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:

• 

  Id buy another one! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Jonny - June 26 - 11:43 am

  I love this car and would buy another one. Great car for customizing and modding. Gas mileage is 30 MPG. Im 58 yrs old and have owned Jags, MGs, Triumphs, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Austin Healey 2+2, Piper GT to name a few and this car is just as much fun to drive as any of those. But you dont have the high maintenance on it. Just get in and drive the Kia. Most reliable car I have ever had. I recommend Kias to everybody I meet. And it will outrun some of the Hondas, Mazdas, Toyotas, and Nissans.

• 

  Great value great car...all the perks - 2010 Kia Sedona
  By adamkennedy - June 25 - 2:43 pm

  I researched both the Toyota Siena and the Honda Odyssey against the Sedona. I wanted leather, power everything and DVD. I ultimately went with the Kia because I could get all of those features for almost $5k lower than the Honda and Toyota (including incentives). I am so glad I did because the more I drive the fan the more comfortable I feel with the ride quality and features. My wife loves it, my kids love it and I love it (I never thought Id say that about a minivan).

• 

  Honda Pilot Beater Update - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Pilot Beater Update - June 25 - 5:20 am

  We bought the V6 2011 Sorento with Navi, Panoramic Sunroof etc., etc. (loaded) in Mid April 2010. We have driven it almost 5,000 miles and we continue to be very pleased with it. I would soften the front seat center armrest and I still like the look of dual exhaust, but our Sorento hasnt suffered from squeaks, rattles or any other significant problems. The transmission seems to hesitate when I start forward on a hill so I am going to raise the issue with the dealer at the 5k oil change. Other than that, no problems to report.

• 

  One week to decide - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Scott - June 23 - 12:00 pm

  First, I liked the fact that the sales person at the dealership was the only one to respect my request for initial information via e-mail. Im not a small guy, however I fit in the Soul with room to spare. My wife likes the satellite radio enough that I wish there was a speaker jack for her pleasure. After three week, Ive got 3000 miles on the car due to a trip to Wisconsin. Car road well on highway. So far so good.

• 

  Outstanding quality and value - 2015 Kia Sportage
  By Allan - June 23 - 6:02 am

  Very sporty and comfortable, loaded with features. Solidly built vehicle with all the luxuries you would find in a more expensive SUV. Very reasonably priced for all the features compared to the competition.

• 

  Great car, absolutely love it - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Roger Henders - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is a nice car to drive, and very affordable, highly recommended:

• 

  Oh No! Its a Kia - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By gnroc - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Test drove Avalon, Altima, Diamante, Camry, Accord, because I wanted a foreign made vehicle. Good luck finding one of these made in a foreign country (with exception of Diamante). Was test driving an Altima and this dealer had Kia. Asked what kind of car was the Amanti and was told Kia. Oh no! A Kia! I cant have a Kia. I didnt have anything to lose to test drive. Needless to say, I now own it. I have tried to find faults with this car and have found none so far. Seems to be a very solid car, drives effortlessly, rides like a dream, love all features and options (standard). Family and friends love it.

• 

  Kia Amanti...The Korean Rolls Royce - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By Thomasine Carrington - June 20 - 1:50 am

  Looks like a Rolls Royce used to look. Drives like a dream. Has every gadget known to mankind. Free roadside service for 10 years (think it is 10). We havent needed any. People stop to look at it when it is parked.

• 

  Very Happy with Purchase - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Dave - June 15 - 11:03 am

  Purchased as Christmas present for wife. Bought the Volcanic Red and that even scored more points. So far we are very happy with purchase and living in Central Illinois we have had the opportunity to drive under all extreme conditions. Sportage passed them all with flying colors. Plenty of room and quite comfortable to drive.

• 

  First Kia, First New Car Ever - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By RG - June 14 - 4:40 pm

  Just purchased my first Kia and my first new car ever, drove it off the lot with 40 miles on the clock. I now have just over 1,000 miles on the car over the last 3 weeks. The car has mostly been used for city driving, my 35 mile R/T drive to work. So far I am very happy with the car. The gas mileage has been around 28 MPG in the city, but I do expect that to increase as the car continues to break in. One of the major selling points for me was the incredible warranty and the roadside assistance. The interior is a bit spartan but very well thought out. I love all the storage compartments in the car. The stereo is not bad for a stock system and I love my sunroof.