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 Vehicle - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Richard Atl. Ga. - April 7 - 6:50 am

  For a smaller car my wife and I love it. My wife is 52" and she has great comfort. Lots of room for grandbabies. Great speed. Stylish. We love it. Choose it over the CRV. We cant figure out why we dont see more on the road. Try it, youll like it!

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  great car to own - 2011 Kia Optima
  By davey90 - April 7 - 5:58 am

  i have a 2011 optima bought it brand new , car runs excellent it has a little over 47k miles on and i enjoy driving on a daily basis ,the mpg is outstanding , i took it from Albany upstate ny to long island and back upstate on a single tank of gas i was surprised . the inside is done very well , i think the front seats are kinda uncomfortable, but the space is great for all passengers , best thing i love about it is it looks so sharp , after a good clean i get compliments often on it appearance. definitely a good buy .

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  poor gas mileage - 2011 Kia Forte
  By lucymo - April 7 - 4:06 am

  I have owned it for a month. It has 20K miles on it. So far, it does 19 mpg 50/50 mixed. I am very disappointed in this. My other cars (a CUV and a wagon) give me 22 mpg/city!!!!

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  16000 miles of fun - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By a3photogod - April 6 - 11:06 pm

  Just an update on our Sorento. Problem free after 16000 miles, and not just highway miles. 4x4 works great, been on the beach in NC, and running in the snow in PA. Fuel economy average on highway is 21 mpg (5 speed stick), 14 city. Still looks great, no squeaks, no rattles. Prefer to use 5w30 synthetic oil for performance. I have really tested the 4x4 system, on trails and especially on the beach (no roads in the northern Outer Banks). Great SUV, would love another for the wife.

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  Great Car Until the Engine Goes - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Jen - April 5 - 9:43 pm

  I recently purchased a Kia Rondo in April. Just this month they replaced the engine - the entire short block. It was making noise for a while and took some time to diagnose, but now my new car had to have a new engine put in. I am very nervous about this car for the future.

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  My four day Kia - 2004 Kia Rio
  By lellee - April 5 - 10:00 am

  I bought a new 2004 bright red Kia Rio about a week ago. Four days after i bought it, it stopped working. it has been in the shop evesince... they cannot figure out what is wrong and they have to contact the company bc they believe there will be more problems on other kias like mine...some parts of the car are cheapy looking plastic but overall it is a nice car. other than the major problems ive had, i love the car... when i get to drive it!

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  love my sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By alice ann - April 5 - 10:00 am

  very comfortable ride, fun to drive, love the interior, the stereo has a great sound...good gas mileage, 19 in town..21 on highway

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  My KIA - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Kevin Bostwick - April 5 - 10:00 am

  It has the best look of all Mid-size SUVs. I believe the engine is well matched to the vehicle. Great vehicle for the money

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  SOLID SUV - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By nick777 - April 5 - 10:00 am

  A VERY SOLID CAR TO DRIVE. I FEEL VERY SAFE INSIDE THIS SUV. IT LOOKS GREAT ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. IM STILL FINDING FEATURES I DIDNT KNOW IT HAD. LOTS OF PLACES TO STORE STUFF. POWERFUL 6 CYLINDER ENGIN THAT CAN KEEP PACE WITH TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE..TERIFFIC FIELD OF VISION FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT...

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  DAMN GOOD - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By DHULL - April 5 - 10:00 am

  THIS SUV IS RUN TO DRIVE AND PLENTY OF ROOM. THE LX MODEL IS A BETTER VALUE THEN THE EX MODEL. WE ARE QUITE PLEASED WITH THSUV