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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  Great SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Daniel - March 16 - 5:56 am

  I purchased one of these fully loaded and we have loved it! We have 47,000 miles on it now and its been just great. It pulled our two pwcs with no issues and goes everywhere (on or off- road).

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  The Kia that kept on going... - 2005 Kia Optima
  By Satisfied Owner - March 15 - 10:03 pm

  We have owned this car for four years now, out of it we have had to take it to the shop 3 times in the last year. Thankfully the Bumper to Bumper waranty cover it. So far the struts had to be tightened, the driver side door lock regulator (I had to crawl out of the passenger side for days! LOL!) and I had to have the passenger window motor replaced because it was noisey. All of these have been minor repairs, we are finally nearing 50,000 miles and it has never let us down, stranded or anything to that affect. No one believes how fast this car can actually go, but on a trip to Georiga after we first got it, I got it up to 137 MPH and it handled very well. Better than my 98 Z28.

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  Great for City, No Gas Saver When Traveling - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Dieguex - March 15 - 11:26 am

  I bought this 5 speed manual model because most of the time I am driving in the city, great performance, handling, brakes etc. But when traveling the gas economy is very low, especially if you go between 55-80MPH, because the 5 speed is too short, the engine runs at 4K RPM when you are around 75 mph. That means no more than 24 MPG, same at the city. The rest is great.

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  Good SUV - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By Joanne - March 10 - 5:43 am

  Bought a sorento last Sept. having this SUV for a year we like it a lot; never owned a kia or SUV before but we are very happy driving it. It rides nice and it is very comfortable.

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  Well Worth The Money - 2006 Kia Rio
  By GoldyLockz - March 8 - 10:20 am

  Bought this car in 06, and I have NEVER had a single problem other then replacing an accent bulb. Gas mileage is excellent averaging at about 36 MPG and it being extremely cute doesnt hurt either! Awesome buy for its class! And I personally think the sound quality is great and and the ride is super quiet.

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  My review - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By jkossoy - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Sorento since mid-June 2003, and have gotten anywhere from 16.5 mpg to 20 mpg with no problems after 6500 miles. In fact several people were impressed with the ride. My wife likes it (she hasnt driven it yet, but her only complaint is that its hard for her to get in (shes 52").

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  Great Family Car - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By OneQwikPony - February 28 - 5:30 pm

  Wanted a new truck but the gas mileage was not as good as the Kias. Plus I have a lot more room with all the bells and whistles.

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  Mixed Feeklings - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By KIAKURSE - February 27 - 9:53 pm

  The check engine light has been on from day one. I spent too much time at the dealer attempting to resolve the problem. I have just under 100,000 miles and the transmission is being replaced for the third and last time, since I dont plan to keep it to have the fourth one installed.

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  Corolla VS. Spectra--2 months later - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By vallet1 - February 26 - 10:00 am

  Ok, I have to admit--I was wrong. I have had nothing but problems with this car. It has been in the shop 3 times (the closest dealer is 60 miles away). Luckily it has all been covered under the warranty. But, it is a hassel to be without a car and to beg for rides to pick-up the car from friends. I think that I can claim this car as a lemon soon.

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  Pretty Good Kia Minivan - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Epkid - February 26 - 10:00 am

  I am very happy with my 2003 Sedona EX minivan. We purchased it for an excellent price. It is a comfortable vehicle which has transported us from one end of Texas to the other. It possesses a solid feel as you drive it. As long as you remember its not a sports car (dont gun it!), acceleration from a standing start is acceptable. Fortunately, the seats arent too difficult to remove.