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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  Only had it a month ... - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By dheff - August 16 - 7:33 am

  But I love it. Great value minivan. No ego, no flash, but its great for the kids and groceries. A little slow to blow hot air on cold mornings, and the turning radius is ridiculously wide. Other than that, no complaints. Purchased Dec. 2005 with 9k miles for $14,500. DVD, sunroof, EX model with ABS.

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  Nice Job Kia - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By bk pots - August 12 - 2:00 am

  Overall very nice ride. Some simple improvements from Amer. counterparts would be nice. Very solid and high performing 6 cyl.

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  What a great car! - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By chikinblack - August 7 - 10:00 am

  This car was great for me. Peppy, comfortable, and very reliable. I changed the oil, kept an eye on the fluids and never had a problem with the engine/tranny. Dealership had to change the heat shield, and that was the only thing that "went wrong" with the car...thats something you have to look foward to on most cars anyway. There was a comment about www.streetkiaz.com/streetkiaz3.html and yes, that site perfects owning a kia. I would recommend anyone looking to tune one of these, go there! Awesome people! This is a great car for the money and I love it!

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  Excellent luxury Kia - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By msho - August 7 - 10:00 am

  I spent a week driving it as a rental, in which time it has completely rebuilt my image of Kia. The build quality was far above what I expected and I got numerous looks while driving the car. I disregarded the break in period; the car had 50 miles on it; as a result sometimes the engine smelt like it was burning - not good.

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  2 summers old and AC BAD, wont FIX IT! - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Diane Miller - August 5 - 2:26 pm

  IN 3/08 we bought our Rondo and in 4/10 the AC Compressor went our and the dealership or KIA company want fix it under warranty. A 18,000 dollar car should last more that 2 years! We had a KIA van before this Rondo and the AC also went out on it. KIA has bad compressors, so I want buy another one! Buyer Beware!

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  Dogs and I love it! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By RiowithDogs - August 5 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! I got it so I could haul my two mini-greyhounds in the back. They love it, too! Very fun to drive, great mileage. The dealership was awesome and the price was right! Everyone thinks it is a sporty Honda Civic. There are no bells and whistles, but truly a well put together car with a fantastic price. I would buy it again!

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  Satelite Radio defective - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Joe - August 4 - 12:16 pm

  The Sat radio reception is so bad in urban areas, I wont even bother renewing my subscription. Ive had XM for over four years on my Chevy and never came close to losing signal like this. The service dept. says "Oh yeah there all like that" Could the rough truck like ride be the cause? If I could go back in time I would buy something else

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  2001 Kia Sephia - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By whburroughs - August 2 - 10:00 am

  10 Year Warranty-what else can you expect? A quite, inexpensive little car that has "good" gas mileage and an low cost of ownership.

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  Great Car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Great Car - July 28 - 5:50 pm

  Value value value lots of space. Smooth ride with plenty of pick-up for a 4 cyl engine. Excellent fit and finish! Basic transportation at a very reasonable price.

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  Disappointed in MPG - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By lanshi - July 28 - 1:35 am

  I have had my KIA for a month now. The dealer stated that the big reason they are selling so much is because of the MPG up to 32. I am not seeing it. I drive about 120 miles a day and am averaging around 27. I bought it from Southeast Kia in Rockwall, TX. Traded in a Nissan Altima and was getting 32mpg. I hope I didnt make a great mistake with the gas prices would love to get 30 to 32.