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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  Reliable and Dependable - 2001 Kia Rio
  By retze - November 7 - 11:56 am

  I have owned the Kia Rio since January 2001. It has been very reliable and dependable. It has some warranty and repair work done in the first two years I owned it, but I never had to pay any out of pocket expenses for repair work on the car. After owning a Plymouth Sundance and a Dodge Neon, this is the most dependable car I have owned. Its well over 100,000 miles now and still going strong. I also hit two deer with the vehicle and it held up very well. This car does not have any special features or a powerful engine, but its good on the gas and gets me where I need to go.

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  GREAT Choice - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By bigpoppy - November 7 - 8:51 am

  Had a 2012 Sorento with the 4 cylinder. Pretty peppy and pretty good gas mileage. Noticed however that when climbing hills it didnt upshift well. I attributed this to an outmatched engine for the weight of the vehicle. Just got the 2014 Sorento SX with the V6 GDI. It has tons of power and is super quiet. 400 pounds lighter and bigger engine is the winning combo. Silky smooth and great looking!

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  Love my Kia - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By Borrego Girl - November 7 - 2:26 am

  This is the BEST car that we have owned. Nice, sporty, family room!

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  Kia Sorento - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Kansas - November 7 - 12:50 am

  We enjoy our new Sorento. The V6 must be on steroids. Rides well. It is stiff, but I wanted stiff. Corners great. Handles bumps and holes just as good as the Mazda CX7 and Chevy Equinox. Quiet ride. Bluetooth works great with both our phones. Opted for EX for driver seat adjustments and it is a comfortable seat. The third row will be nice with grandkids. Doors sound solid when closing. Smartkey is a great feature. Headlights light up the road and countryside. Radio works well; auto climate works quickly. Braking is consistent and stable. Opted for black clothe w/ leather like trim. Looks smart, feels good. Have not been able to test out AWD ability. Glad we purchased, would purchase again.

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  it ok - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Terri - November 5 - 1:40 pm

  seem to me I steering to the right a lot on this car. Maybe caused it have Low performances tires. Also the road noise is bad aint a really big fan of that.

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  The Greatest Minivan Ever! - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Nick Verna - November 3 - 10:26 pm

  My wife and I are very happy with the purchase of our new Kia Sedona. After shopping the Honda and Toyota, the Kia really stood out with its performance, price, and warranty. We could not believe all the standard safety features that got higher marks than the competition. As a former Japanese owner, I think the South Koreans have some new fans in our household. Way to go Kia!

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  Would make a few minor changes. - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By LucidAnn - November 3 - 7:20 pm

  I gave up a SUV with lots of bells and whistles for this car. We wanted 3rd row seating, to use occasionally, but we didnt want a large van or gas hog. I may have some complaints about this car but it is mostly because I am comparing to my previous vehicle.

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  Tom - 2007 Kia Rio
  By Thomas Erickson - November 2 - 12:56 pm

  The best thing about this vehicle is the fact that it gets 30 miles to the gallon. This is especially important due to the fact that I work 30 miles away from home. Another aspect of this car that appeals to me is how much room this little car has and how comfortable it is. It is an excellent vehicle for the money. I have 5 speed manual shifting, and the only problem I had, at first, was figuring out how to put in in reverse. You need to pull up a lever, pull the shifter all the way to your left and up to put into reverse. Once I got it, however, there no longer was any confusion. This is a minor set back.

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  Problem with the Onboard Navigation System - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By bandrews6264 - November 2 - 6:15 am

  Here is my story: I have leased a 2011 KIA Sorrento (February 2011) from Tempe KIA [violative content deleted] and have found a problem with the internal navigation system. I have come to find out that the system is only programmed for using freeways and not recognizing quicker routes. Case in point: I went Las Vegas about two weeks ago and entered my destination into the onboard nav system. The nav system tried to take me to Flagstaff to connect with I-40 (142 plus, unnecessary miles) instead of directing me to US93, a much faster route. On the way home the onboard nav system again tried to route me through Flagstaff instead of US93 through Wickenburg. KIA refuses to anything about this. Buyer beware

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  my amanti - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By germanrose15 - November 1 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. It is very luxurious and classy. Driving is very fun.