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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  Cute car, but looks arent everything - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Dreamn34 - April 17 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Kia a year ago.It started making a horrible noise whenever it idled or ran below 30mph so I took it in to get looked at. They installed a new A/C compressor and clutch. Thank God I had a warranty because it was over $1400 worth of parts, which cost me zero. Last May I paid around $17,500. Since then Ive moved 35 miles from from work so Im looking for something that gets better gas mileage. Im currently filling up about every third day. We went to the Honda dealership and when they appraised my Kia, they came back with $5000! I took it to CarMax and got an offer of $7800, which is better, but its still not going to help when I owe $11,500.

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  I LOVE IT! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By RONDA - April 16 - 4:56 pm

  I wouldnt trade my Sorento for anything! It is the best car I have ever had. No problems and it looks so cute!

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  Nice little car for the money - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By KYPhoenix - April 15 - 7:23 am

  I have just recently purchased this vehicle. After looking at other vehicles in this class (Dodge Caliber/ Avenger, Ford Focus, etc) I believe this to be the best value, by far. The 2.0 with a manual is peppy, the engine is all but unnoticeable until 4k rpm (About 80+ in 5th), and with all the convenience features I got, makes me feel like I got a great deal. Gas mileage has been 22ish (city) thus far, but I only have about 150mi on her right now, and by all accounts mpg gets much better as it breaks in. Overall a great car for a person who needs affordable transportation, but likes a car to have a bit of pep and personality.

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  The Warranty - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By SAd - April 15 - 5:23 am

  The warranty on the car is not worth it wait in gold. I have had the car for 4years have replaced the tires 9 times the brakes 5 times and now the car is in the shop and has to have a new engine. This is not covered by the warranty even though I only have 70,000 miles on it. They say it is my fault for not having the oil change like I should I have proof that I do have it changed like I should and they say it is still my fault. The answer is either fix it which will cost me 3,500 for a used engine with a 6 month warranty or I could trade it in on a new one. I think this is very sad that my husband 20 year cars engine still runs great and a 4 year old engine needs to be replaced.

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  A dream .... - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By bfrazer05 - April 14 - 4:46 am

  Bought this to save a little money on gas and for the warranty as I put 20k on a car a year. I love it; most surprised by Kias awesome features, especially for the low low price. Im sure I will be purchasing another Kia product in the future.

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  May It Rest In Peace - 2001 Kia Rio
  By MCB - April 13 - 6:26 pm

  I drove this car for 6 of its 8 years of life.... Yesterday a Ford Expedition pulled out in front of me and I T-Bone it.... Air bags deployed as they were supposed to which probably save both my wife an my lives.... The Kia took all the impact and distroyed the front end but the inside was OK... We went to hospital but were relased with only minor nicks and scraps.... I just got back from getting our stuff out of the reckage and had to say good by to an old friend.. Except for minor fix ups and normal oil changes, this car has been a great car for me and my family...... I drive an average of 20,000 miles a year on the freeway and I got 32MPG.. It died with 150000+ miles on it.

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  2007 Kia Sorento review - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By mom2spoiled3 - April 13 - 12:46 pm

  I bought this SUV to get out of a minivan that I drove for 5 years. I am loving every part of this vehicle. I like the style, drive, color and options. Great SUV for the money I spent.

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  Electrical problems galore! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By d. jones - April 13 - 3:03 am

  This vehicle has been back to the Kia dealership multiple times because overnight it dies in the garage or the driveway. They have replaced sensors and told me the problem was fixed. Its not. Going to a lawyer to see if I can use the "lemon law" to return this vehicle.

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  Kia Sportage - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By aj - April 12 - 4:20 am

  The Kia Sportage is a very good car for the price it is worth. I was going to buy a ford edge but instead I got the Kia Sportage. So far the car has been doing well; the fuel economy is great - 22 in the city and 27 in the highway. There is one problem when the highway you hear the road too much but everything else is great. I recommend it for a family of 4 or 5. The trunk space is really good and the seats fold flat to make the trunk bigger. It is a great car, looks kind of sporty andhas a nice touch to it. It could use more power but thats ok.

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  Just bought an 06 Sportage! - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By Big Dog - April 11 - 6:30 pm

  I own 2 02 Honda CR-Vs AWD, and thought they were the neatest things on wheels. Mileage got high on one, and I looked at newer CR-Vs- the 07s seem not to be as relaible or have as good ride- so looked at 06-07 Sportage. WOW! Far better ride- larger interior, more power than CR-V,better quality ride and comfort. Much better steering- much easier, and a far better AWD system. I can lock in 4WD from a stop- CR-V must have wheel spin first. This is just a superior vehicle all around. I got a great price, and repspectful service from dealer, plus warranty. Car was so clean, I thought it was new when I picked it up last Saturday!