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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  great van - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By stockey - December 15 - 10:00 am

  The best mini van at any price,and i have tried them all,i reaaly love it.

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  Electrical Issues - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By terlstarr - December 15 - 8:23 am

  I love my car with the exception of the electrical issues I have been having for over a year. I cant count how many headlights and brake lights I have had to replace because they keep blowing! Also the interior dome light chooses when it wants to work as well as the lights on the vent control located on the dash.

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  Still in love!! - 2015 Kia Sedona
  By BrightSilver - December 14 - 4:27 pm

  After testing other mini vans I decided to go with the Sedona. The interior of the Toyota Sienna look too bland for my taste. Honda Odyssey too ugly for me. Test drove Chrysler Town and Country and it felt like it was going to break down. Nissan Quest poor crash ratings so I did not bother. After two years of driving Sedona I had two issues. One was side power sliding door it would not completely close until 2-3 times using remote. Dealer greased power latch and it was corrected. Second transmission shifts harsh one time 1-2 gear when cold then it drives very smooth. Took in for inspection they found nothing and just reset trans cpu. Still have this issue. Electronics are easy to use including gps. With several kids interior is still looks new. Seats are comfortable on long trips. Leather is very nice. After a couple of road trips I still dont have any rock chips so the paint is excellent. Performance is great easy to drive 80-85mph with no effort. I have done 29.5mpg hwy in the city about 16-18mpg. I highly recommend the Kia Sedona. After owning several mini vans this one is my favorite.

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  wont get burned again - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By cobbra2000 - December 14 - 12:10 am

  I bought my spectra used with about 20,000 miles on it, so this reduced my warranty to 60,000. as soon as I hit about 70,000 it started to happen. My airbag light came on, check engine light, catalytic converter went out, and that is 800 dollars before installation, knocking on the front end, the motor has a bad knock, alternator, and a rear brake light that goes out once a week, and the cam shaft sensor, and crank sensor. This was the worst mistake of my life. First I would say do not buy a kia, and if you do, get rid of it before the warranty runs out. They sell it to you cheap and then stick it to you when it breaks down, what ever you get fixed will cost about a quarter of the car cost.

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  Im a New Kia Fan! - 2006 Kia Optima
  By Seth - December 13 - 7:36 am

  I love my Optima. I bought it 3yrs. old with 32k miles. It now has 37k miles. Its been a very enjoyable car. Although its a midsize family sedan, its fun to drive with its mildly sporty character. The 4cyl. has plenty of pep and returns good mileage for a car this size. Fuel economy has ranged from 27-34mpg. Thats with about 80% hwy driving. The 5-spd manual is not all that great in terms of feel, but makes the car more fun to drive. The suspension is firm, yet rides smoothly. On bumps and rough roads however, it feels too harsh. Steering feel is fairly tight and responsive, but could be better at lower speeds. Brakes feel great. Seats are very comfortable, but lack lumbar support.

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  Dont buy a Kia!!!!! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By maureen26 - December 13 - 1:07 am

  I bought my Kia used. So of course the 100,000 mile warranty was not valid. I have poured so much money into this vehicle over the 3 years Ive owned it. I maintain it properly, oil changes, new tires, etc. Well, I just found out the entire rear axle and differential completely rusted/rotted away to nothing. The only thing holding up the car was a shock! I truly believe this car was made poorly with cheap metal. Kia will not help me or stand behind the cars they build. When replacing the rear axle the mechanic found a part that was manufactured wrong in the factory and put on backwards. Again, KIA stands behind nothing! I could have purchased a rental car with all of the times Ive had one.

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  never thought Id drive a Kia - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By sx_dude - December 12 - 5:56 pm

  Bought a Sportage SX last week. Was looking for a small SUV with some punch, decent fuel economy and a cooled seat for summer days. Only thing I sould find was the Lincoln MKX but didnt want to spend 50K. SX model has 256 hp and 264 torque - it moooooves! Still on first tank of gas so not sure about fuel ratings yet. Several comments from people at work! Kias qualty seems to have come around a lot lately. Traded my BMW 328xi and actually got better 0-60 acceleration, better gas mileage at almost half the cost! Stereo sounds great!

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  Koup great value - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Gary - December 12 - 6:53 am

  Been driving my Koup for about 3 weeks now and I must say that this is a nice car. The build quality is very good with no squeaks or rattles yet. The 2.4L engine is quite peppy and the 5 speed automatic transmission is responsive. The radio sounds very good for a base system and the standard Sirius satellite radio makes it very enjoyable. The cloth sport seats are comfortable and seem to be high quality. There are a few details that show where cost cutting was implemented such as no real carpeting in the car. The floor is covered with some type of fuzzy material, although carpeted floor mats are standard. Also, the silver parts of the alloy wheels are actually plastic inserts.

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  My Kia - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Marla999 - December 11 - 6:10 am

  I have not had any problems with it. I wish it had better gas mileage. I am very happy with it.

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  Love it! - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By kirisma - December 11 - 5:43 am

  I traded my 2004 Ford Ranger because I needed more room. I didnt want to trade but I am so glad I did. I LOVE this 2006 Kia Sportage. It is comfortable, quiet and fun to drive. Even my large (6 ft+, 300 lb) husband was comfortable on the long drive we took this last weekend. First half of trip he was the passenger, second half he was the driver.