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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  Great Value - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Jim595909 - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This is a solid suv and fun to drive. GM could take a few lessons from Kia. I always was buy American..Ive had bad expieriences with GM products costing much more then my Kia. The company should have more quality control and the uaw should figure that the rest of America cant buy products built by overpaid sloppy union workers. thank you!

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  Excellent inside and out! - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Dan K. - September 2 - 7:53 pm

  The first time I climbed in this car it reminded me of my early 2000s Audi A6 because of the layout of the dash, the shape and comfort of the seats, and the premium feel of the leather seats and steering wheel. However, when I fired it up and drove it around the block, it felt much more planted than said Audi. I have nothing but great things to say about this car! Peter Schreyer did an incredible job designing the interior of the car to make it feel like a much more expensive European SUV, and the exterior resembles the latest offerings in the category from Porsche and Audi, from the glossy black plastic fascia and foglight surroundings, to the excellent LED surrounded projectors and sexy body contours. The climate control is fantastic, and the screen is great. The front and rear seats are great, and the rears even recline for extra comfort. There are a million airbags, and nothing rattles at all. Acceleration is what is to be expected from a heavy 4-cylinder SUV, but the 6 speed auto keeps it in the rev range that maximizes torque and passing power when needed. My wife is 7 months pregnant, and I feel very comfortable knowing shes in this car when she has to go out. Fuel economy is what was to be expected, though it is probably the cars worst aspect. I average about 22MPG combined, but the car only has 2,100 miles on it, so itll work in a bit and probably increase, but it is what was advertised so I cant complain.

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  Pleasantly Surprised - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By MMcD - September 2 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car with 34k miles to replace my 05 Honda Civic, which was totaled in a highway accident. I loved my Civic, and was very squeamish about getting a replacement that could live up to its reputation, but my little Spectra has been amazing! I average 28 mpg city, 35 highway. Ive put 30,000 miles on it in a year and a half, and it hasnt had one single problem whatsoever. Regular oil changes every 3k miles, tires and gas are all the money Ive put into it, and it runs beautifully in every condition - snow, ice, 110* heat, torrential rain (thats St. Louis weather for you).

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  The Ghost... - 2010 Kia Soul
  By RandR - September 2 - 10:00 am

  My husband & I chose this car on a whim We first noticed the leather seats & color, later found out it was a special edition "Ghost". After learning about the 100 mile/10 yr warranty & Kia reputation plus safety record we said lets do it & bought it. My hubby drives it & all his buddies are impressed with how much room it has and the look. He carries his tools, golf clubs very comfortably. We like the features its fully loaded, bluetooth, sunroof, awesome stereo, etc. Drives great, he uses for work & has to drive often to sites for work, gas has been pretty good, its smaller tank than our Equinox, but mileage is fair. The ride is smooth & its a fun car for us 40+ folks.

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  WOW! What a fun car! - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Pacific NW Customer - September 2 - 2:43 am

  I bought my Spec5 from the dealership as soon as it was available. I do a LOT of business driving, and love the roominess of the hatchback when I have to carry my supplies with me. The peppy 2.0 liter engine with the 5- speed makes this car a blast to drive. Im getting almost 30 mpg in town, and closer to 35 on the open road. I havent run out of power when passing or accelerating, and it climbs in the mountains great too! Never a problem in the first 8000 miles! Love the 7500 mile oil changes, and of course the great warranty!

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  I <3 My New Soul! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By CorgiAmok - August 30 - 9:00 pm

  I just bought a 2010 Soul, I love it!! It is so cute & fun. I have driven all over the place & have not yet had to fill the gas tank. Everyone at work has gone to look at it, several people have mentioned going to look at them! My Malamute, Corgi & Giant Mutt all fit inside!

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  Pretty good minivan - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By ccfire - August 30 - 8:36 am

  Ive driven this vehicle on several long trips and have had no problems. Other that routine maintenance, its been trouble free. The mpg is a little better than advertised. Overall, Ive averaged 21 mpg. It could be better. Acceleration is very good for such a heavy vehicle. The interior is comfortable in cold or hot weather. There are several interior features that make this minivan very people/kid friendly.

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  Two words: Fun and Practical - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Lucas - August 30 - 2:43 am

  I love my Kia Spectra5! The Kia is sporty to drive and responsive in its handling. No complaints. The 5 speed manual is smooth, and the engine is surprisingly powerful. I like that the look is understated and not so in your face. It grows on you after while and I look forward getting in the car and drive to my next destination. Fit and finish and attention to detail is first rate. Very roomy for a car this size. Lots of storage and handy appointments, even "secret" compartments. Last but not least is value for money. This car costs considerably less than similarly appointed cars, like the Mazda3, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, VW Golf. Highly recommended! 5 Stars *****. :)

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  Lived a crazy life in SoCal - 2011 Kia Soul
  By Harry - August 29 - 3:19 pm

  I used to own a 2011 Soul + in Shadow Black with grey/black cloth interior. I purchased in 1/2011 and sold it on 2/2016 so I owned it for 5 years. It was probably one of the most fun cars Ive ever driven. Despite having a 4-Speed automatic while everyone else was putting in 6-Speed in the newer models. In the coarse of 5 years Its had LED fog lights, full sound system, lowering springs, 3 sets of tires, plastidip on the factory 16 and other LED interior lighting. Ive used it to drive on the canyons and beat on my buddies with sports cars proving that a box on wheels and keep up with a fr-s or bmw. But like all cars Ive driven the poor thing very hard. Tons of scratches and door dings by the time I sold it but I made sure it had the proper service taken care of at the Kia dealer. Switched to 5W-30 synthetic blend at 80K and replaced the timing belt and other belts during that time. Replaced the front rotors and pads ONCE for the front axle and the rears were still on the stock rotors since there was quite of life left in them. I guess that sad thing is that all 103,8xx miles. It has never left the state of California. 100% orange county driven. I eventually sold it carmax for $5k at that mileage and I bought a new car. Overall I recommend this car for anyone learning how to drive or just a basic city car. Its not the fastest but it will get the job done.

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  My thoughts on Kia Rio - 2004 Kia Rio
  By Sonstream - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Its fun to drive, but seems to use more fuel than I expected.