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:

• 

  Perfect and Light on the Wallet - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Little Red - January 2 - 10:00 am

  I am very pleased with my new Kia.I went to other name brand dealers,and was not happy with what they offered at the pice and payments that fit me.The dealership people were great,friendly and a very at home feeling.I will tell all my friends about my car and its people,who stand behind their product 100 percent and the people who buy them.

• 

  Like it so far - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By satkal - January 2 - 10:00 am

  It has been just a couple of days since we bought and it has been fun so far.

• 

  Another new happy owner. - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By KIAguy - January 2 - 10:00 am

  Most SUVs I looked at were practical but really did not excite me. I liked the Lexus but it was too steep for me to justify. The KIA was a stand out. For 20 grand Id feel foolish buying a Lexus. I really like the look and feel of the car from day one. And one month later this KIA continues to grow on me. This is my first new car and I feel really good about this car!

• 

  Lovin my Spectra 5 - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Robin G - January 2 - 7:43 am

  I looked for about 3 months, mainly at Corollas, Civics, and Mazdas. The minute I got in my Spectra, I knew that was the car for me. This car is sporty, corners well, looks great, gets great mileage, and the standard features are incredible. The interior design was the nicest I saw during my car searching, and since I have children, I was thrilled with the 6 air bags. I have received so many compliments on the look of my car. What more could you ask for?

• 

  More and better than expectation - 2005 Kia Optima
  By AstroBike - December 31 - 10:00 am

  Ive bought 2005 Kia Optima EX V6 from a private seller as a used car for my high school son. This is a hidden jewel! Fast, tight, luxurious, reliable, etc. Im more than 100% satisfied with this car. I think that Kia (and Hyundai) is under estimated than its real value. Its good factor to consumers though.

• 

  Poor vehicle/Poor Customer Service - 2010 Kia Sedona
  By seemang - December 31 - 10:00 am

  KIA is dishonest. Standard options dont come standard. 15 mpg instead of 21 mpg. The engine light came on at only 500 miles. It handles poorly. Acceleration is weak. It has the feeling of a 4 cylinder. It doesnt have all the options that its competitors have. The options they do have dont have the functionality of its competitors. For example, it has radio controls on the steering wheel, yet you cant change the station or go to the next song on the wheel. You still have to go to the radio. ***Spend a little bit more upfront for a more reliable minivan. Itll be cheaper in the long run.

• 

  Overall ride - 2010 Kia Forte
  By tj200466025 - December 31 - 10:00 am

  I enjoy driving the car. It suspension is very rough on bumps on road. I also own a Camry and it rides a lot better. The car has good power and the shift is easy in the 6 speed. It was supposed to come with a mirror that dims and it did not I pay for it and it did not have it and they told me I was not going to get one. I was upset about that.

• 

  A little bit of shake - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Jeffrey - December 31 - 10:00 am

  We purchased my 2011 kia the last day in Feb. March 2nd I had to drive to Ohio for a family emergency. What a nice drive. Thank goodness for cruise control as before you know it youre going way over the speed limit. As of this date there are a few things that I would change or do differently. Third row seat is a waste for us.

• 

  Bye bye 12 Forte SX 5 door & hello 16 Forte5 EX - 2016 Kia Forte
  By RonB - December 31 - 6:20 am

  We shared the 12 for over 3 years and over 80,000 miles until I bought myself a 2015 Sonata Sport 2.0T Limited 6 months ago. Love that car and reviewed it on here also. Got a great deal. Now that were back to two cars, mileage will accumulate a lot less. While I was getting the 12 serviced 2 weeks ago and "someone" took my car to work, I was asked "Do you think you can get me a deal on trading my car like you did buying yours ?" So I walked the lot and found a Snow White Pearl Forte5 EX 2.0 GDI - loaded with Premium/Technology package and remote start with black leather with white stitching. I texted the pictures. "I really wasnt a fan of white until you got yours (Quartz White Pearl) but I really like it. See what you can do. If it works out, Ill come sign the papers". The 12 was in excellent condition except for the 82,000 miles they beat down the trade in value on, but with the rebate and financing, it was a good deal regardless. The 12 had leather and sunroof. Great little car. No complaints other than it could have used more sound insulation. Compared to the 12: The tech options are great. Stereo is better. Bluetooth streaming is a world better. Its quieter. Much better legroom - were both 6ft tall. Headroom was never an issue even with the 12 - sunroof in both. The 2.0GDI doesnt have the off the line punch of the 2012s 2.4 port-injected engine but feels fine overall (same 173hp rating) and better fuel mileage makes it worthwhile. Neither are pocket rockets but were not race car drivers lol. Has plenty of zip. Warranty cant be beat. This now makes 4 Hyundai / Kia products since 2008 and dont regret any of them. Im a semi-retired mechanic and choose my/our cars wisely. The only 2 gripes with the 16: 1 - gone with the 2014+ 5 door redesign is the split-folding rear seat bottoms which was great when we needed to haul stuff around. A minor gripe really because the 16 is still plenty roomy with the seat backs folded down. 2 - For the 2016 Forte line up, HID headlights were deleted, even with the Tech package. I remedied that with the same brand HID kit I installed in the 2012. Also installed LED plate and reverse lights - nice difference with the back-up camera at night. Experience has us anticipating the same reliability. The 2008 Sonata we traded for the 2012 Forte is still on the road with nearly 250,000 miles on it. Traded with nearly 120,000 trouble-free miles and came across it recently.

• 

  I love it!! - 2013 Kia Soul
  By haystfang - December 31 - 1:14 am

  I bought my Kia Soul ! In white back in November of 2013 and I have never been happier with a vehicle. Everywhere I went for the first year I owned it I received nothing but compliments from friends, coworkers and even strangers at gas stations and other places. The look from the outside made me think that the car was extremely small but when I stepped inside I realized I was wrong. Nearly 2 years later Ive only had a problem with the spoiler and the aux input, which my dealership fixed for free and also washed, waxed, changed my oil and rotated my tires for free as well. Needless to say, its a tiny car that packs a punch, I love to drive it everywhere and I will def choose Kia again.