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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  Excellent Car - 2008 Kia Amanti
  By Mumfrumson - September 18 - 12:06 am

  First of all if you want a car that looks like a camry, maxima, bmw, lexus (you really cant tell them apart these days) this is not your car. This car is (unique) in its styling. Having that behind us, the comfort, handling, and features of this car I recently purchased are amazing. Its the loaded model with everything. Heated seats, power, sunroof, incredible stereo, self adjusting seats and mirrors. Auto or manual shift transmission (lots of Fun) This car screams on the highway. If your looking for a run of the mill toyota or nissan, dont buy this car. Dollar for dollar I would by this car over a BMW or Lexus, and ive owned three BMWs.(which now look like Camrys)

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  MY First SUV, 2nd Kia - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By SorentoGuy - September 17 - 10:00 am

  Traded my 2000 Sephia for the Sorento. Love it so far. Delivered witrh tire presure too high..made ride harsh...deflated to 30PSI and now is prett ysmooth. Minor fit and finish issues that can be easily corrected by dealer.

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  Love the car - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By John - September 17 - 3:46 am

  I looked for a good car that was safe and good on gas to replace my 99 suburban. I love the sportage but the headrest position is tough, not enough options for comfort especially for the front seat passenger. Also having a hard time getting used to no arm rest for the driver. I would recommend this car highly

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  Love this car - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By Mazhar Anik - September 16 - 11:54 am

  I was shopping for a Mercedes, or other top line car, and had never really considered a Kia. I have been a loyal Toyota fan, and have owned multiple Avalons, but the current design of the Toyota models did not appeal to me. This car had all the same features that other luxury models for less than half the price (I bought this car used). With only 12K miles, it was as good as new, and I got a great bang for my buck, even though I paid additional for a long extended warranty. I have owned the car for almost 9 months, and have no real complaints. The one complaint I have is with the ventilated drivers seat, which on very hot days did not really cool. Overall I am glad that I made this purchase.

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  Traded in Optima LX non-hybrid for this - 2013 Kia Optima
  By catrose - September 14 - 11:43 am

  We purchased this hybrid after trading in the Optima LX sedan, which we found inferior in carpeting (it wore through on the drivers side within 2 months. This hybrid has far better suspension than the Optima LX of that year and there are many small build-ins that increase the comfort and reliability of the unit. We get an average of 38 mph in the city. Rarely drive on the highway so cant give you the average.

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  Exceeding expectations! - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Margarets Dad - September 12 - 1:51 pm

  I bought my 2014 Soul with 32,000 miles on it and have driven it almost 1,000 miles, and it really is a remarkable car. If youre looking for a small car, you cant do any better than this. I live in Brooklyn, and finding parking is a major issue for me, so the shorter the car the better. The Soul is only 163" long, just 4" longer than the 2009 Hyundai Accent I traded in, and 3" longer than the Honda Fit. But the amount of room inside is incredible. The back seat is limousine-like, so theres no problem carrying four 6-foot adults in comfort. Theres even a generous amount of room behind the rear seat--enough for at least four good-sized duffel bags--as well as a large, deep tray under the rear cargo area for carrying all kinds of other stuff. Instrumentation and controls on the base model are intuitive and straightforward. And its fun to drive! Others have complained about a lack of power in the base model, but I havent found that at all. Theres more than enough power for doing whatever you need the car to do in everyday driving. And Ive been getting fantastic mileage: about 36 mpg in mixed driving on the highway, in the city, and along country roads. (Thats calculated by hand, not going by the on-board mpg calculator, which is usually about 2-3 mpg high.) Honestly, I dont understand why the mpg ratings for this car are so low and how it is that so many other reviewers are getting mpgs in the mid-20s. I dont drive like Mario Andretti, but I sure dont drive like a granny either, and mpg has exceeded my expectations by a longshot.

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  You feel it. - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Amanti lover - September 11 - 3:13 pm

  You may not be acquainted to extremely light handling at low speed; you will soon recognize that the faster the Amanti runs, the heavier it gets. The body integrity of Amanti is amazing at its low price compared to other expensive European cars. Why dont you get Amanti instead of a twice as expensive Acura or Lexus?

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  I own one - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By michbostn - September 11 - 10:00 am

  I have had 2 explorers before and a mazda SUV.I went looking for another and decided that I being tall, could easily fit into this. My conclusion after 6 months is I dont see why you would NOT buy this. I have so many people ask me what is is since they like the lines. My frinds are buying them.

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  Fun and Comfort! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Loving It !! - September 11 - 10:00 am

  Im a 1st time SUV buyer and I dont think Ill ever buy another car again. I am very pleased with this vehicles performance. I feel safe and in control when driving it. Its fun and comfortable. The options are excellent for the price. Who would ever think you could walk out of a dealership with a fully loaded SUV for under $30,000??? I was hesitant about Kia at first, but with a 10 year warranty, Ill take my chances. So far, so good!

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  Kia Rio-1 sweet ride - 2007 Kia Rio
  By Merlin - September 9 - 1:06 pm

  This is a sweet, fun to drive, ecomomical and good-looking little car. I have had good service experience and am very happy with my choice of this car.