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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  The Optimal Choice for Minivan Haters - 2015 Kia Sedona
  By Park - April 20 - 9:17 am

  My wife hated wagons and minivans and swore to never drive one. Then we had our first kid and I convinced her to go with a wagon for the extra cargo room and grew to really appreciate it. So when we had our second child a few years later, the wife readily agreed to a minivan upgrade after having had seen the light. It just made sense since having to deal with multiple child seats, strollers, kid gear, and hauling parents/in-laws with a single vehicle. But since Im the primary driver on the weekends, any old minivan wouldnt do. What I really like about the Kia Sedona SX-L is the SUV-like styling (exterior, cockpit, center console), luxury accommodations (cooled seats, soft-touch surfaces, Napa leather -- something not even offered on a 3-series BMW, but available as an expensive upgrade on the 550i), safety/convenience/technology features (360 camera view with rearward turning radius, blind spot monitoring, collision warning and rear cross-traffic alerts, proximity keyless entry/start, smart lift gate), performance (strong engine with passing power, relatively nimble handling), and value (cheaper than competition with long warranty). Theres plenty of room in the third row seats for adults to boot. Weve owned it for 13-months now without any problems or reliability issues. Things we dont like: drive-by-wire throttle input delays; tiny interior conversation mirror; occasionally laggy infotainment system; difficult to move second row captains chairs; cheap-feeling plastic chair controls; Lack of steering wheel transmission paddle controls; poor visibility of blind spot indicators in bright sunlight; lack of sunglasses holders; LED "positioning lights" only come on with the headlights; and the rear suspension bounces over bumps even when fully loaded with passengers.

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  Love our 2012 Sorento - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By jj812 - April 20 - 6:49 am

  We have had our Sorento for a few days now. All i can say is, dont hesitate, buy this SUV. I love it, we have 4 kids and the 3rd row seat is very nice. I was a little nervous having a 4 cyl. in a Mid sized SUV but all the worries were quickly squashed. I dont know what the other reviewers were talking about when they said the 4 cyl Sorento was under powered, its not. Try it for your self youll be impressed. The ride is very smooth, the seats are comfy and overall its just a very good looking SUV. Oh, the sound system is awesome! The only thing they should change, is to put a luggage rack on all models. I hope this helps someone, you wont be disappointed.

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  Step aside lux X-overs - there is new King in town - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Netscorer - April 20 - 1:06 am

  Kia has outdone themselves with new Sorento. Its a perfect size crossover - huge trunk in 5 seater configuration and always available fairly comfortable 3rd row to haul up to 7 adults. Very blunt front and rear minimize exterior dimensions to assist in parking, while providing the same interior dimensions as much larger Highlander. Comfort on the top trim SXL is rivaling premium crossovers from Japanese and American carmakers. Compare Sorento with Lexus RX, Lincoln MKX or Acura MDX and you will find that Sorento matches them feature by feature, seat comfort, road noise isolation, technology and ride. All while costing $10K less MSRP. Considering that KIA & dealers are also providing very aggressive discounts from MSRP, you can easily save $15K by forgoing the prestige brand logo. Sorentos Adaptive Cruise Control is also considerably better then competition - keeping distance reliably and supporting full stop & go traffic where most of the competition cuts out below 15mph. Ride quality is excellent - assertive, yet soft enough to forget road imperfections. Acceleration for V6 Direct injection engine matched with 6-speed automatic is excellent too. Starting up hill or overtaking cars on the highway is piece of cake. Fuel consumption could be better, but at least the listed specs are very conservative. My V6 AWD trim is rated 17/23/19 combined and so far in the first 9,000 miles of mixed driving with plenty of traffic and AC on I am averaging 21mpg. 2017 model adds Adaptive headlamps that swivel in the curves to provide better illumination and Autonomous Emergency Breaking that keeps an eye on the traffic ahead and will apply brakes automatically if it feels that collision is imminent. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also come standard and greatly enhance available infotainment system. Otherwise 2017 is indistinguishable from 2016 redesign model. Huge panoramic sunroof goes beyond second row of seats and provides great sky views for passengers in all rows. My only pet peeve with it is that it is controlled by single lever. So if you want to just open blind, but leave the sunroof closed, you cant. Once you push the button to open the blind, the roof starts to open automatically and you need to go back and forth to achieve what you want. Another perplexing omission in US is absence of DRLs. There is an LED brow light on Sorento that acts as DRL in all regions outside US, but in US it is can not be turned on without full headlight. So you either drive with your lights off, or you need to turn on main headlights. Its a mystery why KIA decided to disable this feature in US.

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  Finally an affordable, great minivan - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Don Key - April 19 - 10:00 am

  To bad it had to come from Korea. American car manufacturers could learn a lot if they checked out the overseas competition. I have researched and driven every minivan on the market including the almighty Honda and could never justify the price tags until I read about and drove the Kia Sedona. The first weekend we owned it we put 600 miles on it. The Kia drove, rode and performed beyond my expectations. Of course only time will tell how well this van holds up but with the warranty that it has, the 5 year roadside assistance plus the $7,000.00 to $10,000.00 we saved I can sleep well at night.

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  in my soul - 2012 Kia Soul
  By Jeffrey - April 19 - 9:10 am

  I bought this car for my wife and like every other car, I end up with it when she outgrows it. I am a car guy, owning a chevelle convertible, camaros and a nova, this is not a car I would go looking for. But I like it. It is easy to work on. I changed the brakes before noon last Saturday. The oil and filter are right up front. It drives tight with a nice build of torque through the low to mid range. Mine is the + model which has every useful piece of tech in it but no screen, which in my opinion is far worse than a physical nob. The false speaker in the middle is a terrible design since it is a focal point of the dash, I will figure out something creative to do with that. Good car.

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  Happy Happy - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By Dave - April 17 - 6:46 am

  Had the Sportage a little over a month now. Taken one long-distance trip. Great handling, smooth ride. Good fit and finish. No initial flaws. Converted from a PT Cruiser.

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  A lot for the money - 2004 Kia Rio
  By samwise - April 16 - 10:00 am

  After a lot of searching for an inexpensive and economical car, I feel that the Kia Rio Cinco can not be beat. It turns on a dime, gets 31 mpg, excellent sound system and the A/C is COLD. All around its a bargain.

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  Skeptical until.... - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By a3photogod - April 16 - 10:00 am

  I bought one. Only have it 3 days. LX 5 speed with Sport Pack. What a blast! My wife was set on a minivan until she saw the Sorento and drove it. She sums it up best when she said, "I didnt know Kia made such a nice vehicle". Do what we did. Get the Sorento and a roof carrier at Sears for $150. You now have the room of the van, but the finest mid-sized SUV under you. Shifts like a truck, ride is great, we absolutely love it. Ruby red metallic looks hot, styling is awesome, too many features and extras to mention! Great value! If you are considering one, go drive it, you will love it! What a SUV is supposed to be. Thank you KIA!!

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  Love my Lexus look-a-like! - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Tami - April 15 - 7:50 pm

  Ive had my Sorento for 2 weeks now and I love it! Its so much fun to drive. Theres plenty of room, however the vehicle itself doesnt feel too big or "trucky". Its handles great and the styling inside and out is awesome (take a look at the Lexus SUVs, aside from the emblems theyre almost identical to the Sorento).

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  Best Budget Minivan - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By BenInKorea - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Uninformed reviews say this is SedonaÂ’s first year. It has been manufactured in Korea as the Carnival for over five years. Most kinks are gone. A lot of research went into this one. We bought a Blue 2002 EX with ABS, Moonroof, Cloth seats, and one-tone finish for $21.8K. We took it from Omaha to St Louis for a week and back and loved it the whole way.