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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  not bad, really.. - 2004 Kia Rio
  By raytownman - July 21 - 2:46 pm

  Not had the car long, but so far not bad. Good mpg, rides well, comfortable. (Im 64). bought from private owner who had already had the head and belt done, along with a new clutch. So the hard stuff is done. I use it as a commuter car, and it serves me well. Not bad for me!

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  Many problems in the beginning - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By lilteddy78 - July 15 - 10:00 am

  When we first recieved the van we were ok until we hit 700 miles. The check engine light came on and would not go off even with the dealer working on it. It took 6 dealer attempts to finally fix it. Then the passenger window came loose. Then the horn would not work. We finally have a working van after 4 months of having it. I am not impressed with the gas mileage. I get below 15mpg even with freeway driving. I think the highest Ive gotten was 17mpg and Im not sure how I did that. Overall nice van but would like them to improve the gas mileage!

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  You get what you pay for - 2012 Kia Optima
  By giantsfan58 - July 14 - 7:29 am

  I bought a fully loaded 2012 Optima EX in Feb. 2012. I noticed soon after buying it that the leg room is very tight. My leg was constantly jammed up against the speaker in the drivers door. The seats are sharply molded and hard. The transmission went out at 13,000 miles. Recently, I noticed an issue with the steering. While driving down the freeway, the car would begin drifting right or left. When you go to correct it, there is a "catch" in the electronic steering. If you do a search for this you will see many others have had this problem. The real world MPG is nowhere near what thet advertise. This car has a ton of bells and whistles and is great looking, but buyer beware.

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  Piece of junk - 2007 Kia Rio
  By frustrated - July 8 - 11:56 am

  I bought this car in hopes of having a reliable vehicle for once. Day 1 02 sensor went out. 9 months later electrical problems. Went through 4 Cruise controls in 1 year because Kia kept putting the same one in. Went to private custom shop they put a better one in and told me that my car was destroying the Cruise because the car and Cruise control were not compatible. 2 years running lights and fog lights to make sure they are on I have to tap them before I drive away. Handles horrible in the winter. Gets worse gas mileage than the car I traded in for 1995 Dodge intrepid. I got 28 the first month of owning this car now I am lucky if I get 18 mpg. Everyone one I see I say stay away from Kia!

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  Cheap used car, wouldnt buy new - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Kia Driver - July 4 - 7:23 pm

  I find this to be a decent used car for someone just learning to drive or looking for nothing more than point A to point B transportation. Its been pretty reliable although when things do break, they are expensive to repair. Many parts have to be ordered from Korea and its hard to find a mechanic that will work on them. Very difficult to work on yourself as well. The "little things" like interior trim and such start falling apart around 50k miles though. By 87K the dash was warped, interior trim always falling off, drivers seat no longer went back, and power windows only worked sometimes. The drive train itself is fairly reliable though.

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  Kia Optima 2012 review update - 2012 Kia Optima
  By soxfan99 - July 4 - 4:36 pm

  Wanted to write an updated review on my Kia Optima 2012 EX. As far as the vehicle itself, starting to show wear at 32k miles on the interior and exterior with light use (car is garaged daily). Arm rest is peeling. Carpet on rear deck is discoloring. "Leather" seats are starting to break down. Mileage has not changed or improved still averaging around 23mpg C-H driving. Tires that Kia is equipping the Optima with - horrible. Have the alignment checked (this is a known problem). This Optima has gone out 2 times. So in all not a horrible car, but cheaply made - we are glad its a lease. We will be turning in and not looking back.

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  Would not recomend - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By maddogsmama - June 16 - 2:47 am

  I bought a 2006 Kia Sorento LX in 2010 and since then Ive had nothing but problems! I replaced the crank shaft sensor, cam shaft sensor and the AC. With labor and parts that cost me about 1,600. I have only put 20,000mi on it since I bought it! Therefore, I would NOT recommend a Kia to anyone!! My first experience as a Kia owner was nothing but a headache!

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  Wish I had waited - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By rmhpmi - June 15 - 12:30 pm

  I have owned my 2011 Sportage SX 2WD for just about two years now. While my wife uses the vehicle as her daily driver, I have had enough seat time to offer my opinions about this great looking but not-so-reliable little SUV. Sadly, the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine failed at about 9,000 miles and basically had to be replaced. We have had ongoing issues ever since, but nothing bad enough to be considered a "lemon" under NC law. I feel certain we will be trading the vehicle next year despite getting killed on depreciation. My KIA/Hyundai experiment is over. Japanese for me from now on.

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  Build quality - 2003 Kia Rio
  By kramer - June 15 - 2:16 am

  Overall the car has been reliable, requiring little maintenance. However many smaller items such as door handles, rear hatch handle, wiper arms, and headlight bulbs fail. Also horn no longer works, keyless entry no longer works, and power locks malfunction, indicating poor electrical system.

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  Have had problems with my Kia Sedona LX - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By R.J. - June 15 - 1:06 am

  Yes the Kia is very comfortable and has lots of nice gadgets, the kia does drive well and gains speed pretty quickly, aside from that I have had more of a headache with it then what it is worth: I have had to take my KIA in 3 times already within 2 months time. The power sliding doors do not open so I have to manually pull them open, my Kia will start only when IT wants to! First I was told it was the junction box that needed to be replaced and now it is supposedly the "body control module" that now needs to be replaced. As a mother with four children I am very busy with school, sports, work, etc. I absolutely need a reliable form of transportation this van is NOT reliable!