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 at a great price - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By NickE - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Cars styling turns heads & gets compliments everywhere. VERY comfortable & handles superbly. In first two months made long drive (1460 miles, R/T) mostly on cruise control via Interstates at speed limits. Got measured 27.8 m.p.g.

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  PRINCESS RIDER - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By MARY PETRY - August 28 - 10:00 am

  I LIKE THE WAY IT DRIVES THE STYLE IS REAL NICE.BEST CAR GOTTEN IN A LONG TIME

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  I need to brag - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By john - August 28 - 8:00 am

  I need to brag about my Sorento. Purchased in Sept. 06, I travel alot. I currently have 158,690 miles on it. The only issue was needing to replace the transfer case ($700 on Ebay). Tires, brakes and oil changes have been my only real purchases. As I looked at getting a replacement vehicle, I had to ask why. There is not a squeak or rattle. It handles the way it did on day one, and I can still tow my 4-wheeler to northern Maine (250 miles one way) without a problem. If you can deal with "not great" fuel economy, buy one. It is the best purchase I have ever made.

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  Kia Spectra - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By FHarr - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Overall I have found this to be a good car. Bought in 2000 and 44,000 miles later no issues still looks brand new. I always get compliments on the sporty look that is has. Great car for the family just starting. Great warranty!

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  Suprised - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By steveca - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Traded a 2003 Lexus RX 300 and I am suprised how great this Kia is. Now lets see if it holds up as well.

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  I like it, but... - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By iLike - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I like everything ...so far! One problem: my seat belt indicator does not work as advertised in owners manual. Once seat belt is disengaged the belt light is suppose to illuminate and a chime sound. Someone answer me this: IS IT JUST ME THAT FINDS IT ODD THAT THERE ARE NO DAY- TIME RUNNING LAMPS??? ...OR ARE THERE AND MY KIA IS SCREWED UP??? A POST FROM OTHERS WOULD REALLY PUT MY MIND AT EASE!

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  Great Car - 2007 Kia Optima
  By steven0925 - August 25 - 7:50 am

  We did a great deal of research before purchasing the Optima and it was the right decision. We have the fully loaded EX with the appearance package and I highly recommend it. We went with the 4 cyl for the better mileage and after 5,000 miles we are seeing MPG returns in line with what was stated on the ticker. Great car for cruising on the highway because it is comfortable and quiet. We had a bad snow/ice storm here in CT and the traction control was outstanding. I never lost control for a moment and felt like I was driving an AWD car rather than FWD.

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  2004 - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By mike - August 23 - 3:13 pm

  Ive owned a 2004 Kia Sedona for one year and I only have one complaint. The rear seats dont fold into the floor, which is inconvenient when you need to haul things other then kids. It drives great. The transmission and engine are flawless. The interior is sharp looking and comfortable for long trips. The exterior is good looking as well. The best thing about this van is that I bought the top of the line model for $19,000 with tax out the door. I had a Dodge before and the Kia is so much better built. Also I tow 3 ATVs on a trailer and it tows them without a problem.Consider this model because price vs value is fantastic, as long as you can live without folding in floor seats.

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  Extremely Satisfied - 2012 Kia Optima
  By bambino3 - August 23 - 12:16 pm

  I purchased this car new in November 2011 and now have just over 12,000 miles on it. Its been flawless so far. Not a single issue. Averaging 30mpg under all conditions. I cant say that about any of the previous Audi A4s Ive owned--which were far more costly when comparing feature for feature. Great performance with the 2.0 turbo, plus excellent fuel economy for a sedan of this size--on regular unleaded.

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  A $16K 6cyl 4x4 - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Laura - August 23 - 9:50 am

  What is not to like about a quality 4x4 6 cylinder SUV for $16K. Electric windows, power locks, cd player, excellent in the snow. Only one problem was the right side power mirror stopped working. Will wait for a month and see if any other little things pop up. The best deal is a 10 year / 100,000 mile warranty. Come on now see if you can come close to Toyota and Honda with this kind of deal. I researched this hard before I bought and I am please as punch to get this great car. Time will tell how it stand up but so far so good.