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:

• 

  horrible service/vehicle - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By cjhammen - December 22 - 6:26 am

  Not only have we had to fork out over $1000 on repairs but Kia finally decided to put a new transmission in at only 58K, but that took 25 payments for them to do that. There is NO power to the vehicle. The seats are uncomfortable and if I didnt drive 50 miles each way to work and needed something to use as a "throw away vehicle" I would never have bought this piece of JUNK. I will not even give it to my 16 year old son to drive.

• 

  Getting my second one... - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Amir - December 21 - 9:26 pm

  This is my second car, after our first success with a Kia we bought from Canada, this is my second choice, getting another one the same make. it went over 1100miles one shot without a hiccup...topping 425miles per tank, during trips I only stop for gas if the trip is really long. pretty roomy and big on the inside, the biggest of its class insidewise. As for performance, well dont expect to get much out of a 2 liter engine, 80-90mph isnt hard, and it wont say NO WAY, but Ive seen cars do better at these speeds, it rides smoothly and brakes well, with 4 disc brakes ABS, and a cruise to forget about the pedals for a while. Heated mirrors are useful comparing ot a dodge neon. alloy wheels.

• 

  best value out there - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By adam - December 21 - 2:33 pm

  best bang for the buck. I got my car for $ 6995...cant be beat on price..change the oil every 4k and you will have reliable transportation for 100K. Put the money you save in the bank and watch the $ grow....

• 

  poor engine quality - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By bepeace - December 21 - 2:00 am

  we didnt expect it to perform like a Honda, but we were hoping for atleast Winstar quality...we got yugo! To date, we have replaced: a #2 engine cylinder 2 (TWO) catalytic converters the drivers seat belt/airbag system an oxygen sensor the drivers cup holder (TWICE) (which is insult to injury b/c they brag about their cup holders) and the factory stereo each fix requires 2 trips to the dealer...with a long wait in between for the part to arrive This vehicle has only 33,000 miles on it DO NOT PURCHASE this vehicle (check milage of vehicles people gave high ratings...everything fell apart at 20,000 miles)

• 

  love it - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By kittykat - December 21 - 2:00 am

  I am a new owner..only 700 miles so far but, it is wonderful! rides great, looks great, (in and out) has lots of features for safety and convenience...Ive had so many compliments about the look from total strangers....and best of all the price cant be beat for all that I got....i am more than pleased...

• 

  Kia Optima: Optimum Protection - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Optima Queen - December 21 - 2:00 am

  My Kia Optima saved my life! An elderly lady that swore she hadnt been drinking ran a red light on a major state highway. I was hit in a 50 mile-an-hour side collision(drivers side) with her Taurus wagon. The side air bag deployed and cradled my head and torso. I managed to get out of the passenger side door. Not til later did I notice that the doors were peeled outward on the drivers side from the impact. I learned that Kia constructed the door pieces so that upon front or side impact, the doors would not intrude into the safety cage. Thanks Kia! I am know looking forward to another Optima or Amanti instead of a hospital bed.

• 

  My 2nd Kia - 2006 Kia Optima
  By NavyCarlos - December 21 - 1:16 am

  Great car and value for the money. Toyota Camry may have just won the award, but this car surpasses it in almost all areas. Also have a 2003 Kia Sedona and can attest to the reliability and sound quality. The car was really designed nicely with many features standard that are only found on luxury cars. The car is very stylish and looks great.

• 

  My Ruby Red Jewel - 2006 Kia Optima
  By Albert Gibes - December 20 - 5:46 pm

  This car replaced a Buick Century and I must say it has many better features than my GM auto did. It is roomier, much better protection for all riders, handles like a dream, and has the very best finish Ive every seen on a new car. Ive owned many new cars in my lifetime (Im 75 years old) and this KIA is the best!

• 

  NOT A RELIABLE CAR - BUYER BEWARE - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By Nicki - December 20 - 10:57 am

  I bought this car second hand from a dealer that my husband and I have purchased other cars from. I was very excited with my purchase because I spent time reading online reviews of owners which overall were pretty much positive. I bought the car in early 2015 and it was a 2013 model with 45,000 miles. I drove the car for almost 3 years with no issues. At about 70,000 miles the car starting to give me problems. And by problems I mean major costly issues. Within 8 months I had to have the AC Compressor replaced, engine oil pan replaced, rear back-up camera replaced, and then finally when the engine died I called it quits and traded in the car. The reason for the engine failure was because the oil sensor failed and the car was sending oil into the engine. The car did not drive any differently nor was there any alert on the dash board! I just happened to take the car in for an oil change and the dealer said they couldnt return the car to me and explained what was wrong. After about 3 days of fighting with the warranty company to cover the cost of replacing the engine I had my car towed to another dealership and traded it in. I was disgusted that a warranty company would not cover what was clearly a glitch with the car. They do not have to worry about me ever purchasing a Kia.

• 

  Great Car! - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By DRJJJJJ - December 20 - 6:30 am

  We have owned this car for about 2 weeks and have just wonderful things to say about. The car looks and feels like many upscales models of other manufacturers. Very luxurious interior, not to mention a smooth, quick ride. Great value for the money and with the long term warranty you cannot go wrong. Kia has proven themselves are worthy competitor with this car!