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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  LOT OF CAR FOR MONEY - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By bob - February 28 - 6:06 am

  I bought this car for 10,500. Only 13k miles and car was like new. Traded a 07 versa and what a difference. I get38mpg on highway with ac on. Great quiet, tight ride. Smooth ride for a small car. Styling and comfort are very good.Sound system is great. No regrets.

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  LOVE this car! - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Me Me - February 26 - 2:03 am

  We just got this car about 2 weeks ago. And i truly love it. It is so easy to drive. I dont have a bad thing to say. Awesome car for the $$$ Would recommend this to anyone!!

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  PROUD KIA SEDONA OWNER - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Cheryl Johnson - February 24 - 2:00 am

  I AM SO PROUD OF MY SEDONA. I FEEL AS IF I KNOW A SECRECT THAT THE OWNERS OF WINDSTARS, CARAVANS AND OTHER MINI VANS DONT. YOU CAN OWN A QUALITY PRODUCT AND NOT HAVE TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF EXTRA DOLLARS TO GET IT. MY SEDONA IS CLASSY, SPORTY, ROOMY AND RIDES LIKE A DREAM. THE BEST PART IS YOU DONT SEE THEM AT EVERY STOP LIGHT. I FEEL PROUD TO BE DIFFERENT. I LOVE MY KIA!!!

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  Great SUV - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By bigpoppadk - February 24 - 2:00 am

  Anyone looking for a midsize SUV should take a look at the Kia Sorento. I at looked them all and th Kia was the best value. I bought the EX model fully loaaded. I have had it for a week and so far my wife and I love our Sorento. Dont be put off by the fact it is a Kia, the warrenty sold me. I will keep you posted on how my Sorento is doing,

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  Excellent Value - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By jcox3296 - February 24 - 2:00 am

  Have only had my Sorento for a few days, but I already know this is a keeper. Excellent styling inside and out! Awesome features for the price. Overall I think I have made a wise decision to buy the Sorento

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  GREAT CAR - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By HANKSOLO - February 24 - 2:00 am

  BEFORE BUYING THE CAR I DID MY HOMEWORK, AND WHEN I WENT TO THE SHOW ROOM I WAS REALLY IMPRESS, THE TRUCK HANDLE A LOT BETTER THAN EXPECTED, I COULDNT GO BACK TO MY FORD, SO I TOOK IT HOME AND I HAVE NOT REGRETED FOR A MOMENT, THE WARRANTY IS THE ICING ON THE CAKE,FUEL THIRSTY BUT NOT MORE THAN ANY BIG V6...

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  great car - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By tsedhun - February 22 - 3:46 am

  Im a Toyota guy for the past ten years, I owned three different Toyotas, Camry, 2 4runner, but let me tell what Kia sorento totally blown me away with its looks and performance. I traded in my 4runner and got Sorento 2011, it was smart move because Toyota dealership was too spoiled and very bad customer service. Im very pleased with my Kia sorento 2011 purchase, I got sorento v6 ex awd, and it has all the goodies and Im loving it. I would highly recommend sorento 2011 for all those new car buyers, you should check it out and test drive. Youll definitely fall in love with it. And its make in usa. You go sorento.

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  And we just keep rollin... - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By jenners1 - February 21 - 4:23 pm

  I bought my 2006 kia spectra brand new with 53 miles on it. I change the oil every 4000 miles, change the transmission fluid every 80,000 miles. I didnt have to put new brakes on until 120,000 miles. At 150,000 miles I had her tuned up. I decided at 185,00 miles I should put new belts on it. The check engine light came on at around 85000 miles still under warranty took in for new O2 sensor. The check engine light came back on just after 100,000 miles and its been on ever since, sooner or later its gotta burn out right? still waiting for that but she runs like the day I bought it. We are currently at 265000 miles and still rolling

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  Great Car - 2011 Kia Forte
  By lorri66 - February 21 - 2:35 pm

  I was not in the market for a Kia and had no intention of buying one. I had my heart set on a new Honda Civic but decided to test drive the Kia Forte to compare against the Honda. The Kia turns out to have vastly more features than the Honda including, bluetooh, Sirius radio, cruise control, internet capability to name a few. Plus the warranty on the Kia is far better than what you would normally get with a Honda. And at the dealership I went to Dick Hannah Kia in Vancouver Washington they offer you free tires for life and other services that I have never heard of with any other dealership. My salesman was very knowledgeable and seemed to really care about me. Thank you Luis.

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  Practical and Roomy - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Darkstar01 - February 20 - 10:20 pm

  Just bought the Rondo Ex V6 5 seater in Urban Gray. This 5 seater is very comfortable. So far it has been everything Id expected and more. It drives well, is quick enough to weave through traffic with enough glass to see everything. Without the 3rd row seat you get extra storage under the floor which is perfect for hiding stuff like laptops. With the back seat down it is perfect for a couple of big dogs and tons of stuff. With the seats up it is not a bad place to be for big people. The Rondo EX looks are... ah, it has a nice "personality". OK, it looks better than the LX. Overall I really like it. The manual-matic even makes it fun to drive. Tons of space.