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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  pretty cool car - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Ignacio - July 1 - 10:00 am

  this car is basic transportation. accelerates slowly but is good for teenagers with cautious parents that dont want them to drag race. it has nice taillights. its comfortable and looks nice on the inside. fits five adults comfortably.

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  Good So Far - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By M. K. Chisholm - July 1 - 10:00 am

  Only 7800 miles on my van. Comfortable/feels solid. Steering pulls to right. Van struggles to stop due to heavy vehicle weight. I dont have ABS. Engine makes "whirring" noise...Kia mechanic said "its normal...power steering making that noise"...it is annoying, especially when vehicle is cold. Van handles good in bad weather. Removeable seats are heavy. Lots of interior room. Interior plastic scratches easily. Roof rack is cheap/weak. Hopefully this van will pass the test of time (build quality). Overall, this van performs as advertised and it appears to be the best minivan value for the dollar.

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  2012 Kia Optima SX - 2012 Kia Optima
  By cdh906 - July 1 - 6:55 am

  I have now had my SX for a little over a month, its a big step up from my 96 Camry. I wanted a fun, reliable car that was comfortable with luxury amenities that could handle my 90 mi round trip commute, yet was fun. I looked at Audi A3 (D), Ford Fusion, Focus, VW Golf (D) and decided the best bang for my buck was the Kia Optima. I got leather, fun, outstanding warranty, great design, all the fancy features I wanted, none of the add ons I didnt want. I paid $29,200 out the door for a white 2012 Kia Optima with Touring and Premium Package (no nav), I talked them down by using email, it helped a lot rather than on the phone or in person, allowed me time to choose words carefully.

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  My Sedona - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Billyio - July 1 - 5:53 am

  Only real problem is the driver seat dowsnt go low enuff down

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  The "Cute" Kia - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By empro - June 29 - 6:20 pm

  I was looking to buy a Grand Vitara but the wife thought the Kia was "cute". I have basically the same issues as many others have written here. Inconvenient rear hatch / spare tire design. Gauges hard to see. Rattles. Muffler pipe rusted and broke. Brake dust and vibration. However, the Kia steers straight and really is fun to drive. It will climb muddy hills that my Jeep Grand Cherokee will not. I replaced front pads and rotors with premium aftermarket replacements and the brake problem is solved.

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  Most underrated crossover out there - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By garnermike - June 28 - 9:46 am

  I have bought 14 new cars in my life, and the Rondo has been the most impressive to me "after the sale." Quiet, smooth, very good fit-and- finish. Very functional with 7 seats. Averaging 25 mpg in overall driving. Reach 30 mpg on straight hwy driving. Lowest mpg Ive recorded to date was 19 mpg (winter, most city).

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  Purchased 2nd Kia vehicle - 2006 Kia Optima
  By silkymon - June 27 - 7:53 pm

  I purchased this 2006 Optima LX on 16 Jun 2006 brand new from a local dealership here in Colorado Springs. They pretended to have a $3K rebate since I was so upside down on the vehicle I traded in. My opinion, this 2006 Optima LX is built better than the Spectra. Its hard to make a really good detailed review since I only had this vehicle less than a week. I went with price and options over quality. It drives and handles good and has 2.4 liters vs the 1.8 liters the 03 Spectra has. A much faster vehicle with more power. I later found out via the internet that this 06 Optima LX model is obsolete for whatever that means. Many people have negative things to say about the Kias. Im pleased so far.

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  So far so good - 2009 Kia Sedona
  By scott - June 25 - 11:43 pm

  Currently have 2500 miles and not one complaint. Drives better than our previous 2003 Odessey and 10K less. KIA/Hyundai is challenging overpriced Hondas and Toyota who are living on undeserved reputations and ripoff dealers. This is not the KIA of 5/10 years ago. Dont be afraid to buy. Shes a little thirty with that powerful engine and all the room, but if want great mileage, buy a small Mazda 5 or something similar.

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  Good, dependable, first car - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By zach030283984 - June 23 - 10:06 am

  I had a 2007 Kia Sportage as my first car, and got it with 60,000 miles from my father in 2009, who had bought a new car. It was a little under a 150,000 miles when I totaled it the day before Christmas 2014. Slammed into a pickup at about 40 mph and I walked away without a scratch. If you had put a sheet across the window, you would have no idea the car was in a wreck, the cabin wasnt affected, even though the engine was smashed to pieces. I loved that thing to death. I loved it so much I ended up buying a 2005 sportage EX V6 after getting my insurance check. (basically the same car but with all the fancy trims) In that time it never failed to start, never broke down, and ran like a top.

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  Bad Service - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By richiegirl - June 23 - 12:30 am

  I purchased my 2008 KIA Sportage EX just over 2 months ago. My vehicle was sitting in the parking lot at work against a wall with the window down and sunroof open I ran down 2 blocks to get lunch parked back against the wall and left 2 hrs later. When I returned to my vehicle my front windshield was broken not just a small crack. I contacted the dealership took the car in and was told they would replace under warranty. I had to go out of town so I made arrangements to call them when I returned, upon my return I was told they had changed their mind and I would have to pay for the windshield to be replaced.I had it checked by a glass company and it is a pressure break not damage from impact.