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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  Have I really become a Kia fan??? - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By dmblystone14 - October 15 - 12:57 am

  To be fair this is actually my girlfriends car but I drive it almost as much as she does. Everything about this car is average: the interior, the exterior, the performance. Nothing impressive. But I have actually become a Kia fan because of the reliability. Weve had this thing on several long road trips with no problems. Other than maintenance items and a transmission fluid change at 45k miles due to hard shifting this thing has never let us down. I have a rear-wheel drive V8 and am looking for an 4WD SUV for winter. I just might get a KIA Sportage of my own.

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  Most Fun to Drive under $5000 - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Harry Kumar - October 11 - 10:50 pm

  I own a 2007 Spectra EX - Automatic, It is AeroDynamic, Sporty, Comfort ride at Highspeeds. PROs: 34+HwyMPG, Speed sensitive Steering, Quite, Spacious. Cons: Worst Locks/Keyless entry, Unreliable Electronics, No cruise control

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  Kia Sould New Owner - 2013 Kia Soul
  By kiaowner647 - October 11 - 3:02 pm

  Great a little car so far but not perfect. I guess no car is perfect. Problem one. The car is equipped with 2 DC outlets just behind the transmission stick. We had a cell phone charger plugged in. When pulling out the charger, the whole housing came out of the dash. It is not broken but it is made of cheap plastic. Problem two. We have owned several vehicles over the years and never had a black interior. Bad move. The black interior shows dirt right away and requires more cleaning. Having said all that, we really like the vehicle.

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  Happy so Far! - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By flea_1008 - October 11 - 2:15 pm

  I finally had to say goodbye to my 01 Subaru Impreza RS. At 165 horsepower, I didnt want to lost much on the "fun" factor for my new ride. Test drove a 1.6 Soul, and it was very underpowered. Tried the Sportage and was pleasantly surprised. Love the good gas mileage (27 mpg)and loads more cargo space. Also love the styling. I went w/ the base model because wanted something new/reliable and good on gas. Ill miss the AWD in my Subaru, but if you want the higher level models have AWD. Cant beat the value on the manual 6speed and the awesome warranty. Kia had some great incentives and low APR as well. I think this is a car Ill have for many years to come.

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  Review - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Nick - October 11 - 10:00 am

  Have 4500 miles on my 2011 Sorento and just barely still have the fillings in my teeth. Over city streets it feels like the suspension is going to fail. Ive contacted Kia. many times and their answer is that a fix hasnt been issued yet for the suspension. I guess they will wait long enough for me to get upset enough and sell the car then their off the hook. The car has a lot of nice features but driving city streets everyday comfortably isnt one of them. If you experience the same problem contact Kia and complain.

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  Great for a Korean Car - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Kiru - October 11 - 5:13 am

  Put 3200 miles on the car in a month. I do a lot of driving for work all over NJ. Its got great handling and I get 31 mpg on a mix of city and highway, mostly highway. It does significantly better with highway at speeds of 65 mph. It starts to really eat the gas at speeds above 70 or 75. But hey, thats all cars. Design is good with plenty of nifty storage areas. Nice look to interior but yes, it does scuff. Id ask for an interior light directly over the trunk area. Speakers only light up in front seating area. As to engine power it is a little slow to respond sometimes, but completely reasonable for its size. No mechanical problems thus far. Feels pretty solid for Korean. Cheap!

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  Fun to Cruise - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By EB - October 8 - 6:33 pm

  Fun to drive! You feel like a speed racer! Consider something new as it approaches the end of the warranty. Very spacious interior (long boards fit inside)! Great for traveling students. Needs more reliable parts inside and out; very flimsy. Dashboard comes unglued, interior trunk latch doesnt work well, sits rather low to the ground, bolts welding to axle in wheels, okay gas per mile, several blinds, paint is thin, handles great on curves...

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  Hum - 2015 Kia Sportage
  By SAW - October 1 - 5:31 am

  Im leasing the Kia Sportage (2015). Over all I like the car but its an AWD and the gas is horrible. The interior of the car seems cheap to me. My second car is a 2008 BMW and Im use to the interior in that particular car. The drive is ok. Its fun to drive, the handling is like driving a car.

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  My cool kia - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Chris hanaburgh - October 1 - 2:00 am

  I love my kia. A lot of people dont give enough respect to the kias but Ill tell you this much, when the gas prices rose I wasnt bothered by it. The spectra has to be one of the most comfortable sedans ever made.

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  Shadow Soul Plus - 2010 Kia Soul
  By mike - September 30 - 3:00 am

  I bought this car for a daily round trip commute of 36 miles. Its a good car with adequate gas mileage (28 mpg city/hgwy). Its fun to drive & provides good vision down the road. Does have a right side blind spot that requires one to be aware. It is a good value.