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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  You get what you pay for - 2002 Kia Optima
  By DAVIDR - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for one year with no problems yet. It is very responsive on the highway and in the city. I love the sport shift. A very comfortable and quiet car. The only problem I see with it is the resell value. The darn thing has virtually no resale value. Only time will tell on reliability. After one year and 45000 miles it is a pleasure to own.

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  Go test drive! You shall be satisfied. - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By song - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I have looked for everywhere to find the model I want - Bright silver colored 4WD EX model with the Luxury Package. It meets every aspects of my HIGH expectation! Go and test drive it yourself and you will find that paying $27,000 for the model is a steal.

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  Best Bang for Your Buck! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By LR - October 21 - 1:23 am

  The Kia Spectra5 is by far the best small wagon in its class. Great styling and looks, practical and fun. I love the way it handles - it turns on a dime. Its a zippy little wagon, with just enough get up and go. Excellent on gas mileage. Pretty good choice of exterior colors.

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  really impressed so far - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By savital - October 20 - 9:20 pm

  Havent owned it long, but so far more impressive than expected. Plenty of pep and super-quiet for the mondo freeway driving I do. Amazing fuel economy. Forget the EPA rating, I get 34mpg in mixed driving with the AC on most of the time! Picked it up for less than $11,000, with AC, CD and auto included. Lots of room, both front and back seats. Yes, the exterior and interior are simple, plain vanilla. I like that; pragmatism rules. And Ill agree that this is less solidly made than a Toyota. But for $5,000 less, well worth it! The lack of ABS, though, is shameful. All cars should have ABS standard these days; law should require it. CU gives good reliability ratings.

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  Very happy so far - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By Jaysan Anderson - October 20 - 7:39 am

  I have had my Sorento for a few months now and I still love driving it. I like the handling, the lack of road/wind noise, and all the extras that came with the LX model. Mine also came with the 3rd row seat package. The 3rd row is pretty small, but I love how the whole middle row can slide forward and back to give the 3rd row a little more room if needed. With that option, it makes having bigger people in the back a little more realistic. The 4 cylinder engine is surprisingly strong(though I havent driven the V6) and it is enough power for most peoples needs. If price isnt a concern, obviously the V6 would be the way to go. As of now, I plan to keep buying Sorentos in the future.

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  Loving my Optima so far. - 2013 Kia Optima
  By dps1961 - October 20 - 4:47 am

  I havent bought a new car since 1982 but after the repair bills on my last two BMWs, I decided to go this route. The BMW repair center I used was close to work so I parked it and walked past the KIA dealership to work. I kept looking at the Optimas as I walked by and thought they were beautiful sedans. After my last $850 repair bill I decided to give them a test drive. I didnt expect them to drive and ride as well as my 545i, and they didnt, but I was happily surprised at how well it did perform. I have been averaging over 35 mpg on the highway so I am very happy. I also enjoy the fact I can use regular gasoline instead of the premium that I had to use in my BMW.

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  2007 LX no troubles even at 93,000 miles - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Sue Peterson - October 19 - 4:32 pm

  all it needs is oil changes and tires. Never even had to replace brakes. Did do the struts as corners were mushy. Cheapest car to run that I have ever owned.

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  Book by its cover - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Ed - October 19 - 1:50 am

  If it ran all the time, this would be the best small SUV on the market. Its well appointed. It drives beautifully. Its powerful and not to bad on gas. All in all, Id say Kia is on the right track. Theres only one drawback. It must have been built by a drunken monkey on Monday morning after a long weekend. The headlights burn out in pairs every 3-4 months. Im on transmission number 3 and the radio needed to be replaced after 9 months. The most aggravating thing is the alarm system which has a mind of its own. Its been 2 years and it still triggers whenever it feels like it (2AM in the garage or on the highway at 65 MPH) leaving you stranded until a tow truck takes it home to KIA.

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  They should have named it Kia Steal - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Jay Sojdelius - October 18 - 6:33 pm

  In terms of what you get for the money, this car is a steal. We wanted to spend around $15K and were resigned to buying a used car until we decided to test-drive the Soul. While initially skeptical of the Kia brand from a quality standpoint, the test-drive completely won us over. Sure, it doesnt ride like a luxury car and some of the materials may not be top-of-the-line, and its certainly no sports car, but we nevertheless found it to be fun and peppy and reasonably comfortable to drive. Its got plenty of room even for taller drivers (Im 64") and the seats are nice and supportive. The features are amazing at this price point (satellite radio, Bluetooth, mp3 jack and a killer sound system)

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  Love my 2004 Kia! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By LOVE my Kia! - October 18 - 12:50 pm

  I drive an hour each way every day to get to work and back. I cannot tell you how much nicer my Kia has made this daily trip. All I can say is the car has never let me down and is simply a pleasure to drive. When I get another Kia I hope it will be set up for alternative fuels because that is the only thing they could possibly improve as far as I am concerned. Keep up the good work, Kia! Hey, how about throwing in a free set of tires every three years or so? That would be perfect! Thanks again.