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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  LOVE IT! - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By The Wukichs - April 2 - 7:30 am

  The Sedona is a dream come true. We priced and researched minivans and were drawn into the Kia dealership by their price and warranty. We did not expect quality too. The van has been dependable, roomy, and great on gas on road trips. Our Sedona has been loaded with adults and children alike. We always get compliments on the room and comfort for all passengers. The LWB (long wheel base) model offers that extra foot you may need on a road trip. It is nice to take a vehicle that has room for everything and the kitchen sink. I always have room for my stroller, groceries and passengers.

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  Perfect Experience - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Happy Customer - April 2 - 2:00 am

  We had a bad experience with a truck dealership, and had bought a 2003 Kia Spectra GSX previously so back to the Kia dealer we went for our next vehicle! The sales people were excellent--and the vehicle is top notch! It rides like a dream--very smooth, and it handles like a car with a tight turning radius. Im used to driving my Spectra and the transition from that to the Sorento was seamless. I wish the gas mileage was better--but for what you get--(all the standard "extras") its worth every penny!

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  Nice car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By D n P - March 31 - 10:00 am

  This is a very nice car, especially for the price. Compared to other car manufactures, you can get a lot of the same comparable features/options for a lot cheaper price.

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  carpe diem - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By your ol pal randy - March 29 - 7:13 pm

  Have been trying to get my wife to look at this car. Once I got her into it, it was a done deal. Quality, price, handling and only 1 trim level = everything. If other cars are a better value, why cant the manufacturers offer a decent warranty? Because they want to nail you for the post warranty work thatÂ’s why. Also, msrp =$13,900.00 on other cars. Oh, you want wheels with that? Ends up at $18000.00+. Particularly the Dodge Caliber. Am very, very pleased.

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  Impressed with the Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By amatechsan - March 28 - 11:53 pm

  The Sorento wasnt among the cars we intended to check out. Upon reading the reviews, we added it to the list. The test drive was so smooth, we bumped it up to our top three. When the Honda guy told us that the Sorentos are viable competition to the CR-V, we knew the Sorento was the one to buy.

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  GREAT CAR!!! - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Chris Martin - March 28 - 1:03 pm

  me and my dad got this car for my mom. i was surprised as to how well a 2.4l 4 cylinder performs... quick on the accelerator, yet responsive on the brakes. not only does it have a lot of gumption under the hood for a 4 cylinder, it looks great, rides smooth, quiet, great sound, comfortable, accessible, and most of all, affordable! i definitely recommend this car to anyone, even if their on a tight budget! i give the Kia Optima a 9.5/10

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  New Rio 5 LX - 2008 Kia Rio
  By Peter - March 28 - 1:56 am

  We got the 2008 Rio 5 LX with 5-speed manual. We are very pleased with our choice so far. The car is attractive, fun to drive, and it is good enough power-, handling-, and feature-wise for us. Shortly after break-in, we took the car to TX (1800+ miles each way). Never dawdling, with two adults and two kids, fully loaded with toys and gear, we got 33 mpg. Not bad! It would do better, though, if Kia put a 6-speed in this model. 3500+ revs in 5th for typical Southern and Western U.S. interstate driving is too much. If I often drove on Southern or Western interstates, I would be less pleased with the car. But in the hilly, trafficky Northeast, where I live, I highly recommend it!

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  Great MPG and All Wheel Drive - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By alexr79 - March 27 - 12:54 am

  I have 1,200 miles on my Kia Sorento LX. It has all wheel drive and the convenience package. I recntly took a couple of trips that were about 150 miles each in total distance. I am very impressed with the mileage I am getting. The most recent was yesterday where I got 30 mpg. The weather was calm and pleasant (no a/c) and I was driving 70 mph on the interstate. The trip before that was a week ago on country roads. The weather was very hot (a/c was used) and it was windy. I was driving 65 mph and I got 27 mpg

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  GOOD STUFF - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By tombelle608 - March 26 - 2:00 am

  I live in the mountains with lots of hills and curvy roads and my sorento handles all of these better than any other truck-suv that I have ever driven.

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  I Love My Sorento! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By postitnote - March 25 - 10:13 pm

  After wanting to purchase a Spectra and deciding to go with the Sorento, I am a very satisfied customer. I love my Sorento and Im very pleased with my purchase. There are so many features on my Sorento that I would imagine would only come with a Lexus or a BMW, such as the side curtain airbags, child seat safety belt in the back, seats that fold flat, cruise control on the steering wheel, and snow traction. I went over a year before needing to replace a headlight bulb, a light above the license plate, and an interior light. I also like the shelf in the glove box that allows me to put my insurance card and business cards there so they dont get lost in the bottom of the compartment.