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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  Great little car - 2006 Kia Rio
  By Rapid - July 10 - 8:23 pm

  I own a Camry but looked for a good car for my daughter. The Rio is outstanding. Its not a Camry but it is absolutely outstanding for its class. The value is unbeatable and to top it off, the warranty is icing on the cake. I test drove a 2002 Protege and it was not as smooth as the Rio.

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  having trouble - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By shylaine33 - July 10 - 5:53 pm

  I bought my car not even 2 years ago and I have had to have it towed 3 times already for 3 different reasons, first reason was something with the computers the car would just not start and everything locked up when I went to start it, second reason was because there were loose wires in the care, it shut off on me at a gas station, I went inside to pay for the gas when I came out it would not start and now they are saying that there are problems with the starter. we bought this car so that we would not have to worry about these issues and we thought a new car would be reliable but so far my husbands car bought in 2002 has been the reliable car :( were prob going to end up trading in the car.

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  Not a bad car. - 2003 Kia Optima
  By Greg McGhee - July 10 - 10:00 am

  My Kia is a great car. I use it to drive 40 miles to work and back 5 days a week. The only problem I have had was when a sensor went out. I believe it was a recall. The dealer took care of the problem quick. It handles better than I ever imagined a Kia would. I would change to front grill of the 2004 back to the 2003 style. It gives the appearance of a more expensive luxury car. Not what you would expect from a Kia. I am planning to trade it in on the new Amanti in a couple of years. Who knows, there may be a Kia in my garage for a while to come.

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  Youll love it! - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Runty - July 10 - 10:00 am

  The unusual look is what attracted me to the Kia Amanti but now that I have purchased it and have been driving it for several months the car is great in many other ways. It handles well, has a tremendous amount of space in the front and back seats and also in the trunk, has a good sound system, and I have gotten many compliments on the car. For the price you cannot get a better equipped car and one that looks expensive. Many people have said it looks like a Jag or a Mercedes. I would recommend the Amanti to anyone.

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  Sporty Hatchback - 2016 Kia Forte
  By Jeff Guttenberger - July 10 - 8:19 am

  Plenty of power. Turbo lag after shifts is annoying. Favorable comments on looks, wheels get the most remarks. Not equipped with a spare tire, jack, lug wrench. Good leg room in rear seat.

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  Six Years Later - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By Inazone - July 9 - 6:20 pm

  I purchased my Sportage new in August of 2001, with utility truly being the #1 selling point. I wanted something with 4WD, decent ground clearance, and easy access for loading and unloading large, heavy equipment. The various car-based SUVs lacked in one or more of those areas. The Kia has been very "adequate" overall. The fuel economy was as listed, which honestly was a bit disappointing to me. Handling on a windy day is poor, and it is worthless on slippery roads without 4WD engaged. Ive had numerous locking hub problems fixed under warranty - never left stranded, but I dont trust it entirely. Problematic power windows and alarm, but it runs great with scheduled maintenance.

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  Total airbag failure - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By sciguy - July 9 - 4:00 am

  This was a great car for price until another car ran stop sign and hit it head on. I was traveling on open road at 40-45 mph. Other driver turned into my lane and hit me going maybe 15 mph in dead center front. Total failure of all airbags. 2 other family members in car at time. 6 airbags and not one popped. Damage in excesss $6000. If you want a safe car do not buy. Had been happy with all but spoiler falling off repeatedly and very lousy gas mileage. Do not put your family in this car.

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  Home run! - 2009 Kia Optima
  By Elmo - July 8 - 10:00 pm

  All I can say is Kia has come a long way in a short time. I bought an sx and a comparably equipped camry or honda was about 11,000 more. I am very happy and plus have the best warranty in the business.

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  2013 Kia Sportage AWD - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By rottensox - July 8 - 7:23 am

  In my earlier post I described the problem with the differential. The dealer replaced it with a unit from California. When they test drove it, it didnt sound right so they are now replacing that unit with a new unit from Washington. By the time they do that, they will have had the vehicle longer than I have. Anyone considering buying a new 2013 Sportage should get down and inspect the rear end for any signs of a fluid leak prior to purchasing it.

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  Cheap and Crappy - 2002 Kia Rio
  By jjepps15 - July 7 - 1:55 pm

  I bought this car with 50,000 and it has been nothing but problems from day 1. I want to sell it ASAP so I dont have to keep paying for it. My mechanic said that is just a cheap car.