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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  Sportage Delights - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By John - November 12 - 4:13 pm

  Purchased the KIA brand for the first time. This is my 6th new car I have purchased. I currently own Honda and Cheverolet. I have owned 3 Toyotas. As is my usual routine after driving the car home I go over the car with a fine tooth comb and give it a complete wash and wax looking for flaws. I am impressed! The lines and styling of the new Sportage are terrific. The more I look over the car the more impressed I become. The handling is excellent and the ride is smooth. The interior is well thought out with an amazing number of features you seldom find in a car at this cost. The car is very comfortable to drive with plenty of room for 4. Since it is new I cannot rate it for reliability.

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  Surprisingly excellent purchase! - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Jerry - November 12 - 8:56 am

  When shopping for an economy suv, our first choice based on reputation and suitability for our needs was the Toyota Rav-4. But before we sank that kind of money into a vehicle, we thought we would look around at what else was available. First stop, Kia place. Last stop, Kia place. We were very impressed with the ride, the performance, and the overall appeal of the Sportage, and it soon became apparent that there aint no way the Toyota Rav-4 can possibly be worth the $4,000 to $5,000 more it costs than a comparable Kia Sportage! And the frosting on the cake is the super gas mileage we get with the 4-cyl. engine with manual transmission. Way to go Kia!

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  Some problems -overall good car - 2007 Kia Optima
  By mickkia - November 11 - 1:53 pm

  I purchased this this vehicle used in April of 2009 with 23500 miles. Since then I had two problems, both front sway links need to be replaced and one of the rear brake was worn unevenly. Took numerous visit to repair shops over two months to figure out the brake issue (car was squeaking periodically when moving - was driving me crazy). The bad sway links were covered under Kia warranty. Since the repairs, the car has been running fine. The dealership was very professional in fixing the problem. Car now has 33000 miles on it. P.S. - trunk sometime open by it own. Happen to me about 4 times in 5 months. Also, averaging 27 miles per gallon with 80% stop/go driving -

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  Not a good MPG - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Northland Driver - November 11 - 11:46 am

  When we love the looks and the fun ride, the reason why we got it was: 1) the roomy back (which is very good compared to others) 2) the miles-per- gallon (MPG). We are yet to see the advertised 26 or higher. We are lucky if we get close to 24. In addition to front seat is way too stiff. This is definitely a city commuter and nothing more. Yes, a fun ride, but a bit uncomfortable and not as economic as promised (in the city). Not to be negative, but more of a reality check. The glare on the front glass is very uncomfortable. The light brown reflects the entire dash into the front window. I have seen this in other small cars I have rented. Sound system? Back speakers are NOT good at all.

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  Fun to Look At and Drive - 2011 Kia Soul
  By nursediesel - November 11 - 7:03 am

  Ive wanted a Soul since they came out last year, but wanted to wait until they had the 1st year quirks ironed out. Once I drove one, I was convinced. First impression: Its tight, build quality seems excellent, no rattles, very solid sounding when you open/close doors and hatch. Brakes are soft-touch sensitive, steering is responsive, best of all I got 27 M.P.G. in the city on my first tank of gas (sticker says 24/30), but I must admit I drive pretty conservatively. 2.0 seems pretty peppy, gets up to hwy. speeds quickly and cruises comfortably. I researched and looked at a lot of other cars in this class and found they were either too pricy, got bad reviews, or were just too tiny.

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  Kia Sportage 2WD Convertible -Must Read- - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Majali - November 10 - 3:06 pm

  I have purchased my 2002 convertible Sportage in 2008 and have put 24m000 miles on it since then. Its a great good looking affordable car. It has a special charisma. This STRONG Vehicle has literally saved my life, after hitting a parked car from behind while doing 100 mph the damage was slight regardless that the Honda i hit got totaled! Featuring 3 air bags/Automatic Transmission/AC Easily removed cool soft top options. The 2.0 L is strong enough for a small below 2000 LBs SUV ( it has served a BMW 520). Doing 20 MPG City and Crazy 30 MPG highway miles. I dont have any more mechanical troubles after doing a full maintenance a year ago. It maneuvers perfectly, but i wish it was 4WD for sand

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  My Kia Sedona - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Winter Texan - November 10 - 10:00 am

  This summer, with three adults on board, we enjoyed a 3,500 mile trip pulling a very large, two- axle, tent trailer. The power was amazing. We could pass slower vehicles going up hill. Gas consumption for this trip was good. 17 mpg. The vehicle is very comfortable on long trips.

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  Great Van - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By SRife - November 10 - 10:00 am

  This is my first Kia and quality is on par with the Honda and Toyotas Ive owned. After 4 months of ownership and 4,000 miles there have been no defects. The interior fit and finish and quality of leather are much better than the Nissan we test drove. The engine and transmission are very smooth. Great drive. This is a great van, as good as vans priced for thousands more.

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  Good Commuter Car, Got it a Great Price - 2004 Kia Rio
  By pslims - November 10 - 1:53 am

  I got my 2004 Rio last month. I was looking for a commuter car to drive about 20-30 minutes on the highway to work. So far I am pleased with the car. It was manual transmission (the automatic drove horrible) and manual windows, locks, no ABS, no stereo. Overall, I am happy with the car as a commuter car. I probably would not have bought this car but for the price I paid, it was definitely worth it.

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  2011 Kia Sorento - Base Model - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By newvwdriver - November 9 - 10:13 pm

  I bought my 2011 Kia Sorento (base model with manual transmission) in February, 2011. So far I love it. However, there is one glitch that maybe other Kia owners have noticed. It is with Kias automatic locking system. Never ever leave your keys in the ignition for any period of time when leaving! Kia automatically locks you out after a short period of time. It has happened to me twice so far. I asked the Kia owner about this and he said it has happened to him twice, so beware..... I have been locked out twice.