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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  Sorento with 7 people - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Peter - November 25 - 11:00 am

  No storage with third seat. Everything else great.

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  GOOD SO FAR - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Melissa - November 23 - 4:06 am

  I recently purchased a used 03 Kia Sorento LX. I have only had it a month. Over all, "so far" I am satisfied with it. There are a few flaws however; at high speeds (anything over 50) the steering wheel shakes a bit, you can feel it in the steering, in the seats, and in the floor board and it does it even worse when using the brakes. But I do enjoy the interior and exterior design, similar to a Lexus SUV for far less price! Oh and a very quiet ride. All in all I would say to anyone considering buying a Sorento it is an excellent choice for the money!

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  Just What I Wanted - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By sakenstein - November 19 - 9:20 am

  I traded my Infiniti G37x (which I loved) for the Sportage primarily because the Infiniti was too fast for my soon-to-be-driving son. The gas mileage is not as good as I expected. In the first few hundred miles (I have 2500 now), I was getting about 25 mpg combined. That has since been averaging about 20-21 which is still better than the G37x. As for the price, I dont think theres a better value for what you get: AWD, Uvo system, nice cloth seats, backup camera. Drove the Mitsu Outlander Sport and Tucson, but the Mitsu 140hp was anemic and like the looks of Sportage better than Tuscon. Also, the Sportages ride is not stiff, its downright harsh, but I knew that going in. Great value.

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  Nothing but problems - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Kris - November 17 - 1:06 am

  I bought this car in october of 09. Loved it for the first 1000 miles then the driver side window had adjustment problems and was hitting the molding sounding like the window was gonna break. Now when i shitf gears i get a back fire threw the intake and no one can figure out what it is and now since 4200 miles its have a clunk and the front end and they say they cant fix it cuz they cant pin point the noise. WTF?? ive owned 14 cars before this and this is my first new car and id rather drive my 1990 vw jetta with 200,000 miles than this car!!!

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  So far so good... - 2005 Kia Optima
  By Dave - November 13 - 10:56 am

  Ride is comfortable but handling seems a little soft (bumps & curves). Has lots of bells and whistles for the money which is nice. I recommend V6- even though its smallish, car accelerates and passes fine. Interior is nice but can see its nothing spectacular. Leather is nicer than the cloth but again not the softest Ive seen in a middie. Seems good for money though-time will tell. A guy at dealer was buying his second. Said he loved em. Cons: Annoying rattle in back right door; Need to get keyless reprog.; Entering and exiting can take practice-it sits a bit too low- especially the back seat. Hit my head first couple times and am 58. Cool & kind of noisy around sunroof with shade open.

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  2000 Kia Sportage EX 4WD - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By My Keya - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I obtained this vehicle 12/2003 with 35,264 miles. So far everything has been going good. The Four Wheel Drive System is a plus. However I dislike that in Two Wheel Drive (2H mode)that its Rear Wheel Drive and not Front Wheel Drive like some of its compeititors.

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  All good things come to those... - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By swordstar - November 12 - 2:00 am

  who wait... and plan... and have a little fun. I just purchased one of these 2004 models, and it has been a lot of fun to drive and work with.

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  Its been a pleasure - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By tina - November 10 - 1:06 am

  I purchased my Sedona w/ only 12 miles on it. Now it has over 67,000 miles. Ive taken it on many road trips and have been disappointed w/ the storage space. If youre thinking of this van,definitely opt for the luggage rack. But i have to give it credit for reliability. Ive maintained the oil changes like the dealership suggested and i have NEVER had any problems in the overall performance. The gas mileage could be better but that goes for most vehicles w/ 6 cylinders.

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  SO FAR SO GOOD,KIND OF SURPRISED - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By LEE - November 5 - 2:40 am

  Bought this 2008 new.Have driven it for a month. Wanted a hatchback instead of a sedan. Looked at Vibe,Mazda,Matrix but for the price of the KIA, others werent close. The most striking thing is the interior. LOTS of room everywhere. Not cheap looking and its loaded,remote,power windows,locks,cruise,ESC,ABS. Lots of storage space. The 4-cylinder gets to 65-70 smoothly and is surprisingly quiet. Gas mileage isnt great for an engine this size though. Im a little worried about the recall on the fuel pump. Under the hood,seems accesible, isnt jam packed Dont complain about how the car looks from the outside if you ended up buying it...duh. If my Rondo is this good in a year, Ill be sold.

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  Thinking of Buying the Sedona? - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Frost - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Just a review from someone who has heard a lot of bad stuff about KIA. Check out the warranty.If it lasts longer than how long youre going to pay on it.we compared this 2002 Sedona to the Dodge or Chrysler mini-van in its class, among others...and you just cant beat it. The price,the interior. It looks good it feels good to drive. Although I was dissapionted that I had to pay extra for ABS . I have to rate my overall experience ,So far so Good! Ive heard lots about the sephias and the sportages having really bad luck in 1999. But I encourage you to look at the current years product, youll be impressed.