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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  A winner for the money - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By JoeD - May 23 - 12:53 am

  Rides and handles well for a medium size SUV. I disagree with those who say the 4 cyl is slow. We have no problems either in town or the mountains although mileage could be better. Lots of standard features for the money. More room than a Subaru Forester and those bring a premium price here in the NE.

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  Really Fun Car! - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By helenk49 - May 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Sportage for three years and I love it. It has a remarkable turning radius and is so much fun to drive. It has a tow capacity of 2000 pounds so it easily pulls my small tent trailer.

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  Very nice car/ tremendous deal! - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Kevinthelucky - May 17 - 2:00 am

  I was shopping for the cheapest car that would hold 4 decent sized adults. It had to have 4 doors/auto/air and a decent warrantee. I bought the car without checking road tests in magazines etc. . What a nice car! Good balance of fuel economy and speed. It looks nice. The GSX in black looks really nice! Rides pretty good. Doesnt handle like a sports car-more like a smaller Taurus. Feels solid, doors shut with a solid sound. Good controls and really nice standard drivers seat with some worthwhile adjustments. In short a smallish car that work well and doesnt fell cheap.

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  Good Car For The Price - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Navydad54 - May 17 - 2:00 am

  I think its a good car with a killer warranty.

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  Pros and Cons - 2011 Kia Forte
  By 2011kiaforte - May 14 - 6:27 pm

  I purchased my 2011 Forte EX in January and there are some things I like but others I dont. It is a great city car. If you drive daily on the highway be cautious of strong winds especially when behind an 18-wheeler. It seems to be too aerodynamic and lite in my opinion. I have already been in an accident that cost the other driver about $1,500 to fix a small dent in my drivers door that wasnt hit very hard to begin with. I downgraded from a Volvo S60 so Im not as happy with this car as I was my last, but for a college student driving to and from work and school it is a very reasonable car, although I am looking to trade it in for the Optima at the end of the year.

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  One year follow up - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By cgladdue - May 12 - 11:33 am

  It has been a year,14k miles, since buying the Sorento. The car was amazing up until 6,000 miles and 5 service notifications later. We have had service letters for everything from electrical wiring to replacing every light bulb from bumper to bumper. Granted KIA has been great about fixing everything but a new car should never need a new transmission at 7k miles. Even with the new transmission we still have issues with putting the car into reverse and some random rpm surges while driving. We are also experiencing excessive raddeling in the interior and wearing of plastic components. We are chalking this up to the fact that this was one of the first Sorentos off the line, growing pains.

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  Tire Issue - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By eve - May 8 - 11:00 pm

  Love most everything about the car except having to change the tires so often. Have 112K on it and have changed out 4 sets. Redid struts & still going through tires.

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  Not bad for a cheap car - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Cheap Car - May 7 - 12:36 pm

  Bought it used for my wife to commute in with 44K on it. It now has 86K on it and is still running strong.That pesky check engine light goes on and off when it feels like it.It must be something minor because it has no effect on performance or gas mileage.Other than normal maintenance I have had no problems with it. I did notice that in hot, hot weather the speedo and tack go wacky for a while. I have changed the transmission oil twice and have had no problems with it after reading about transmission problems other owners have had. I must have got a descent one because I do not have all the problems that other Kia owners have.

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  New Kia - 2008 Kia Rio
  By Ex SUV owner - May 6 - 12:16 am

  My wife and I just recently purchased a 2008 Kia Rio and traded in her 01 Ford Escape. She is very happy with the car. It cost her about half to fill the gas tank than it did before and she can drive for almost twice as long. The interior is very sporty with black and red stitched seating. My question is Why would anyone want to buy a base model Rio when the price of a almost fully loaded one isnt much more.

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  Kia? Thats right. - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By cheeks - May 4 - 1:36 pm

  Just purcahsed this vehicle this week and I have to say I never thought about Kia. I wanted a new 4Runner, but I could not get any kind of deal, but sticker plus. I was on the way home when I remembered that the Sorento redisgn for 2011 was to be released so I stop in and took one for a test drive. I am on the road about 40k miles a year for work and need a functional vehicle which will allow me to carry some samples and equipment. The one thing I love about this CUV is that it is large. I opted for the stogage in the back and no third row seating option. I have the 4 cylinder and will average about 24-25 in mixed driving. There are a lot of options for your money, great value. 0%/48.2.9%/60