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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  2014 Cadenza w/Technology Package - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By 6406nb - June 2 - 7:48 pm

  It has been about three weeks and 1000 miles since I leased this new Cadenza. If someone would have told me 6 months ago I would be driving a Kia, I would have told them they were crazy. But I read about it in some comparison tests and was driving past the dealer, so I randomly stopped to take a look. I was impressed with the aggressive style, and the smoky blue metallic had me hooked. They pulled it right out of the showroom and off we went for a test drive. As a very loyal Toyota and Lexus owner for over 20 years, and the lack of aggressiveness (especially Lexus on the ES) to make a deal pushed me over the line and away I went in the new Cadenza.

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  Underestimated - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Ronin - June 2 - 6:10 am

  I was a bit wary about buying this car especially when Im used to BMW and Audi. I was surprised with the elasticity of the 1.5 L engine with its 97 BHP. In a world that is dominated by V6s and V8s you understand. With the fuel prices soaring like they are, and commuting 66 miles a day this is definitely a welcome change to the 17mpg average I was getting on a 95 Rodeo. It gets an average of 33mpg! The only thing I noticed is driving in excess of 70mph I get a howling through the window. This car is definitely worth the money I invested in it. Bought it with just a little over 60k miles on it.

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  Gotta love the warranty - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By NL - May 30 - 10:50 am

  I have driven 42.000 miles in my Kia and have enjoyed most of them. The engine literally died in December and the dealer replaced it completely, zero cost to me, other than the lack of the vehicle for a month. I tow a camper with it.

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  Umm!! - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By gd1 - May 27 - 6:24 am

  Well I purchased the 2011 Kia Sportage LX in August 2010 and I must say the firmness of the SUV was an issue with me. I enjoyed the Navigation and Satellite but it wasnt enough for me to keep the car due to my monthly payments. It was great in the snow. I hope my trade in was worth it. Bye Bye Kia!

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  Okay for short-term - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By crazychemist78 - May 26 - 6:36 pm

  We bought this car new in 2001, mainly for the price, fuel economy and warranty. Handled pretty well, a bit underpowered but the manual tranny helped. Interior very cheap. Seats bent easily, vents broke easily, cupholder was awful, shifter skirt broke easily. Entire brake system minus master cylinder replaced three times. A/C system blew a hose. Doors froze constantly in winter. Recently lost power, found that both catalytic converters (yes there are 2!) had gone out and were blocking exhaust after the car heated up. This of course fried the spark plugs, wires, and coil packs. Dealer wanted $2100 just to fix this issue, used it to buy another car instead (not a Kia.)

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  My old Sorento! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Brian - May 26 - 6:33 pm

  Great SUV for the money. In its 2nd year, I did have a problem with my heater not putting out hot air, with my leather wrapped steering wheel coming unraveled, and a prong on my fuse box breaking. The dealer has been no help getting these fixed--I took it to Cartown, got a rental car, and when I came back they said it was ready to go and everything was fixed. I got home and discovered NOTHING was fixed. :( The vehicle itself has been great--you can have little problems like this with any model of vehicle. The dealership has been pretty bad.

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  Fine looking car - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Still happy - May 26 - 10:00 am

  Unique styling.. Risk takers only need apply! Great sound system. Roomy interior and nicely appointed.

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  Kia Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By NPierce628 - May 26 - 10:00 am

  I love my Kia Sorento. I get lots of compliments and everyone says it looks like a Lexus L300 without the high cost. I just took it on a trip up into the mountains of Tennessee and had no problems at all. It handled very well and was fun to drive up and down the mountains. There were three of us and everyone was comfortable. The Luxury Leather package is well worth the extra money.

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  All MPG Advertizments are Lies!!! - 2012 Kia Optima
  By kirk700 - May 24 - 8:50 pm

  I have logged 17,000+ miles on my 2012 KIA Optima. I love the car, 100% reliable and very comfortable. Im glad I chose it over the Accord and Fusion. That said, the window sticker read 26 city, 36 Hwy MPG. I am in sales and travel between 100 to 400 miles a day. 30% city and 70% Hwy. The best I have ever recorded is 30mpg. The worst is 24 mpg. My opinion, these figures are closer to what should be printed on the window sticker.

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  Kia Optima 2012 Excitement gone - 2012 Kia Optima
  By nccarowner - May 23 - 1:56 pm

  I bought the Optima EX after looking around for months. My excitement of owning the car is down now. I do not get the advertised mpg even if I coast & go just under the speed limit. The dealers have given me the same rehearsed response about MPG. My 2000 accord could hold the road better & get better gas mileage. I only get 28-29 on the highway at 65 mph. The onramp I have to wait to accelerate compared to my 12yr old honda accord. I have to go a min of 5mph slower or there is huge oversteer. The paint on the car is easily chipped off. I get compliments on the looks but Im stuck in the car. Charger has a better ride but seats arent as nice & it got 32mpg when I tested it for 2 days