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:

• 

  Love my Kia! - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By Susan - September 25 - 6:53 pm

  I bought my Sephia a year and a half ago and love driving it. It definitely is a reliable car that is fun to drive, with excellent MPG. This was the first car I bought as a junior in high school. The one thing I am not such a big fan of for the Sephia is the headlights. They are very opaque, and more like shaded glass than clear. The lights work fine, but the lights could be brighter. Overall, I would definitely recommend the Sephia to anyone!

• 

  Awesome for the price! - 2003 Kia Rio
  By lababydoll999 - September 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought my car in October 2002, mostly because I wanted reliable transporation with a lot of warranty coverage since I drive my daughter to her daycare and myself to work every day. At first sight I wasnt too impressed by it, but when I saw the price and read all of the warranties, I had to get the Rio. I have never been more happy with any car than I am with my Rio. I pay only $218 dollars a month for this car! It drives great, the sound system is primo for the price of the car and I love the sunglass holder and the 8-way adjustable seat. I just cant say enough about this car!!!

• 

  Outstanding Value - Fun To Drive - Safety No. One - 2011 Kia Forte
  By btatr - September 24 - 4:25 pm

  Our priorities ar safety, comfort, fuel efficiency, and the fun to drive quality. We bought a KIA 5 Door SX and love it! We think its tons of fun to and the price was very reasonable. If that isnt enough, the warranty is fantastic. The Forte has a vast array of safety features such as Traction Control, Electronic Stability Control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, etc. The silky smooth, powerful 2.4 Liter Engine in the SX model packs plenty of power and is far superior to the 2.0 Liter version in the EX model. Every day we cant wait to drive this car. Compare it with the 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback and see which one you prefer.

• 

  Awsome Ride! - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By debbie - September 24 - 8:26 am

  I love this car... I get compliments on it every day, and people ask if they can look at the inside. The only thing I do not like about this car is the rear view mirror. It is sooo large, and placed right in the middle of the windshield. It is impossible to see traffic.... A design flaw that needs atention!

• 

  Love it! - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Brandy Richmond - September 22 - 2:20 am

  Bought my 1st Kia over the weekend (2016 Sorento) and couldnt be happier. This car is beautiful inside and out and Im just amazed on how much you get for your money. Thanks again Trevor at Gay Family Kia for finding me the perfect car for me and the great service.

• 

  Sorento SX - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Nick barrientos - September 21 - 4:44 am

  Great car the handling is very responsive when turning and its very good when you have the blind spot detector.

• 

  Good town car - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Cindy - September 20 - 3:03 pm

  The 2005 Sportage makes a GREAT car to drive around town. It also is fun to drive on the freeway but does lack some power when you have big hills. All around it is a great family car.

• 

  My Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By eshma - September 20 - 10:00 am

  From the first time I viewed this SUV in person, I fell in love with it. I owned a corolla (2000) for almost 3 years and was looking at midsize SUVs. My Sorento handles great on the snow and rain (comes with standard Michelan all terrain) I drove from nyc to orlando in April; filled up 4 times. I feel like i got a luxury suv for half the price. At first i was wary of the fact that kia made the car, but after talking to some kia owners in my neighborhood and online research I decided to take a chance on kia. Now I know I made the right choice. I get stopped at least twice a week by people inquiring about the car. I love it much more than my corolla.

• 

  Fantastic Find - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By John Uhden - September 18 - 9:44 pm

  The Kia Sorento EX 6/AWD is a fantastic auto. I had had my mind set on a GMC Terrain, but there is no comparison, not even close. Our Kia is so quiet yet so powerful. There are no more bumps in the road, and it handles almost as well as my Honda Accord did. It came with third row seating, heated leather seats, the back-up camera, lane warning, and power liftgate, all of which i strongly recommend, oh, and all those electronic thingies. With the flat folding rear seats the cargo space is huge, and they are easy to operate. It has a power passenger seat and even the second row reclines (separately left and right). Our ride from NJ to Maine was actually enjoyable, plus we got 25 mpg at 80 mph! We put $5000 down and are leasing at only $300/month for 36 months. With 5000 lb towing capacity it will be a breeze towing our boat up to Maine in July. We are thrilled with our decision. Gotta deal with Tom Brennan at Sansone Jrs. in Neptune, NJ.

• 

  Nice little car - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Johlem9 - September 18 - 7:43 am

  I bought my Spectra LX two years ago today. Its been a great little car. Factory tires were horrible. Also the car got out of alignment pretty quick, but that is my only real complant.