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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  Kis is Worth its Price - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Carlos Valle - November 6 - 11:26 am

  The AC compressor has already been replaced once and the dealership and Kia know its defective because of its coil. The noises inside the van are ridiculous when driving through uneven surfaces. When test driving, make sure you take rough roads to drive on. Once the plastic coverings of the inside of the van are taken off, the feel and interior noise increases dramatically.

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  My 2007 Rondo - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Ron - November 5 - 5:00 pm

  My wife liked my Rondo so much that a year after I owned mine she went out and bought one too. The car gives a nice ride with great visibility. The seating is very comfortable, especially on long trips. I seem to get about 33 mpg when the freeway is functioning as intended. The wide 16" tires give a pretty good ride over our dilapidated roads. We have plenty of room for our family of three to pack up all our camping gear and head for the hills. We bought both on sale ad at $12,999 each, look for sales. Highly recommended. Cons: warped brake pad causes vibration when braking. Newer problem as steering has light knock when turning wheel left.

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  Little Quirks - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By mycar34 - November 5 - 10:28 am

  After reading several of the reviews I had to commit on several of your issues ... I am unable to clean the windshield/dash to stop the reflecting. On sunny days its dangerous. I have tried several high end windshield cleaners and nothing has helped. Unexplained noise ... Its been driving me nuts since I bought the vehicle. It rattles even the slightest bump in the road. I think, I figured it out. The glove box rattles. I used some heavy paper and jammed it in and it helps. The interior ... It scratches terrible. Anything leaves a mark! I dread the reduced trade in value due to scratches.

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  Not bad at all - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By KiaKonvert - November 4 - 5:26 pm

  Traded a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo V8 for a 2WD Sportage back in 2005. We already owned a Kia Sedona minivan, and have short commutes, so were not put off by Kias less than stellar mileage. I use it to carry a load of sailboard equipment on the roof and it drives well under that load. This SUV is reliable and very safe. Unfortunately, it has been in three crashes, but is built like a tank and appears to be very repairable. Not a single issue with either car except Hankook tires, which are just serviceable. I recommend an upgrade to a good truck tire. (We also have a Honda CR-V)

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  Perfect - 2008 Kia Rio
  By ct, new york - November 4 - 11:46 am

  Replaced a 02 Hyundai Elantra manual which would have cost too much to fix. I am pleased on how far Kia has come. The car surpasses so many of the past vehicles that I have owned inc my 00 civic. Get the power package, worth the money. No problems on the highway, road noise is low. I love driving my Kia in Bright Blue and passing everyone else, kinda obnoxious and saving gas at the same time.

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  9 month review - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By darda71 - November 2 - 1:33 pm

  I purchased my Sorento March 2010 I now have 5,000 miles.. I do enjoy the vehicle except there a many rattles inside and the ride seems to be a bit harsh..not very comfortable.. The 4-cy is just adequate.. My car does not like to go up any hills/inclines.. the engine revs up to 4-5000 rpm and will not shift until I get to the top. Gas mileage is around 18mpg nothing great. Waiting to see how the AWD will be in the snow/ice. So far not overly satisfied with the vehicle.. but not the worst choice either.. I would like a better engine and better ride.

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  First Impressions - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By happi81 - October 29 - 6:26 pm

  I purchased the Sportage EX with the Leather/Navigation package which gives you all the toys and still came in under $30k. They present a great value when looking at price, features, and warranty but at the same time they look amazing...at least in my opinion. However, here are the cons for me. 1. Our volume button on the steering wheel broke within 2 weeks 2. Rear dimming lights are too dim. Cant really see anything except for headlights of other vehicles. 3. Almost impossible to navigate through back window.. too small 4. Seatbelt indicator is beyond annoying, beeps incessantly. 5. Seatbelt on the passenger side bangs against door when not in use. 6. Ride is very stiff and unforgiving

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  Great Value - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By Kev.NY - October 28 - 4:56 pm

  I purchased this vehicle this past June so wanted to give it time before passing judgement. The peace of mind of having such a great warranty is priceless, and the added value of such a good MPG vehicle (getting 29 to 34) was an important factor. The controls are in easy reach, and the vehicle drives very comfortably. The interior is spacious and overall very pleasant to drive. I purchased the gold color with black and tan interior which gives off a mature but stylish feel to the vehicle. I never thought I would say this but so far this vehicle from Kia is a pleasure to drive.

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  vegas daily driver - 2002 Kia Rio
  By vegas driver - October 27 - 10:26 pm

  Great little vehicle. Gets 35 mpg mixed city driving. Was a vehicle from michigan and had little spots of rust on trunk, undercarraige. replaced breaks, wipers, basic items. May need Motor mounts eventually. 1st car Ive had without p/w, p/l. Compact little car I use synthetic oil for daily driving. Avg.300 miles on 9 gal tank. Wish it had criuse as an option. Nice little vehicle for the money and certainly for the year. Could see another 100k, with minimal costs involved. Oh,A/C great on 1st setting here in the desert!

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  Electronics a problem - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Thomas Ewell - October 25 - 11:45 pm

  The BSD console has a problem and it does not register in the cars computer. The manufacturer is reluctant to repair it. We will return the car under the Lemon law after 3 months if they refuse to repair it.