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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  beware of 04 optima - 2004 Kia Optima
  By mike fletchinger - February 26 - 5:56 am

  I bought this optima in 2006 with about 22,000 miles. A friend, a kia service tech, said I would love this car. When used, the warranty only goes to 60,000 miles. After about 61,000 the air bag light came on, the cruise control and speedometer sometimes dont work and the transmission has gotten really rough especially in cold weather and on these cold spring mornings. It will have to be replaced. What started out to be a pleasure has started to become a nightmare.

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  I used to be a "Chevy Man"... - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Frizzer - February 25 - 5:53 pm

  ...until I bought my 2006 Kia Sorento! I have owned my Sorento for 7 weeks and have put over 4,000 miles on it, mostly commuting. This vehicle is comfortable, powerful and fun to drive. It is good for lugging the kids to practice and it looks good when I take my wife out. My wife and I have always bought Chevy trucks before and after test driving the Kia Sorento and experiencing quality again, we were sold. The Kia Sorento is the perfect all around family car.

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  Best Car I Have Ever Owned (for the $$$) - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Will - February 20 - 6:53 pm

  We bought our Sportage used with about 18,000 miles on it. Were at 90,000 now. There have been no significant problems with this SUV. Its GREAT in snow. Weve driven coast to coast in it twice, and its never let us down. No, its not a Porsche Cayenne or something. Yes, it would be nice if it had a V-6 (hey, they make them that way now). But overall, when you consider how economical it is to buy and own, its a great value. Of the approximately 25 cars Ive owned over the years, this is my favorite, at least when you consider VALUE in the mix.

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  no squares allowed - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By mechell - February 17 - 10:00 am

  very dependable, the only problem that I have with this car is ac comes on for windshield defroster and the oval trunk shapes make the roomy trunk space difficult to use. The seats fold down, but the trunk to backseat oval shape is rediculous

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  Good Choice in a Minivan - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By phxmom - February 16 - 9:26 pm

  I have had my Sedona EX for 3 years. There have been some superficial problems with the seats (plastic molding, squeaking) but the Kia warranty covered the repair of everything. The interior is comfortable and attractive with a sturdy seat fabric that has resisted any staining. The ride is fairly smooth, but road noise is a bit too pronounced. There is ample storage in the multiple compartments. I am at 43,000 miles and have not had any mechanical problems whatsoever. The turning radius is wide which can be problematic when making a U turn. But, I would still recommend the Sedona as a good value for a fair price.

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  I went with this, and not that - 2010 Kia Soul
  By jennyd - February 9 - 5:00 am

  I have been a Ford girl my whole life. Life has change and I needed something more in my price range and found the Soul !. This is the perfect car for me. It is fun to drive, it looks sharp on the road, and handles great for local driving, and highway driving. I am not sure what noisy highway driving means, but I drove about 400 miles on the highway and had no issue with noise, or anything, in fact it was a great trip! I highly recommend the Soul. And for those that have commented to me to buy American, well, if there were cars that were more in my budget, I think I would still buy a Soul!

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  2004 kia spectra - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By jcjnt - February 5 - 2:00 am

  Great warranty. Excellent price. But poor gas milage in first month. Not driving hard the gas mileage in regular conditions is 21-24 miles per gallon.

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  still new - 2004 Kia Optima
  By RIchris - February 5 - 2:00 am

  I only just bought my Optima a bit over a week ago but having 26 years of driving experience i think I can rate it so far. It drives very well especially on the highway. Though the 4 cylinder isnt the peppiest ive driven its sufficient for getting up to speed in a timely manner. The interior is comfortable and easy to manage. The styling I think is what stands out most, it looks better in my opinion that most Accords and Camrys. So far so good for a comfortable new car under 20 grand.

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  Used But Loved - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Paul Callaway - February 3 - 10:20 pm

  I bought my 2006 Kia Spectra SX used about 2 years ago and after a rough beginning fixin issues left by the former owner Ive really come to enjoy this car. The SX wheels, suspension and body are a plus over the other models and considering its a compact car it has plenty of interior room, a nice size trunk and more than enough umph to get around. If I keep a light foot on the pedal I can get MPGs in the mid to high 20s with mixed driving

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  The Rondo is a Steal - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By CelticRondo - February 2 - 12:06 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to drive around people at work and to travel around the states with two dogs. I can fit four adult in it all eating lunch comfortably. Took a four thousand mile drive through MN, NY, FL, and the Midwest. It handles the mountains and beaches with ease. I even had enough room to layout in the back to sleep on the road. I am comfortable driving it and my riders enjoy the extra room and cup holders. Its like a boring friend. It will do everything you ask of it but your hip friends dont like being seen with it.