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:

• 

  Nice Van - 2016 Kia Sedona
  By Melvin Arendt - August 4 - 4:29 pm

  Great Van has everything you could want in a new used Van. KIA has one of the nicer vans out there. Now if it holds up mechanically all will be good.

• 

  Kia Sportage review - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By jjf - August 3 - 3:06 pm

  Good vehicle, would buy one at next purchase and recommend one to friends and family.

• 

  2003 Kia Optima SE V6 - 2003 Kia Optima
  By jeff420m - August 3 - 10:00 am

  Drives great. You get a lot of car for your money with this car. The warranty and roadside assistance make it even great, Honda and Toyota dont even come close.

• 

  Excellent Value! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Gia - August 3 - 10:00 am

  What a great SUV for the money! Hugs the road, quick and responsive, easy to drive and comfortable. Lots of bonus storage & cup holders. Despite hearing concerns about the MPG, Ive been averaging 17, which is fine with me. I love the exterior styling and the luxury touches. The cargo room is deceivingly large - I call it my "clown car". I never thought Id be so thrilled to own a KIA! Why pay $15K more for a comparable SUV???

• 

  Fun to drive - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By August - August 3 - 10:00 am

  I love the Kia Sorento.

• 

  Gasoline - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By MIKE - July 29 - 6:43 am

  I am not the perfect guy to get great mileage.(4 cyl.) My job requires a lot of in town driving and some idling. In Texas, if you have an outside meeting, you get into someones car with the a/c on. After 6 months, I have had only 1 tank of gas that got over 22 miles to the gallon. The pros make this still a great purchase. I got the last 07 and got my car for under 15k. I would do it again.

• 

  My Kia - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Mark - July 28 - 10:33 pm

  I have had this Spectra 2 weeks now and have my ideas down. This is a very well built vehicle, but being a stockier guy, the seats seem kind of narrow. If I am not sitting exactly square in the seat, it feels small. The car has enough pep for around town driving and runs well at highway speeds. Not much in the way of passing speeds, but it holds 70+ easily on the road. I am slightly concerned about the texture of the paint on the sides, it looks like maybe it has orange peel, but the dealership is going to check it out. Also having issues with the passenger seat airbag switch not always turning the airbag on.

• 

  Love my Sedona - 2009 Kia Sedona
  By LovemyKia - July 27 - 10:33 pm

  When I became pregnant with our 2nd child our Toyota Yaris wasnt going to cut it with 2 car seats. We needed something bigger and safe! The Kia Sedona fit our budget and gave us more room. We have had our Sedona for 2 months now and I wouldnt trade it for the world. We bought a 2009 so we got an awesome deal since its 2010. Coming from a Toyota family I as pretty nervous but its a GREAT minivan and I feel safe with my family in tow since its a 5 star rated vehicle.

• 

  The Best Buy for a new Mini Van - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By HappyInNewJersey - July 27 - 10:00 am

  Cant beat the options and value for the price. It doesnÂ’t have all the luxuries like auto sliding doors and an entertainment system. But, it wont cost you $35K either. The standard LX has everything you need and the EX looks good with the added 2 tone body style and mag. wheels.

• 

  should cost more than it does - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By k west - July 27 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! It has all the bells and whistles of the high end SUVs without the pricetag. As others have stated gas mileage could be better, but its not bad for a 6 cyl. all wheel drive SUV. I have the luxury package and believe you me it feels like a million bucks!