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:

• 

  buy a better car - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By thisis the worstcar - January 19 - 2:00 am

  this is the worst purchuse of a car i have ever made. the sportage looked like a good value at the dealership and in ads but was i wrong. 3 weeks after i bought it the ac gave out and the power windows broke. it has been all downhill since that. i will never buy a cheap kia again

• 

  Wow - I love my Sedona - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Jnels - January 19 - 2:00 am

  Awesome so far, I love it

• 

  Just bought and hot to trot - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By new sorento owner - January 19 - 2:00 am

  I love this truck, for the money I spent, I am so glad that i didnt pick one of the other trucks i was concidering.Not that the others were bad and belive me i drove almost everyone of them. but to tell you the truth none of them would even come close to the performance and styling that i have found in my new SORENTO

• 

  surprisingly good - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By kickboyface - January 18 - 1:43 pm

  rented one of these for a week on a trip to las vegas based solely on the prompting of the counter clerk - "theyre REALLY nice." she was completely right. fun. powerful. fast. loaded with features. i rented a Cadillac a few days later and this car was REMARKABLY better. if i was ever in this type of car market, id buy a used one in a heartbeat (they have terrible residual value and its a spectacular car) -- you could get it for a steal.

• 

  Excellent for the $$ - 2010 Kia Forte
  By dj - January 18 - 12:30 pm

  Excellent exterior styling. Big difference in sx model. More power 5 sp. Auto. Nice wheels. Some cheap plastic that scratches easy on doors. Nice leather.

• 

  Not the best - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Unhappy - January 17 - 11:50 pm

  Unless you get a newer model Kia, they are not one tenth as safe as they are supposed to be.

• 

  Great car for anyone with realistic expectations - 2011 Kia Optima
  By titan415 - January 17 - 8:51 am

  Im always interested to see how people react to things. Some people drive this car and see it for what it is: a great value and a really good car. And then there are those to say that its not a good car because they have driven, owned, or dreampt of better. Youll see plenty of those reviews here and other places. The reality is that this car is great for the money, offers a huge range of features, has a warranty that should allay any fears about the uknown, and, finally, it looks hot. Its not a perfect car, true. The wide c-pillar creates a blind spot, the engine isnt V6 smooth, and its true that the seats arent the best. But nits aside, this is a seriously good car.

• 

  Just bought one on the 26 of Dec 04 - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Paul - January 16 - 1:33 am

  Just bought this ex model on the 26 of dec 04 and am so far impressed with it. The only thing I would recommend is that ABS should be standard equip. on all models, not sold as an option. So far very impressed with the entertainment system. This is our first minivan, so my wife and I really dont know what to expect in ride and comfort. I have noticed that the ride is stiff kinda like a truck, but that is o.k. for the money we paid we did get alot for what we have. Cant tell you much about the gas mileage cause we are still on the 1st tank of free gas. Driving around in D.C. traffic i am sure i will not get what the manf. recommend though. Enjoy the van. great purchase.

• 

  Good value, roomy for its class, lacks great handling - 2011 Kia Forte
  By turgon - January 15 - 8:09 am

  I traded in my 8 year old Pontiac Vibe for the Forte EX (ECO), which I use as a long-distance commuter car. I purchased the Forte on price and decent reviews after test driving some of the competition in this class. I am happy with the acceleration, comfort, interior space, and styling of the vehicle. Combined gas mileage thus far through the first 2k miles has averaged in the low 30s mpg in my commute of mixed highway and city driving, which is virtually identical to my former Vibe and acceptable to me as the Forte ECO is rated 37/27. Steering still feels a bit uncertain to me and handling on windy roads does not compare to my former Vibe, which I did not notice in my initial test drive.

• 

  My SX experience - 2011 Kia Optima
  By 72roadrunner - January 14 - 8:29 am

  I love this car. Handles great and has excellent power whether using ECO mode or regular mode. I am getting 30mpg overall combined city and hwy with about 50/50 of each. This car has the interior room of a much bigger car. I have extra long legs and I still fit in this car great, and there is room for someone to sit behind me with my seat all the way back the way I need it. This isnt true for many cars. The truck is also bigger than other large cars I have driven/owned. I love that people cant figure out what kind of car this is at first glance. That will probably change as more show up on the road, but for now I feel I am driving an exclusive luxury automobile, that runs on regular!