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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  Love my Sorento! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Meand102 - January 5 - 10:00 am

  My Sorento is the best car purchase Ive ever made. Ive had an Explorer - wouldnt trade my Sorento for 10 Explorers! Its fun to drive, it looks sharp, and it pulls my boat with no problem!

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  Great sedan - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Richard - January 5 - 12:33 am

  I have purchased several luxury automobiles over the years and almost always had problems that needed immediate attention within the first few weeks of ownership. With the Kia Amanti I have had zero problems during the first several months. My Daughter also purchased a Kia Amanti and has had no problems during the first year.

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  I love my Sorento! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Kia Princess - January 3 - 6:20 pm

  My husband purchased the 2005 Kia Sorento for me as a Christmas gift and I love it! It looks like a much more expensive SUV and it drives like one,too. I needed the room but did not want to look like I was driving a bus. I have gotten so many compliments on my Sorento - people always think it is a Lexus SUV. When they realize it is not they are surprised. The warranty that Kia provides is one of the best out there. I had an Optima before this car and love the Kia products and I knew that I wanted something bigger and I wanted it to be a another Kia. We found out that the digital clocks had been recalled and needed to be replaced so anyone with a problem just contact your dealer to get a new one.

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  Love this car - 2006 Kia Rio
  By chris pienkowski - January 2 - 1:16 pm

  It is cute and comfortable with good gas mileage.

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  Way to go Kia! - 2002 Kia Optima
  By N/A - January 1 - 3:00 pm

  Best car I have ever owned.Love the Optima.Also have a Rio love it. Kia all the way.

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  A GREAT COMPETITOR - 2003 Kia Optima
  By GaryG - January 1 - 2:00 am

  Although we just purchased the 2003 SE Optima it has the beginnngs of a keeper. I have sold others and this car will be difficult to compete against, even without the 10-100 warranty. The leather interior is a great opton, well thought out. The 2.7 is more than adequate for civilized driving. Freshened build for 2003 was needed.

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  Kia forte S Sedan - 2017 Kia Forte
  By Justin - December 30 - 7:31 am

  S model is great in gas. 29 city/ 38 highway EPA estimates. 2017 model has new 2.0 L engine with 6 gear automatic. 2017 has automatic headlight setting, backup camera, Bluetooth. I believe s and ex models come with touchscreen head unit that has Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto.

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  I love my SXL - 2013 Kia Optima
  By Colton Pack - December 28 - 1:30 am

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  Kia Sure Surprised Me! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By John - December 27 - 9:03 am

  Well I guess the gas mileage depends on how much you step on the gas. I seem to do okay with mine. All in all I love my Sorento. Its roomy, comfortable, luxurious, yet still sporty. Two thumbs up from this Mid Sized SUV guy

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  Smartest Minivan Buy on the Market - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Russell Gruber - December 27 - 2:00 am

  A great ride. This is our first minivan with our growing family and boy its an excellent piece of work!. The Sedona has enough horses and excellent torque to get the job done yet maintains a fairly quiet ride. Handling is adequate for a minivan. The sticker price and reliablility reviews along with the piece of mind the standard warranties offer make this minivan an easy buy. Stop waiting in line for the underproduced and overrated Odyssey or Siennas, couple that with Kias sales attitude from the top down make this the easiest car you will ever buy.