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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  Perfect Car for the Perfect Price - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Damia - February 25 - 2:00 am

  locked my self out of the car already in 2 months. Both times Kia sent some one with in an hour at no charge under the roadside assitance warranty.

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  Nice car but...... - 2012 Kia Optima
  By sassy1866 - February 24 - 9:05 pm

  So far I really like this car. Handles great, no lack of speed and enjoy the interior. A couple of negatives are gas mileage, wind noise and the passenger seat feels like youre sitting on the floor.

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  Great car but... - 2007 Kia Rio
  By h2oelemental - February 24 - 4:32 am

  I love my car, it gets great mileage and until recently it was very reliable. I put 30-36K miles a year on my car and do a lot of stop and go driving. I have over 166K on my car. In the past 3 yrs we have had to replace 3 ignition coils, both O2 sensors and now we have to replace the catalytic converter. She also tends to eat front tires. Constantly out of alignment. She has done very well overall and if possible will buy another Kia. Considering the kind of driving I do, she had held up very well.

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  Kia Pet - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By srm858 - February 24 - 12:13 am

  I have not driven the car for too many miles yet, but it does handle well, great A/C, excellent mileage, very roomy interior. I bought it for a winter car while my Mazda RX8 sits in the garage. Its no RX8, but it will hold my bike and go through the snow, which were my primary requirements. The price was very reasonable at $12,500 and I like the look. Just hope it holds up as well as our old 92 Saturn which still looked and ran great after 12 years and 175,000 miles.

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  I LOVE IT!! - Limited V8 4X4 - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By Deborah SF - February 23 - 9:30 am

  I had been looking at small to mid-size SUVs for a few years and saw the Borrego in a car show. I fell in love instantly - especially price for what you are getting. Was difficult to find the Limited 4x4 but found place in LA to buy and drove back to SF - was a great way to fully test the car and my initial feelings were confirmed - I love this car!

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  You get what you pay for... - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Michelle - February 23 - 3:40 am

  I mainly purchased the Kia Sedona because of price -- it had the most features in its price range. But 3 years later, I am so unhappy with it that I am rolling over the balance due on it in order to buy another van. There are a few things I REALLY dont like about the van, but it boils down to this; its cheap. Cheaply made and cheaply designed. The visibility out the rear and sides of the van is SO bad. Its a miracle I havent run over a child. The CD player broke after the first year. The seats are heavy and hard to remove. The belts wore out quickly, the alternator is going out at only 80k miles. The exterior is poor -- it dents if you look at it funny. Spend a little more and get a REAL van.

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  Bad credit but Im driving a new car. - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Silky99x - February 20 - 10:00 am

  I was skeptical at first about buying a Kia but its an OK Car. Using premium gasoline I got 205 miles to 1/4 tank. If you run the A/C it drinks gas like vrazy. My co-workers talk about how cheap Kias are but at least Im driving a new car. Although, one co-worker said, its good quality with low price. Its growing on me.

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  10,000 miles and loving it - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By soccermom57 - February 20 - 12:13 am

  I have previously owned five Chrysler Town and Country minivans and was ready to downsize. I did a great deal of research and decided to buy the Sorento SX over the Chevy Equinox due to the tremendous warranty difference and that it is made in the US. I now have 10,000 miles on this car, purchased on October of 2011, and love it. Its fun and comfortable to drive, I am getting the gas mileage promised-about 20 around town and close to 30 on the highway-with the V6. The ride is firm and fun, very responsive. I have had NO problems with this car and really love it. I highly recommend it and have not had any issues with the dealership at all ,they have been excellent.

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  Kia Rondo - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By Boyde Wheeler - February 19 - 7:30 pm

  When driving there is cold air coming through the door handles-buttons- speakers or any place like that. Also the doors are cold to the touch.

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  2017 Kia Sorento TOWING TONGUE WEIGHT REDUCTION - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By TireKicker - February 19 - 3:37 pm

  NOTE IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING TOWING WITH A 2017 SORENTO --- 2016 Kia Sorento AWD 6-cylinder with tow package: towing capacity 5000 lbs with tongue weight 500 lbs (Owners Manual p. 5-104). 2017 Kia Sorento AWD 6-cylinder with tow package: towing capacity 5000 lbs with tongue weight 350 lbs (Owners Manual p. 5-113). Separately, you might also be interested to know that to change the oil it is necessary to first remove a cover plate with 17 bolts before you can access the oil drain plug. Consequently, most will end up hacksawing an access hole in the cover.