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:
Showing 2671 through 2680 of 7,338.00-
great car - 2005 Kia Sportage
By gg - August 6 - 12:56 amPurchased it new. Have had 3 years. No problems! I even tow motorcycle with it. Love it!
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Surprised! - 2011 Kia Sportage
By daviel - August 5 - 10:00 amHad it a week. What a car! Plenty space; power is OK; looks great. Feels very well built, tight. AC is good. Terrific looks and loaded. bluetooth, good stereo, smart key - start button. leather, two sunroofs. 18" black/chrome wheels. The auto 6 speed is very smooth.
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Great little SUV for a small price - 2006 Kia Sportage
By Ray - August 5 - 1:06 amMy wife needed a new car and wanted something with 4wd. So we test drove the Honda CR-V first. My wife thought it was OK but nothing special. I suggested that she should check out the Kia Sportage since my Kia Sedona has been so reliable. Se was reluctant to do it since she really didnt think that the Kia would be comparable to the CR-V. We test drove the car and were immediately impressed with the build quality, handling and quietness of the car. We bought the luxury package with leather, heated seats and an impressive stereo with subwoofer. My wife tells me every day how she loves this vehicle. She looks forward to her morning commute.
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Love my new ride! - 2017 Kia Sportage
By A. Thomas - August 4 - 8:41 pmWe dont have snow here so I can not comment on that. I can not seem to adjust the vent to the right of the driver set to my liking for some reason....It just always seems to blow right on me no matter what I do! Not enough of a left to right adjustment available I would guess. Cant speak on maintenance costs as yet and thats a good thing but the mileage seems to be lower than expected. According to the cars internal stats and the amount of times I go to the gas station per month, I am getting less mileage than my 2007 Toyota Camry and thats NOT a good thing! I will evaluate that more closely over the next few months.
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Another satisfied customer - 2012 Kia Optima
By hopleaf - August 3 - 8:07 pmIm coming from an Infiniti G35x and I couldnt be happier with the overall package the Optima offers. The features, style, performance, and value is unbeatable.
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Excellent Value - 2007 Kia Sorento
By Marty - July 31 - 5:23 pmI purchased this after looking at the competition. Nothing else in this price range (21,000) can come close. Sorry, but it just would not happen. I was very leery about purchasing a KIA and if not for the warranty I would not have considered this car. I actually have to say, that so far it has been just perfect. I have 5,000 miles now, and everything seems to be in place. The only possible complaint is that the dealer did not properly remove all the protective plastic properly. MPG seems to be a little better now that the engine has broken in. I think I am managing about 20 - 21 mpg on average now. I am still impressed with the performance and power of this vehicle and I am very happy so far
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Loving my Kia!! - 2006 Kia Sorento
By Riya - July 31 - 11:06 amI did a lot of searching and I narrowed it down to a Trailblazer, Sorento or Jeep Liberty. I am so satisfied with my decision!! This vehicle is awesome, the only complaint that I have is the seat belt sensor drives me crazy, it beeps non-stop until I put my seatbelt on! The gas mileage is decent for an SUV, but that could always be improved. I have plenty of space for myself and my 18-month old. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone!
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Satisfied Customer - 2004 Kia Rio
By BJD - July 31 - 2:00 amDependable inexpensive transportation with versitility.
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very dependable - 2003 Kia Sedona
By lisaannbird - July 31 - 2:00 amvan is ver practical stereo system quality is fair needs bigger wattage to roomy in side for sound
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Sorrento - WOW! - 2004 Kia Sorento
By Allan - July 31 - 2:00 amGreat car, great deal, lots of extras for free. I checked and it is $5,000 cheaper than the nearest competition with the same options. WOW!
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