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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  i was a against it! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By dml - April 3 - 10:00 am

  did not even want to look at this car. then i was forced to test drive and changed my mind. still took me a month before i realized it was the best deal! price, comfort, warranty, ride, ex features, couldnt ask for more....

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  So far, so good - 2011 Kia Optima
  By im714 - April 1 - 7:55 pm

  Ive had this car for 6 weeks now and have put 1600 miles on it. The build quality seems to be pretty good although there is a squeak coming from the passenger door. The turbo is a lot of fun to drive, but doesnt make the vehicle a sports car. The vehicle makes the weirdest sound when accelerating but I guess that is normal (sounds as it if has an electric engine or something). Visibility out the back window is limited but you get used to it after a while. I love the exterior design of the car. The interior is good but it could be better. I wish I had gotten the Infinity stereo-the standard is loud but thats about it. As for MPG, the computer estimates 2 MPG higher than the actual number.

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  Its early, but so far so good. - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Soul man - April 1 - 6:43 am

  I was shopping for a 2006 Scion xB(the newer one grew way too big and milage sux), but it was hard to find a good one where I live, so I checked out the Soul. For only about $1,000.00 more than a used 2005-2006 xB I got a 2010 Soul with the great warranty. This box on wheels is a bit longer than the xB with a tad more room behind the rear seats and a longer hood. It is ugly with far to "busy" exterior styling. I prefer the early xB or the Cube for looks but the interior is laid out better in the Soul with the instrument cluster in front of the driver for easier visual access. I wanted the best gas mileage so I chose the base model, 1.6 L engine with no automatic transmission available.

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  Finally, a stylish 4X4 stick-shift SUV! - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By D. Boone - March 31 - 11:06 pm

  Id loved my old compact/"cute" 1999 Kia Sportage...despite its simplistic interior and "quirks". However, it was time to upgrade, and my 5 speed, 2006 Sportage is great! Its one of the few 4X4 manual transmission SUVs still available, since many companies seem to be opting out in favor of automatic transmissions. Since I really wanted an actual stick-shift...with a clutch (not a "sport-matic" shift) this car was/is the one for me. Its still only a 4 cylinder engine, but its powerful enough for everyday usage, and its kind to the environment...and to my wallet (since gasoline costs seem to only get more expensive)! It maneuvers easily, brakes smoothly, and doesnt dent when leaned upon. :)

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  The BEST bang for the BUCK you can BUY!!! - 2011 Kia Soul
  By steve520 - March 31 - 12:42 am

  I bought my Kia and have never been happier in my 56 years with any car I have ever owned. I was treated like the most important customer in the world and have never had a vehicle that had the get up and go, and all the feature this little wagon offered at an absolutely AMAZING price. I absolutely LOVE this car and would recommend it to anyone looking for comfort,reliability, features and Zip. This is one GREAT car and in my opinion the BEST use car anyone could own. The balance of the 5 year 60,000 mile warranty was a HUGE plus. And I wouldnt consider anything else in my future purchase. I am a KIA man for LIFE and the way Vision treated me was the best experience I ever had buying a car

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  Great price not so great car - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By nick - March 30 - 11:43 pm

  Our family bought the van used in 12/07 and already has had internal engine issues and timing chain/cover replacements and found out it has had major engine work previously and it only has 21,000 miles. Almost everything was covered by warranty although it did take them 5 weeks because a certain part had to be shipped from Korea. I think this is not a good running car because of the problems Ive had. When the car runs it is all in all a cheap but pretty good van

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  Reliable Gas Guzzler - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Mar - March 29 - 1:23 pm

  I had a 2-door Honda Accord before this so I was not prepared for the cost of gas to fill this tank. It is a drain on my wallet and Im looking to sell and go back to a car. Its a good looking car, pretty fun to drive (except for eying the fuel tank gauge). Very good in the snow, Ill miss the reliability of driving up a hill in snow and not worrying about getting stuck. Bought it w/ 32k miles, Ive put 12k on it, still under warranty, had a couple check engine lights that turned out to be the gas tank O2 sensors. rear light bulb went out, fixed it myself for $2. If I was an SUV driver and didnt care about gas mileage, Id keep the Sorento, but Im not so it has to go.

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  Optima SXL 1yr review - 2014 Kia Optima
  By Sergey Petrovich - March 29 - 11:00 am

  Bought the loaded Optima SXL a year ago for 32k after rebates. The car so far has been a pleasure to own - spacious trunk, soft ride, comfy seats, quiet interior. However, there are some downsides. First of all, the mileage on the turbo is terrible. I drive mostly in the city, and I get 15mpg on average in normal mode. Tried putting it in Eco, but the car becomes completely unresponsive and dangerous. Second, the moonroof takes a lot of space: Im 510 and I repeatedly hit my head on the roof when going over bumps. Finally, Pandora integration is terrible compared to Mazda and Accord. Overall, its a decent car for the money, but I wish Ive gotten Optima Hybrid or new Sonata Eco instead.

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  2003 already needing major engine work. - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By tdacw - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Our van is less than 6 months old, and is already in for a major valve job. The brakes are making strange noises and dont seem to be working properly. The paint on the roof has major blemishes appearing. We bought mainly because of value and a good rating from Edmunds. You get what you pay for and I have lost a lot of respect for Edmunds reviews.

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  Not Quite Ready for PrimeTime - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Sgt Wright - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Looks good. Noisy but peppy engine. Hardest leather seats I have ever encountered. At this time this is a "buyers mistake". When KIA quiets the engine, improves the seats, and makes other "gadge" upgrades it will be ok.