance. my secret change oil and use 87 gas and once a week put fuel injector cleaner in my engine purrs. another thing keep it washed an waxed to protect the body especially korean made cars. if youre buying used make sure its good see if you can take it for a day heat it up real good big hills or take the vin off the car and run it through car fax .com

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  But I dont want a minivan! - 2009 Kia Sedona
  By Rookie - December 12 - 1:50 am

  I am a reluctant minivan buyer. With two kids still in car seats, my wife felt it was the way to go. She was right. Plenty of room, nice 3rd row folding seats, comfort, and easy to drive. The Kia came with some nice features such as the iPod dock and good storage cubbies. The ability to roll down the back seat windows for the kids is nice too. The V6 has some good pep when needed as well. Turns out I am pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoy driving the Sedona. It’s still a van, but it’s nice to know I’ve got a highly rated vehicle for safety with two small kids. Yes, Kia has a low resale value, but that allowed me to buy this for $15k. It was a great buy.

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  Great Value - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Drdavid7 - December 11 - 2:00 am

  Overall, a great value with style. Attractive and affordability without a few "extras" that the more expensive models offer. Well worth the money saved!

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  The VW of SUVs - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By floyd - December 9 - 9:20 pm

  I bought the vehicle with my daughter, knowing that women tend to like it more than men. After 95/000 miles it remains very reliable and gets 28 mpg in 2 w/d if driven reasonably. I dont mind that the acceleration is slower than some. The drive is relaxing and enjoyable. My daughter has done most of the driving and once slid off the road during severe icing. Studded tires could have prevented this I suspect.

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  KRio04 - 2004 Kia Rio
  By BijouB - November 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought a new Kia Rio 4 door automatic. So far so good.