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 Car For The Money - 2005 Kia Optima
  By ltp - March 17 - 8:10 am

  I have only owned this car for a month but can already tell Im going to like it very much. Lots of power, every bell and whistle, good handling, tight build, and a GREAT stereo (Infinity system). Even a leather interior and all for under $21K. Lots of car for the money.

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  Bambi - 2011 Kia Soul
  By Melissa Ewbank - March 17 - 3:02 am

  Road noise is a factor to think about this has a great ride comfortable fast heating and cooling virtually no blind spots while driving great seat adjustment mirros give great coverage very peppy that is why I named the car Bambi after my Grandmother

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  I was skeptical - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Twinsdad0504 - March 17 - 2:56 am

  I had always steered away from foreign cars but this deal was too good to pass up. I have been commuting with it since and all the needs I have are being met or exceeded. The amount of room is spacious and the fit and finish appear to be tight and thought out. It is no beauty queen but it is sleek and clean. I hope it continues to meet the needs my family and I have for comfort and safety but so far it is one of my best vehicle decisions in years.

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  Enjoy being inside this Soul - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Colorado Cody - March 15 - 6:36 pm

  A great to to sit and be seen in! I really enjoy sitting in and driving the Kia Soul. The drivers seat is like sitting in Meditation - back straight - head rising above. The interior look makes you feel at home - surrounded by your favorite couch blanket. It is inexpensive ... and some fits that mold. But overall, it has more room and better Soul than a New Beetle.

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  Sweet SX - Automatic 2.4L - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Foxman - March 10 - 9:00 am

  Just took it on my SX 4-dr on its inaugural tour to north Florida. I have 2,500 miles on it now and LOVE it! Exterior paint and finish is superior. Plenty of exterior chrome and the details have a quality look. A very tight feel to this vehicle. Excellent drive-ability and handling. Steering is sure and responsive. Braking is smooth and reassuringly certain. I preferred the comfort and roominess of the 4-door SX over the 2-door Koup. The transmission can be jumpy with Cruise Control in the hills (combination of 5 speed auto and 2.4 L). Lots of seat maneuverability to find the right passenger seating comfort on the road. Too much plastic in the dash, however it has a finished look and feel.

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  Dependable Car - 2005 Kia Optima
  By SafetyFirst - March 8 - 5:43 am

  I purchased my 2005 Kia Optima from a friend in June 2007 and it had almost 30k miles on it. I was in school and couldnt afford to get the 30k scheduled tune-up (shame on me). I did get regular oil changes and tire rotations. Only once did the car need to go to the shop and the problem was an accelerator sensor that was covered by the warranty. I never broke down in this car during the three years/45k miles I put on it. I believe the gas mileage to be great and the car felt solid. I just recently traded it in with 72k miles on it and bought a 2009 Kia Optima with 12K. I purchased a second Kia because I was so impressed with the reliability.

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  Soul + - unbelievable bargain ! - 2011 Kia Soul
  By pnut166 - March 7 - 5:12 am

  Just got my new 2011 Kia Soul + AT yesterday. First impression: a lot of bang for the buck ! I got a fully-loaded Soul +, out-the-door for $15400, after trading in a trashed, near-death 2000 Focus. My first Kia experience, and the dealership was first-class all the way - best car-buying experience ever ! Now, on to the car. A pretty low-tech powertrain, but it gets the job done. Somewhat harsh engine noise, and , surprisingly, a four-speed tranny. A couple more gears would have given this car alot more in the way of fuel savings and comfort. But, it gets good mileage, is fairly peppy, and the manual mode adds to the driving fun. Interior looks somewhat cheap, but vastly improved over past

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  So far so good, so simple. - 2001 Kia Rio
  By dhutchinson - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Kia Rio in November, 2001 I was skeptical when buying the Kia last year, I had driven a 1987 Honda Accord for many years and didnt want to pay for any more repairs. Along with other financial obligations the Kia Rio was a great deal. Ive currently got around 12000 miles on it, and havent had any troubles at all. We also took it on a trip to New York and it handled very well, however cruise control would have been nice. So far so good....I am cautious as I approach more miles, I hope the "cheapest car in America", can give me Honda dependability.

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  Watch the car mileage - 2009 Kia Optima
  By airport kia - March 1 - 10:36 am

  The Optima is a beautiful car both on the interior and exterior. The new 4 cyl engine stuggles while driving in the city.It get only 15-17 mph city which makes it a clunker. The driver seat is very un comfortable. After driving the new Chevolet Malibu, I realize I bought the wrong car. I can live with this car but would not recomend it to family and friends. The engine is a underperformer. To compare the Optima to the Camary is like rating a race horse versus a donkey. All the features on the car work excellent. The red lighting on the dash get annoying after a while. And what is with the 16 inch wheels?

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  Honest opinion - 2007 Kia Optima
  By pamela - February 26 - 4:40 pm

  I have had this car for a month already. I really like it but I have had to replace the trunk seal because it leaked when you ran it through the car wash and I had to have a fuel pump and sender replaced. The sender doesnt come separately so you have to get the whole pump. The car had around 28,000 miles on it when I bought it. I was a little disappointed that a major part had to be replaced already. free under warranty but I am a little worried about down the road repairs. I hope it is better than the ford contour I had before that thing was always being repaired. I did do some research and found the type of engine inside the car is suppose to be good for 250,000 miles. I hope it lasts.