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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  gift-car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By ix - December 8 - 2:00 am

  decided on a kia due to its warranty and price value. having a 10-yr warranty says this car will last or were putting our companys coffers in an jeopardy. price incentives to get kia established as a viable alternative to gotten-to-be-expensive toyotas and hondas.

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  Great Value for PRICE! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Alexjon - December 8 - 2:00 am

  Im planning to get a Sorento by the end of the year, so I test drove a fully loaded 4x2. Very good car as far as could tell in the test drive, great interior /exterior design. The interior was very rich and plush! Very similar to Lexus RX 300 as far as looks but quality will be judged in time. The exterior was very nice and very appealing, it looks in better in person than the internet pictures. Engine could be a bit more powerful but for the price its a great deal! Overall I had a great experience driving this car and I will be the owner of a Sorento very soon.

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  first new car - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By jared02 - December 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive been searching for a mid-size SUV for a year. I found the Sorento online and thought it too good to be true. Great looks and well built! Handles just as good or better than my wifes 99 Honda Accord. Fuel economy suffers. The best warranty and standeard features you can find for the price.

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  Pretty Terrible - 2003 Kia Rio
  By ultrarunner100 - December 6 - 10:19 pm

  Car had less than 90k miles when the engine failed. No power, looks terrible. Im 64" and I barely fit in the car.

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  Forte, so far so good - 2010 Kia Forte
  By victor - December 6 - 6:13 pm

  Purchase price-otd-$17,800 (not icld. My down payment) has everything except leather- think I got a good deal? Finance guy went on and on to sell me extended warranty, I bought into it to shut him up and leave then went back next day and canceled but still had to go back and forth with him about it just to cancel, way too much pressure to buy it. All in all, I drove a sephia for nine years and forte is several levels up and above Hyundai and I like it better than lancer and mazada3, esp. The price and all the extras

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  Want Mustang Back - 2009 Kia Optima
  By NotHappy - December 6 - 2:13 pm

  I had a 2007 Mustang for 3 years but after many issues and the warreny being up at that time 11 days. I was thinking of trading..found Kia for another car but ended up buying Kia Optima. The car is very good car over all but the seats are so hard and not comfortable at all. My back hurts after drving the car. I would advise really drving the car for more then a short test drive. I did drive the car 3 times however a really long drive would be better. I try to hurry up and get to where I need to go so I want have to drive the car long. The only plus is the safety/warrenty and the radio is good other then that I wish I never got this car.

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  Dont buy a Kia - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By Hank - December 5 - 4:00 pm

  Buying this Kia was the worst mistake I ever made in buying a car. The problems started right from the beginning. The inside trunk release has never worked from the start. After several attempts it was never fixed. From there things were down hill; outside car parts like the weather seal around the back window melted and shrunk. The inside dashboard is coming unglued and the front of the dashboard is popping out. The seats are coming unsewn, the so called leather is not leather - it is wearing out. This list goes on and on.

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  Good catch - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By me - December 5 - 7:40 am

  I was looking for an affordable SUV that was not a gas guzzler. The mileage is not as good as the Jeep Patriot, but for this price the Sportage is a real bargain. If your foot isnt heavy all the time, you can easily get 22-24 MPG. Kia product has dramatically improved since Hyundai bought them out.

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  My Mistake - 2006 Kia Rio
  By maryannescott - December 3 - 9:36 pm

  At 16,000 miles the battery lost a cell and left me stranded. I had the battery replaced at the dealership with out any problems,but they used another kia battery that will only last another 2 years. At 17,035 miles the transmission has started to lock up/over heat the car, will not go into overdrive and wouldnt go in to 2nd gear. I will be having it towed on monday. I had called the dealer from the road saturday and they could not help me w/a loaner car or help arrange for a rental. I had a mechanic check the trans. flui d and had 2 other people witness that it was full and we checked 3 times. I am sure it is a weak defective part just as the battery was.

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  Worst car ever - 2009 Kia Sorento
  By Chris - December 3 - 5:59 pm

  This is the worst car i have owned. Bought it two years ago with 56,000 miles on it. In two years have had to replace ac clutch and compressor. Both valve cover pan gaskets. Then the rear differential went out. After having that fixed today the alternater went out. If I didnt owe more than its worth would trade it in tomarrow.