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 SUV to own! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By mmr53 - August 6 - 2:30 pm

  We gave up the minivan and went to the midsize SUV. It is great! The Kia takes the hills and the roads better than the minivan. It is classy and really fun to drive. Lots of space for hauling things. Perfect to step up in for a shorter person. Too many nice colors to choose from. Great warranty and great service also. Lots for your money. We checked around at all the SUVs and came back to this one. Why pay more for a Lexus, and it is almost the same.

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  Kia Hybrid Premium was a great find - 2012 Kia Optima
  By sii - August 6 - 3:35 am

  What a find! Its a bettery hybrid than the Camry and had more features for the same price as the Sonata. Lithium Polymer battery provides extra power during hard acceleration. The transition from EV battery mode to engine power was smooth unlike in the Sonata or the reviews. My guess is they tweaked the software. Not as sporty as a smaller car or a Mazda, but much better than other hybrids. Though its a hybrid, it feels like a normal fully equiped car except for the quietness and good MPG.

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  Civic killer - 2010 Kia Forte
  By harry - August 4 - 12:23 pm

  I had a Vw jetta and a 2000 honda civic, and the Forte has more power than bothe.Smoothe 5 speed manual transmission, nice steering wheel controls, nicely placed heat vents. Only complaint is the sterio needs tweeters mounted up near mirrors, sounds a little muffled. Base model still outshined my other two cars. Plans to put some 18 inch rims, body kit, and better interior speekers. Hedders and axaust already available 3rd party, well priced. To not be a hybrid, the gas milage blows me away, but drop in K&N airfilter adds about 15 more horsepower and 75 more miles per full tank of gas. Fun car, lots of potential for us tuner car drivers,BUY IT.

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  Great New CUV - GET ONE! - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By srjumpmaster - August 3 - 7:03 pm

  After walking out of one extra-mark-up-hugging dealer ($2000) struck a reasonable deal with a smarter dealer. The vehicle is really a great value for the price right around $30K. Ours has the Limited/Premium II package with most of the bells and whistles. Ride is quiet and comfortable. Handling and road feel via the rack & pinion steering is very competitive for the class. It is roomy and thoughtfully laid out with plenty of cargo space (we dont use the third row seat). The V6 supplies more than enough power and torque. Fuel economy is competitive. We love the panoramic sun roof. We are very happy with the car. Kia has hit a home run and its BUILT IN AMERICA! Bravo Kia!

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  Great Value American Assembled Vehicle - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By fabny - July 28 - 5:33 pm

  Well 700 miles on 1st trip on freeways. 19.5 mpg local 30 mpg @60 mph 26 mpg @ 70 mpg with 39 psi tire pressure. Tracking not too good. I blame this on the Kumho tires as I had the same problem with a T&C van when I put Kumho tires on front. A possible bad strut shock on right side that is noisy on around town on little bumps. Dealer could find nothing wrong. Will try another dealer later. Some sharp corners on doors that Kia should sand down before painting. The chrome bezels around instrument cluster, had to put tape to cover them as the sun was blinding when it reflected off them. The red colored information displays are hard to read and should not be able to be adjusted with dimmer

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  We love this car! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By notinks - July 28 - 2:46 am

  After reading positive reviews here, we decided to trade in our Trailblazer for the Rondo with better gas mileage as our primary goal. I drive the Kia mostly to work and back with about 1/2 of the driving being interstate highway and the rest in city. My gas mileage has averaged 22 mpg - not fantastic but better than the 17 I got with the Trailblazer. We just returned from a trip through the mountains in WY & ID and actually did 28 mpg there. The car has plenty of zip on on-ramps, which is where I usually drive. If I were going to be in mountainous areas very often, though, Id want the V6. The 4 of us had plenty of room for bodies and luggage. Overall, we love the car!

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  fantastic!! I LOVE it!! - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By james miguel - July 28 - 2:00 am

  feel like BMW 7 series! Save tons of $$$! Best car in This class!!

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  love it - 2004 Kia Optima
  By ryjake03 - July 28 - 2:00 am

  i love it. i feel beautiful in it.

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  Review for Fully loaded Kia Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By SEM - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Built well for an SUV, with a good price and exellent warrenty, very reliable.

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  2004 EX Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Hue - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Just got this 2004 Sorento EX. Never thought I would own one but really like it so far. Looks like a 300 RX and the fit and finish are very good. The plastic wood isnt up to par. Fuel economy isnt either. Less power and worse fuel economy too. Something wrong there. Going to work on that and hope that the warranty isnt effected. Very nice to drive on the highways and as a solid feel to it.