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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  The Power To Surprise! - 2006 Kia Optima
  By Octogon - June 9 - 5:13 pm

  My wife and I bought a new 2006.5 Optima in August, after test driving the competition (minus the Accord). We decided over the 2007 Toyota Camry because of KIAs Price, and the "07 CAMRY PARADE" of cars on the street (gotta stand out). The 06.5 Optima is BEAUTIFUL and it feels exclusive on the busy streets, not seeing another one for about some 40,000 cars later. The deep paint job, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and built-in 6-disk CD changer with Infinity speakers echoes cars that cost $1000s more. My reading and research suggests that the Germans, the Japanese, and American car makers are going to be following the Koreans real soon. With the 06.5 Optima, KIA lives up to its motto!

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  Could not ask for better - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By jnell - June 7 - 12:59 pm

  I bought my Sorento 11 months ago and absolutely love everything about it. The features, the design, the ride, gas mileage, etc. In 11 months, I have put 20,000 miles on it and never had any problems. The only thing it has ever gone to the dealership for is oil and tire rotations. I hit a deer about 5 months after having it. I was worried with it being a new car parts would be different, etc. It runs awesome after being repaired and I cant even tell anything is different about it. I love my vehicle, its everything I want. I wont buy anything but Kia from now on due to the service and awesome warranty. Nothing bad to say after having it 20,000 miles, absolutely love it!!!!!!

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  2012 EX Optima - Amazing Value - 2013 Kia Optima
  By jerryk007 - June 6 - 3:46 am

  Now a proud owner for 1 year. Overall average mpg 24.0+. Great ride and I am amazed by the acceleration of this hot 4 cylinder! Interior finish is excellent and the leather is tops. I am still wondering how this KIA is so well priced that anyone would buy a Toyota! Thus far no mechanical or build problems at all. Cons: Only one! The steering wheel is a bit to "slick" to grip.

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  Just so you know - 2004 Kia Rio
  By pixiewannabe - June 4 - 10:00 am

  For the cost, I love this car, it does what I need it to do, get me to and from places.

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  2009 Kia Sorrento - 2009 Kia Sorento
  By Mauer MVP - June 3 - 8:33 pm

  Overall I am very happy with the Kia Sorento. It has a lot of power and rides very smoothly over bumps! The view is great fwd and aft when driving and so far gets good gas mileage 425 miles on a full tank equals 24 MPH highway/local streets!

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  Good Choice - 2009 Kia Optima
  By 1st Time Kia Owner - June 2 - 1:43 pm

  Traded in a gas hogging Ford Windstar. It served us well for 8 yrs. but it started to have electrical problems at 90K miles. I told the wife that I was going to buy her an import this time because everybody knows they are more reliable, last longer, and you generally get a fair trade in value. I took a long time shopping on the internet and this Kia Optima was by far the best value for the money. As others have stated the standard equip. is very generous. But that was not the main reason I purchased this vehicle. It was safety. Heres a quote from the carconnection.com: " When it comes to crash-test ratings, you wont find many better than that of the Kia Optimas. 10/10 crash test."

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  WHATS NOT TO LIKE - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By SNOWBOUND - June 2 - 2:00 am

  FOR $4000 MORE THAN A USED HONDA ODDESSY WITH 80,000 MILES, I GOT A LOADED EX, THAT RIDES GOOD, HANDLES GREAT, SMOOTH ENGINE, V GOOD CD/CASSETTE PLAYER, LEATHER SEATS-WHATS NOT TO LIKE. I GET 16 CITY 22 HWY, NOT BAD AND ABOUT THE SAME AS MY OLD MAZDA MPV, BUT MUCH ROOMIER, AND SMOOTHER ENGINE-NICE TRANNNY ALSO

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  Sweet ride - 2013 Kia Sportage
  By Steven Hayes - June 2 - 1:25 am

  Good value

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  Great Value For The Price - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By idrn - May 29 - 12:21 pm

  I traded in a 2007 Tundra with a 5.7L engine for this vehicle. Weve had it for about 1 month. The MPG is above the sticker estimated numbers. We are getting 26.1 city and 34.5 hwy. I think this is great coming from a huge truck with 14 city and 17 hwy. The GDI engine seems to be the best balance between economy and still having some oomph on the road. The back up camera and rear sonar are great and the UVO is very easy to link to bluetooth HTC phone. We really like the A pillar A/C for the rear seat and the fold down arm rest for the rear as well. The rear under floor storage is huge and the ride is quiet and smooth. Though not a Lexus the value is right for the money.

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  Better than the Honda Civic - 2010 Kia Forte
  By John - May 26 - 11:36 am

  Traded a 2007 Honda Civic for the Forte, and have no regrets. So much quieter on the road, and a lot more fun to drive. Loved the Honda until I drove the Forte. Honda having a lot of issues with there quality including cracked engine blocks. I paid 16700.00 for a LX Civic ,and 15700,00 for a SX Forte that has a lot more standard features. Stability control, and traction control are not even offered on the Honda. Build quality and materials on the Forte are also a step above the Civic, and remember this review is coming from some one who drove the civic for 3 and a half years. The Honda didnt even have heated mirrors, even my 2000 Dodge Neon had heated mirrors.