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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  Keep it up Kia - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By rick277 - September 23 - 3:55 pm

  I had an optima which I really liked. Great car and gas mileage with many options. I was impressed with the craftsmanship of that car. When I took it in for service and I saw the new Cadenza I had to drive it. Well nit only did I test drive it I drove it home. I have 10,000 miles on this car already and enjoy this car more everyday. I get about 21.5 on a average for gas mileage which I dont think is bad for such a large car. Around 24-25 MPG on long trips.

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  Overlooked Excellence - 2008 Kia Amanti
  By bmw3nate - September 23 - 8:43 am

  For whatever reason these cars seem to be few and far between. I have always owned German, but this past weekend, I borrowed my mothers 2008 Amanti for a short road trip. The car did amazingly well cruising on the highway. Very roomy and comfortable with very supple leather interior. The air conditioning works great, and the ride was very soft without being too boat-like. The best part of the trip was when I calculated the gas mileage to be 26 mpg, which for such a large sedan with such power seemed excellent. I would recommend this car to anyone looking for a comfortable and reliable car. The dealership has been great for service and the warranty is outstanding!

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  FACT: Sorento Is A Great SUV - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By L. walker - September 22 - 1:30 pm

  My experience with Sorento has been very good. The engine response is much better than all other SUVs I drove in its class. It is tight, firm seats, good sound system, sure stopping and solid suspension. I receive compliments on the appearance of my ice blue Sorento...would recommend this vehicle as an excellent buy.

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  Truly, an Amazing Value!! - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Steve - September 22 - 12:12 pm

  We have now owned our Sorento EX Touring v6 for almost exactly one year. It is simply an amazing car, rock solid in 22k miles. I have owned Audi, Infiniti, multiple Porsches... And this cars refinement is as good or better, hard to believe. We cross shopped the XC90, GL 450 and this has all the features we wanted at literally half the price! We rented a loaded Volvo for a week and couldnt wait to give it back, so many minor annoyances. Kia is tops with CR and JD Power, and the safety features are top shelf. If you have a family, you simply have to test drive a Sorento. Tons of safety features, powerful v6, super comfortable ride and whisper quiet cabin. Much quieter than the XC90, 7db quieter than the Q7. Put up the rear sunshades and your toddler will be out in no time ! I honestly dont know know they are making money at the prices these are selling for. Lastly I will say this, the Sorento and Cayenne sit side by side in our garage. If one of us needs a car..... with or without kids, the Kia gets chosen 100pcnt of the time. Porsches are incredible machines - thats the highest complement I can give the Kia. It is the closest thing to a perfect CUV you will find.

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  Loving it!!! - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By loulou7 - September 22 - 4:52 am

  Couldnt be happier with our purchase. I love my new car!! Havent found any downfalls yet. I did have concerns before purchasing about the C pillars but, so far we havent had any visability issues. The 18 inch wheels are a little stiffer ride, but not bad at all. All in all just very happy with the Sportage and we have people ask us about it all the time.

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  read the reviews - 2010 Kia Forte
  By paul - September 21 - 6:06 pm

  price, quality, warranty, looks, road noise, engine acceleration, smart interior controls, and the ride quality for a sedan at this price really surprised and sold me on this unit-test drive one and you will understand kia is giving this vehicle away to get the american consumer to buy kia.

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  Soul family - 2010 Kia Soul
  By rob1102 - September 21 - 12:10 pm

  Great little car. Im a big guy I have a ton of room.

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  Repeat buyer - 2011 Kia Sedona
  By hobef - September 20 - 12:37 pm

  This is my 3rd Kia Sedona. I have owned a 05 Sedona XL , a 05 Kia Sedona EX and now a 11 Kia Sedona LX. I have found the Sedona to be an excellent vehicle, I have taken many trips in the van as well as to drive it dailey. I have never had any issues with the cars performance or maintenance.

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  6000 mile update - 2012 Kia Optima
  By scrapalara - September 20 - 4:34 am

  Posted a review shortly after I purchased this EX with Premium (no turbo, no nav). Love this car more every day. Just back from a 3-day road trip; mostly highway miles - averaging 36.3 mpg. Woo hoo! Front drivers seat is SO comfy, love the stereo and a/c and the pano roof. Lost a star for comfort only because the front passenger seat is SO low (I feel like "Kilroy was here" when I ride on the passenger side). Otherwise, loving this car.

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  Very Happy With It - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By mattba - September 19 - 5:56 am

  Overall this car has exceeded virtually every expectation. It is fun to drive, very roomy, gets decent fuel economy for a vehicle that seats, and looks pretty good as well. Im averaging around 19 mpg in town and between 25-27 mpg on the hi-way at around 75 mph with the a/c running. The V-6 is exceptionally smooth, as is the transmission. There is plenty of room for my family of 5 and our dog when we travel. On the down side, the seats in my car (beige interior) are very easy to stain. Im beginning to wonder how well they are going to hold up over the long term. But, other than that, Im sold on Kia. I got the car for 2.9% financing for 5 years. What a deal!!