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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  great car for price - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By john zimmaro - February 25 - 7:26 am

  I get 27 mpg hwy handles great comfort seating display panel user friendly. handles nice at 120mph.radio controles on steering wheel is nice and very nice radio/speakers. roomy rear seating area. large trunk. hidden atenna nice

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  We LOVE it - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By coopster - February 23 - 6:06 pm

  We are very happy with our 2006 Kia Sedona. Highest safety rating, very comfortable and practical for our family of 5. Gas mileage leaves something to be desired. 6,000 miles on it so far and no problems to speak of. My only complaints are with the dealership service department. I dont know if that is a local problem with the dealership or a reflection on Kia. Handles well and feels sporty for a minivan. Even has Tiptronic-type shifting to allow you to go through the gears manually. Lots of extras for a reasonably priced vehicle. We compared with Chrysler, Nissan, Honda and Hyundai (which is the same van as the Kia) and found the Kia offers the most for the money.

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  Complete Car for the Majority of People-UPDATE - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By Stan Cochran - February 22 - 8:04 pm

  UPDATE: Bought the 2016 and couldnt be happier. Much nicer than the 14, Insurance rates dropped due to the additional safety equipment . You should shop and drive all the vehicles you have an interest in, investigate the cost of ownership, and the intangible pleasure factor of driving the car in as many situations as possible. Then and only then should the hesitant people should drive the Cadenza, with the comparative of your chosen vehicles, make an informed decision especially when you look at the cost to operate and buy plus the warranty. The answer is so apparent that Kia Cadenza is the right choice if those guidelines are important to you. I have never had anyone in my car that wasnt impressed and some ultimately bought a Cadenza. the ONLY issue I have had with my car is that upon starting after sitting for a short while, I get timing chain noise on startup. I have talked with other owners that do not have this issue and Kia is doing everything to fix the problem. When the 2016 Cadenza comes out I will most likely buy it, provided I can turn loose of my 14. UPDATE: Bought my 2016 Cadenza! Better actual gas mileage than my 2014 Cadenza with more safety features. Again totally happy with this car.

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  Great car for the money! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Sam_Adams - February 21 - 10:56 am

  I previously owned a 98 Kia Sephia and all I can say about this new Kia is WOW. What a great deal. I got a great incentive on the car; $1500 off the MSRP (owner loyalty and other bonuses). I was going to buy it in February, but decided to wait. I looked at a few others, the Corolla, the Civic, even the new Yaris. The Kia, of course, had the best overall package. The outstanding warranty, good looks, lots of room, and its really fun to drive. For those of you considering this car, DO NOT buy the automatic. With all small 4 cylinder cars, it tends to drain the fun to drive factor out of the vehicle. I couldnt be happier with my purchase. Oh, and the dealership had outstanding service as well.

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  Love My New Kia - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Dana - February 14 - 5:10 pm

  Searched on Edmunds site for 3 months for a mid-size SUV and narrowed my choice down to 3. The Toyota Highlander, CR-V and the Kia Sorento. I went with the Sorento due to price and its over safety rating, not to mention the quality of build compared to the other two listed I researched. You may use a little more gas for a V-6, but not much. Really depends on how you drive. The Kia is well worth the buy. I love it and have not had one problem since I bought it three months ago.

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  Value A++ - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Ferris - February 14 - 10:00 am

  In comparison,being that you cant touch a minivan from one of the BIG 3 for under 34K, makes a loaded EX a great value! We got everything that was offered except two-tone paint and the rear spoiler,and we paid $32,100.00 including tax and all.

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  One Great Car - 2012 Kia Rio
  By beachyork1 - February 13 - 4:24 am

  This is my second Kia, my first being a 2007 Kia Optima, I was so impressed with the reliabiluty I purchased my second. The Rio is everything I expected and more. Very smooth, well built and a tremondous amount of features, many of which are not even offered in the compact class, nevermind subcompact. The gas milage estimates hold true for me. Normal in town city driving get me 30-32. I recently drove to boston from southern maine and filled the tank upon leaving. I drove 90 miles and then filled up again, used 2.3 gallons of gas for a mpg of 39.1. I consistenly drove at about 65mph. I have read all of the reviews and am baffled by the low gas milage some posters report.

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  Celina Cadenza - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By James Barthel - February 12 - 8:30 pm

  This is a great car. I traded in my 2014 for a 2015. This new one had a few more features that I really liked and had to have.

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  Bargain Luxury SUV - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By RC - February 12 - 5:42 pm

  Test-drive similar models of luxury SUVs, then give this Kia a spin. Excellent value for the money.

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  Small car Big car features - 2014 Kia Soul
  By harry robertson - February 5 - 7:31 am

  Extremely easy to get in and out of ev3n the rear seat, well made well thought out vehicle