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:

• 

  Love it! - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Rae - September 21 - 5:20 pm

  I purchased my Sportage used, with a little over 44K miles. In the 2 years Ive had it, Ive put 51K on it, and enjoyed every minute of it. My mileage has stayed between 19 & 22 mpg. The few problems Ive had have been things designed to wear out, like the battery, brakes, etc. Ive kept it maintained and have not had any major surprises. I chose it for the car-like interior, with the height of a small truck, and not for towing or anything heavy duty, knowing that the engine is small and pretty easily taxed. I have truly enjoyed this car more than any other Ive ever owned, and have put the miles on it to prove it. :)

• 

  Great SUV for the price - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Jodik - September 18 - 8:50 pm

  Ive owned my Sorento for 5 years and have had not one single mechanical problem with the car. (My dome light burns out frequently, but at $20 to repair, I dont consider that a "problem"). It has the pick-up to do highway speeds (and more), even when fully loaded. Its got the cargo space more like the larger Highlander than the smaller RAV4, although its priced lower than either Toyota. We take my car on road trips and while the gas mileage isnt fantastic, the car is comfortable and has a nice ride.

• 

  Bought it out of the lease - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Douglas Ramey - September 17 - 9:30 pm

  Nice little car, roomy for a big guy in front seat. Decent cargo space

• 

  Great Vehicle so far - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By chitown-bob - September 17 - 10:00 am

  I love this SUV! Bought it 2 weeks ago and so far so good. Its sporty looks bring to mind the Lexus RX300 without the price tag. I have been pleasantly surprised by the handling and ride. The engine is not as responsive as I would like, but is adequate. The interior is well thought out and I am very comfortable with the layout. I have an EX loaded with the Luxury package, ABS, Load Leveling, etc. Considering the price (roughly 27K), the price is untouchable by comparible models (even with rebates).

• 

  2012 Sportage EX (4,500 miles) - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By carguy34945 - September 12 - 12:02 am

  I like most all aspects of the Sportage except the steering. I have to constantly fight the steering because it is too sensitive. A little correction results in a correction back and so on. This makes driving very tiresome! It is especially bad in any cross wind. My highway MPG is 28-30.

• 

  Would buy again - 2001 Kia Spectra
  By jillswill - September 10 - 2:00 am

  Its not a quite ride. Drags up hills, helps to shut off the air condition system. We bought it for the hatch-back and would to run to college. I would buy another one. Its a great buy for the price.

• 

  Sorento Squeaks! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By James Bender - September 10 - 2:00 am

  Our sorento has started squeaking now with the cold weather. It appears to be the belts. We took it into the dealer 3 times thus far, the last time we took it in they replaced all the belts and made the comment, "Some cars do it and some cars dont, and if it keeps doing it well just have to live with it". Sorry, but KIAs customer SATISFACTION is way under par. -JB

• 

  Not perfect, but close - 2007 Kia Optima
  By mickeyrom - September 9 - 7:23 am

  4 cylinder EX with leather, handling package and sunroof. In other words, loaded. Only complaints I have are a bit of a stiff ride and issues with passenger side airbags. I think this car is much underrated by many reviewers and I would like to know why. Great warranty and nice styling.

• 

  2005 Kia Amanti - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Scott - September 6 - 11:06 pm

  I bought my 2005 Kia Amanti new from a dealer. I love the car and its performance.

• 

  Could be better.... - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By SterlingBlue - September 6 - 2:50 am

  Overall I love this vehicle. It is fun to drive and it suits me much better than a sedan. However I bought a black car and the paints finish looked like someone had wiped down the vehicle with sandpaper. I noticed the defect the day after purchasing it. I fought for 12 months to get it fixed. Neither Kia nor dealer would take responsibility. I have had the car waxed/buffed/shined at least 20 times by professionals and the scratches will not go away. Shame on you Kia!! For this reason I will never buy from Kia again.