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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  06 Kia Rio LX - 2006 Kia Rio
  By kiario06 - May 27 - 4:00 am

  The new designed Kia Rio is awesome. Much roomier than the older models. My husband can actually stretch his legs all the way out - in the 04 he couldnt. Great on gas. Handling has improved along with shocks. Comes standard with 6 airbags. If there is a person under 70 lbs sitting in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag actually turns off. aA light comes up by the radio indicating that it has been shut off. This feature is in case you have a child in the front seat, or a dog in my case, the airbag wont go off to cause more damage to them in case of an accident. If you dont wear seatbelts I wouldnt buy this car. Chime goes off every 15 seconds if youre not wearing one until you click it in.

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  We LOVE our Sorento! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By sorento_luvr - May 26 - 4:00 pm

  We love everything about our KIA Sorento, and feel bad for those of you that have not had good luck with yours! The only item we do not like is that the sun visors are not wide enough to cover the bright sun. There are too many gaps on the sides, and there are no "extenders" like Chevys have. So ... we LOVE our Sorento, and have used it in 6 feet of Canadas snow, and on the beach in California. It ran like a dream. Go ahead, buy one! :-)

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  From Prius to Sportage love it - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By RepSoccrMom - May 26 - 3:16 am

  I love this car. Its quiet and really comfortable. Im getting roughly 28 mpg driving in Eco mode with relatively fast acceleration. It feels luxurious. Its been 6 mos and I still really love the car. The only thing that I dont like is that there isnt a automatic window washing for the back window. Because there is a hood over the back window, the gas station sponges wont clean the whole window because it doesnt fit.

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  2013 Kia Rio LX - A great value! - 2013 Kia Rio
  By Robert Ricchio - May 25 - 4:18 am

  This car is a great value! We needed a second car. Just purchased so I am not yet sure of the reliability on this model, but it does seem solid! Drives much better than the price. Built in trip computer is great. Supposedly, Cruise can be added by just adding a switch kit under $100. Everything else is already there. Amazing that a shop will try to charge you just under$500 to put it in. (typical). I also own a 2014 Sportage ( great price and value for a Crossover) and gave my son our 2004 Spectra that now has 190,000 miles. My daughter owns a 2015 Soul. No complaints. They are very reliable for the cost.

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  Glad we traded in the Honda - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Tregaskis - May 25 - 2:00 am

  All our friends thought we were crazy when we traded in the 96 Accord for the new Sorento...well the jokes on them. After 10000 miles in 2 months we love the Sorento more than when we bought it. Comfortable is the word and it has not had one thing go wrong yet (more than I can say for the Accord when it was new)..Kia did it right.

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  Try Anything Once! - 2004 Kia Optima
  By E.D.B. - May 25 - 2:00 am

  I find that the accutaments included in this vehicle as standard equipment are far more than what seems to be available in any other offering I have run across. I really cannot comment on the gas milage, except to say that I dont believe it will be as high as the published estimates of 32/33mpg city/highway. Overall, this vehicle seems to be an exceptional value.

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  Good for the price - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Cjreyeshsd - May 25 - 2:00 am

  Has a very powerful engine. The 5 Speed Transmission is Great. In General is Very Responsive. Sound System is decent. Nice Interior distribution. The Fuel economy is the only thing is disappointing, this the heviest minivan of all, but after this vehicle is one of the top ranks in this category. The finishings have great quality

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  Kia s best investment - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By kevin suarez - May 25 - 2:00 am

  My experiences with the new kia sorento are great.Since the day me and my Wife test drove it and did some reserch we went back to buy it. Since that day we have no regrets. It was the best decision in our lives for our family.we took long trips and short trips 2 miles to 1500. miles and it still feels the same.Its well disigned exterior and interior are beautiful and makes it the best suv in its class.

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  146 miles and already in the shop - 2010 Kia Soul
  By 2010kiagirl - May 24 - 1:06 pm

  I bought the Soul on June 23 after researching many car options. I choose the Soul based on the warranty and owner reviews. When I bought the car it had 20 miles on it. I drove it for 3 days and then the check engine light came on. It has been in the shop over 24 hours and they have no idea what is wrong other than the p0301 cyl. 1 misfire code. When I called the dealer who sold me the car about the fact that I had the car for 3 days and it was in the shop their response was "These are new cars so we dont work on them much so when they break down it takes us longer to fix." Really? After 3 days your cars breakdown?

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  Capacious and Comfy Cruiser - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By jlgolden - May 24 - 2:02 am

  Ive had my Sorento V6 AWD for eight months, and accumulated 20,000 miles. Front seat comfort (aided by heating and cooling) for long trips is superb. The overall handling, acceleration, braking, ride comfort...they all add to a relaxed experience behind the wheel. This car is easy to drive in the crowded city, and its a great highway cruiser.