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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  2011 kia - 2011 Kia Optima
  By fmarie - August 7 - 11:50 am

  Last week I bought a 2011 kia optima stick shift with 26,000 miles on it. It looked brand new and even smelled brand new. It is very spacious and luxurious on the inside and very classy, yet sporty on the outside. I have been disappointed in the gas mileage, I have been averaging about 26, 27 in city and on highway. The front seat is a slight uncomfortable because i cannot adjust the angle of the front seat. There is a blind spot on the right back passenger side. It seems a little jerky when going into first and second shift, but when the engine is running it is very quiet. Its a much bigger car than i realized at the purchase.

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  Loved My Kia - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Sheri - August 5 - 9:20 am

  I drove a 2006 Sorento Lx for one year. To no fault of my own it was involved in an accident and totaled. I miss it and wish I still had it. It was so much fun to drive. Plenty of room for me and my 3 young kids! The sport trac shifter it had was wonderful! I really wish I still had it or could get another one NOW!! I loved that car!

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  2011 Kia Optima - 2011 Kia Optima
  By vatili1 - August 3 - 3:43 am

  I have driven the new Kia Optima for about 10 days now and it is a very nice car with many good features however it has excessive road noise - Kia pls fix this issue ASAP and you have a excellent car that can compete with the best in its class.

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  Good deal in the long run - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By J - July 26 - 11:16 pm

  I have owned my Amanti for less than one year and less than 2k miles. But so far the car has surpassed my expectations. This might be because I understand it is not of Lexus/Infinity level. Even Kia admits this. However it does rival my previous 02 Lincoln Town Car. I purchased this car because I was looking for a long term car to drive for many years. After researching Consumer Reports I found newer Kia/Hyundia models to be comparable, if not more reliable than domestic brands (still no threat to to Japan). Kias worst flaw is its resale value, thats why I would not recommend one if you plan to sell it in 1-3 yrs. But w/ a long warranty and near-luxury design and standard options, Im more than happy.

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  Sorento Ex - A Pleasant Surprise - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By ljerralds - July 26 - 10:00 am

  My experience with the Sorento was definitely a nice surprise. It handles well, the drive is great. It is like driving a car. The ride is not rugged. I have not had any problems so far. You get a lot of vehicle for the price. This is my 3rd Kia vehicle. Kia has one of the best warranties.

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  Awesome Optima LX - 2008 Kia Optima
  By ex_green_beret - July 25 - 9:04 am

  Ive had my 08 Kia Optima LX for nearly 3 years, I bought it new when gas went to $4/gal back in 08. I got rid of my Hemi Ram and bought the Kia thinking Id keep it for a little while and trade up later. It now has 107,000 miles on it and has proven itself an EXTREMELY reliable little car. Ive done nothing to it except change the oil and filter religiously every 5k miles, had one brake job done at 75k miles, replaced the battery at about 60k miles, put on a set of new tires at 72k miles (I put on Kumho KH16s since thats what it came with), and flush/fill the radiator every 45k miles. I did almost all the maintenance myself. ITS THE MOST RELIABLE CAR IVE EVER OWNED and I love it!

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  KIA Spec V - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By KIA Spectra 5 - July 21 - 5:40 am

  First, this car has been great to drive. Ive had one big issue with the car and its due to the ground effects on the vehicle. The ground effects are too low for my area in Wyoming. I only have 1200 miles and Im going to have to replace the ground effects. Ive contacted KIA and the regional manager wont replace the part which is going to cost 365. I think they should reconsider this because the car hasnt been driven abusively or in any manner of the performance range of this type of vehicle. Ive owned many cars and truly take car of them explicitly. This is the first KIA Ive owned and I hate that a cosmetic part of the car is taking away from the experience of owning this KIA.

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  honeymoon over? - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By first kia - July 20 - 10:00 am

  Have had new since Nov 2003, now has 8200 miles. AC was not cooling well this summer(No other problems). They find low freon and no leaks, they assume low from manufacturer. Now hearing strange noises under the hood as driving down the road after this servicing: high pitched continuous noise, sort of like a vacuum noise, and then this random, short-lived humming-like sound that might be associated with the AC. I hope this is not the beginning of problem(s). Needless to say this will be re-evaluated soon.

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  Hard on the wallet - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Tesha - July 18 - 10:00 am

  Gorgeous on the outside. Useless on the inside. Of the hood, that is. Ran great until I hit 100,000 miles. Since, my power steering, fly wheel, transmission and ac have went out, not to mention a few other minor problems. I will never recommend this vehicle to anyone. I have taken great care of this vehicle, keeping everything up to date and new but it has not returned the favor. It would be nice if the vehicle was as cheap as its quality.

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  Great cute ute - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By rusticdriver - July 15 - 5:59 pm

  Finally got rid of my 10 yr old Toyota Sequoia-had problems with it from the get go. I live in rural Vermont on dirt roads and need clearance and 4WD plus room for 2 dogs and 2 kids. I love the Sportage. Very fun to drive and great gas mileage for 4WD-about 25 mpg average, mostly on rural roads. So far, good on dirt roads and I dont have serious tires on it yet. I bought the EX and the seats are very comfortable especially with the lumbar support for the driver. Very quiet ride. Visibility is fine in back, but the combination of the pillars and side mirrors in the front is a safety hazard! I cant see medians while turning left and I cant see people in in crosswalks.