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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  Kia Optima - 2006 Kia Optima
  By Adam - December 3 - 5:03 pm

  Great car for your money. The 4 cylinder drives like a V6. I would recommend this vehicle to anybody.

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  KIA SORENTO A GREAT SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By diego - December 3 - 10:26 am

  After doing some research on the SUV market we chose the Kia. It has great looks, very good ride, excellent engine performance and an overall quality that I would expect from a more expensive SUV. The interior is very well planned and the materials are of very good quality. The Sorento is built on a truck frame giving it a firm ride that I like. It truly is a good off road truck that I can depend on in all types of conditions.

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  I wish I could Take it BACK - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By bmterre - December 3 - 8:53 am

  I bought this vehicle because I needed a bigger vehicle. At the dealership I did a test drive around the block. Everything was ok. The external look for this car was verrrry ugly. But I needed a bigger car for my family. I later noticed that when I drove it o the freeway I have to steer more to the left to keep from FLOATING into the other lane. I just figured it was all of a sudden very windy outside. But of course it wasnt. The storage in the back Im not too fond of. I can hear everything sliding back n forth. Did I mention I hate the way the outside looks. Im use to a car that when u start to drive the doors lock, but this car doesnt. Think hard before u buy, i dont c to many around!

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  Worth Every Penny - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Rustycg - December 2 - 2:00 am

  We have had the Van for almost a year now and have yet to have a single problem. After almost 10k miles it still makes us smile. It has alot of power for a van and alot of exelent features. Maby we are lucky but on our trips and just around town we have had above average fuel consumption. Averaging around 24mpg on the highway and about 19pmg in the city. So I will not say fuel consumption is a problem for me. GET ONE!! Youll be glad you did!! Good job Kia, and since the Sorento has the same engine we may just buy one of them here soon.

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  KIA - Keepsake, Innovative, Affordable - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Carla Copeland - December 2 - 2:00 am

  I broke down near the KIA dealership on my way to Toyota to look at their 4- Runner. I had no idea of the changes and upgrades that KIA made. Approx. 3 hours later, I was the PROUD owner of a new KIA Sorento. I have all the luxury of the "more popular" SUVs at an affordable price. What I love most is how people look at the vehicle, trying to figure out what it is........

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  The Warranty Was A Necessity - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By Not Happy - November 29 - 4:16 pm

  I bought my 2000 Kia Sephia new from the Kia Dealership in Grand Rapids and my first transmission went out before 30,000 miles. I am currently on my fifth transmission. I have had the exhaust system replaced and countless brake jobs. The first four transmissions were replaced in Kalamazoo (while I was at college), and the service was less than stellar. I was never offered a rental while the work was being done on the car. While living back in Grand Rapids I must say that the customer service has been much better however the car continues to be a gamble. Will it get me where I need to go?

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  Great car! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Carl - November 28 - 5:00 pm

  Havent had the car long, but so far Im impressed. It rides nicely and seems to have good handling. It has nice pickup, but shakes ever so slightly sometimes at a stop light. (Not always, but sometimes. Not sure if its a design flaw or not.) So far, I think Id buy another one. Got away from the Fords because of their poor gas mileage. Wanted to go with American, but few have good mpg and are cheap enough to afford.

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  Sorry But MPG Sucks - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By electricnow - November 28 - 2:58 pm

  The vehicle is great in every other way other than The MPG. My wife drives it most of the time and we both get the same results. 21-22.5 city and Hwy. The 22.5 was all interstate, two people in the car with no cargo. I am 61 yrs young and have had many brands of vehicles over the years and have had only two, Honda and Toyota that got the claimed MPG. I looked at the Honda CR-V but they would not give us enough for the trade and would not knock off enough on the car.

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  Best kept secret - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Wm. Howell - November 27 - 10:20 pm

  I went from an Infiniti to a Lexus to my Amanti. Hands down this vehicle is quieter and has a smoother ride than my previous vehicles. Time will tell as to whether or not it is as reliable. Even though it is a new model, I feel secure with the 10 year warranty. I get a lot of stares and thumbs up driving it. I it just an all-round beautiful vehicle.

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  Good alternative to a scooter - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By libby - November 26 - 9:10 pm

  This is a good little commuter car. It is perfect for tooling around town in, but gets rather noisy/buzzy when at higher speeds. The ride is okay at slower speeds, but gets the small car choppy ride on the highway. It is a commuter/errand runner and no more. Have only had a few minor electrical problems (fuse box, starter, and alt) in the 48k miles Ive owned it, but nothing major. Follow Kias recommended maintenance carefully if you want the warranty, and change the auto transmission fluid sooner than what Kia recommends, as I had a hard shift problem that a fluid change fixed (15k before recommended change). It fits both tall and short drivers well.