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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  The Best deal for the Money! - 2013 Kia Forte
  By belljackie - October 8 - 8:28 pm

  Phenominal!

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  Great little Truck! - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By drzero - October 8 - 10:00 am

  This is no escalade and I didnt expect it to be many folks I think buy these without doing their homework and are disapointed. This is a real suv on a ladder truck frame not a unibody car. Very underated but well worth the money! Buy one and enjoy!

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  I Love My Kia - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By J-Girl - October 8 - 10:00 am

  After driving a Toyota for several years, I needed a new car. I ended up buying a Kia. I needed the peace of mind of the warranty and the smaller price tag. I loved my Toyota, but I have to say that I have been equally happy with the Kia performance. Sure, the inside is not a luxury car, but it drives great and really has a zip to it. The storage is incredible. I am not too impressed with the quality of the tires. I have already put about 7K miles on them and I think that I will probably only get another 7-10K by the looks of them. I think it is an ideal economy car for a college student or your first car.

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  Great Value - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Spursfan - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Alot of SUV for the money. I agree with the main review that it could use a bit more punch at take off, but once you are rolling, you better watch your speed.

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  Style & Value - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By lee - October 7 - 1:13 pm

  Everyone agrees: great style, more head room/leg room, auto seat memory, side mirrors may be set to rotate down, quiet door closure, easy trunk opening devices and hidden key locking entry to trunk, smooth ride, seat heaters, great sound system, dual temperature settings.

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  One year and still loving it - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By brianarm - October 6 - 8:37 pm

  I have been driving this car for a year now and have put on 11K miles. Not a single thing has gone wrong, it is very reliable. All the small suvs are somewhat disappointing with their gas mileage. I average around 25 mpg in mixed driving without a heavy foot. I make several long trips (650 miles) a year and have to say the seats are incredibly comfortable and Im 61. My mileage was about 30 mpg going about 75 on these trips. The EX gives you a lot a extra goodies - better seats, leather steering wheel, led lights in front, alloys etc. I could not be happier with my decision to buy this car.

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  Great, economical car with style. - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Steve - October 6 - 5:26 pm

  The car is great. Has wonderful acceleration, comfort, affordability, and handles great. Great gas mileage, and offers wonderful standard features including cruise control, AM/FM/CD, automatic windows and door locks, AC, and a 2.0 liter engine. Gets about 38 miles on the highway and currently getting 29-30 around town. Also great safety features and warranty. I compared this with the Matrix and it is a much better value.

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  Great economical all-around hauler - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Mike D - October 6 - 12:13 am

  PROS - EX 6 cyl new 2008 leftover stickered $23,000+ bought early in 2009 for $16,000 total (no trade, and included tax, title, and registration). WOW! - Mileage - 24+ mpg mixed driving and 27+ highway (usually running around 70 mph). Were easy on the peddle. - Tows a 1,000 lb pop up trailer effortlessly - costs 3 mpg - Solid build, reasonably quiet - 3rd row split bench seat lets us haul 6 - 4 adults, two kids in car seats - 6 people total - AND a big stroller -- plus a few other things -- in relative comfort. IFFY: - Looks are unremarkable - Road-handling and performance reasonably satisfying (it is a midi van after all!) - Front seats not very comfortable

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  not bad - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By listed - October 4 - 5:20 pm

  Overall good. Good noise reduction. Good build quality. EXTREMELY poor FUEL ECONOMY -- only about 26 on the highway and 21 in city. Radio stinks.

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  Best bang for the buck - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Julio Porven - October 3 - 5:03 pm

  Since I went to the South Florida Inrternational Auto Show in 2004 I fell in love with the new sportage. The only problem was that was in October 2004 and the model release date was in January, so they said. January came and went February came and went finally in March dealerships touted the arrival of the new Sportage. I was fortunate enough to find a dealer with a huge selection. I tried the 4 cylinder but when it came down to a small differnece in price between the 4 and the 6 the six is the better deal. I got the LX V6 I was so impressed with its handling and feel for the road. Not to mention all the standard features. I highly recommend this car to any one who wants the best small SUV.