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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  Good Value - 2011 Kia Soul
  By Soul_Owner - July 8 - 10:00 am

  Ive had a 2011 Soul+ 5sp for a couple months and a few thousand miles now. It is a good value overall. Mechanically, it is a basic 4 cylinder economy car. The body design, roomy SUV-like seating position, and a generous feature list are what make the car attractive. Two consistent complaints with the 2010 model - rough ride/poor suspension and door panels that scratch up easily - have been addressed with the 2011 model. One shortcoming that remains is the final gear isnt tall enough so that you have high RPM at highway speeds (3,000 rpm @ 70 mph). MPG is good. I consistently get 26-28 mpg in mixed driving and got over 31 mpg on a purely highway trip.

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  Problems with the headliner - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Astons - July 8 - 10:00 am

  This is a our first brand new car we purchased! We were very happy until we noticed the headliner was not completely attached to the top of the car on the inside. They had to completely replace it! They ended up breaking the the back panels to replace it and those are on back orders! From then on it seemed something was wrong with things that were taken apart. They told me it was because we had a higher mileage car. It only had 18,000 when this h append. Im hoping this problem gets fixed and we have no more issues. Over all I love my Sorento!!

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  Redesgin The Dead Pedal!!! - 2015 Kia Sedona
  By D - July 7 - 10:55 pm

  Would be the perfect minivan if they could redesign the dead pedal for the driver. There is NO WAY I could purchase this vehicle due to the lack of space available for my left leg. EVERYTHING else was PERFECT but that mammoth dead pedal would not allow me to stretch out my left leg. (You could half the size of the pedal and the problem is solved by the way!)

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  Never Imagined a KIA - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By jclaeys - July 7 - 8:27 am

  Good looking, good driving, incredible fit and finish, better than Toyota, better priced, the reviews dont lie. New 4cyl. GDI engine has plenty of spunk...gas mileage may be the same for the 6 cyl. but if you want to pay 5K more for it, youll get more power and smoother performance....spend 5K somewhere else IMO.

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  Kia is the best bang for your buck! - 2016 Kia Forte
  By John P. - July 6 - 12:06 am

  Ive had my 2016 Kia Forte EX 4 dr sedan for little over a week now and I absolutely love this car. Going from a 2013 Kia Optima LX, I was worried about interior room, but the Forte has equally the amount of interior room as the Optima in my opinion. My new Forte EX is loaded with all the bells and whistles, and rides great with a quiet interior. Ive gotten quite a few compliments on it so far, and the Crimson Red Metallic color has really grown on me, as I wasnt a big fan of red vehicles before I laid my eyes on this beauty. The 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine has plenty of pep to get me onto the interstate, or just zipping around town. I dont see much difference at all from the 2.4 liter I had in my Optima to the 2.0 liter in my new Forte EX, they both get up and go with ease. This car is awesome and so comfortable to drive, whether it be just across town or on a long road trip. I cannot yet comment on fuel economy as Im still in the break in phase of the motor only having 400 miles on it so far, but even with my lead foot, Im pulling in 30+ mpg combined city/highway driving. I fell in love with Kias after I bought my first (2013 Kia Optima LX), and Im still in love with my new 2016 Kia Forte EX. These cars are so dependable and very well equipped for the price, they really do look more expensive than they actually are both interior and exterior. If you are thinking about buying a Kia Forte, you wont be disappointed.

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  Great Value - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By draymun - July 5 - 7:50 pm

  Bought this car for my wife. She now has a little over 3k miles on it since purchase. We are pretty happy with the purchase and the value vs. price. Traded in an X5 and Expedition for this vehicle and so far no regrets. Interior is a bit bland and simple but nevertheless is not unappealing. The only complaint we have is that the air conditioning is not as strong as we are use to but does cool the car adequately after a short period of time. If you are planning to use the rear seat, the rear AC would probably be a good option to get.

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  Minivan Done Right - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By mwwestiii - July 4 - 8:10 pm

  This is the first minivan Ive really liked, very well thought out. With 10K on the odometer weve had no problems. Recommend comparing the Sedona directly with an Odyssey EXL or Touring and youll probably find the Sedona a much better buy in terms of included features, safety, warranty and most of all price. Built on the same assembly line, the Sedona is basically a Hyundai Entourage with a simpler option package for a few thousand dollars less. Comfortable flip-forward middle seats make more sense than stow-and-go for us, plus you get more ground clearance. Love the euro-styling, 17" alloy wheels, Michelin tires and sport shifter.

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  Hard to beat this KIA head to head - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By firstsergeant - July 4 - 3:01 pm

  "We bought this vehicle in 2012. My wife drives this SUV on business trips everywhere." Although, most people do not like the harsh ride, its designed to be a very stable and has a controlled stance. The engine power of the 3.5 is fine. With nearly 280 h.p. this vehicle will deliver. We have accumulated 85,000 miles so far. Its very easy on tires, brakes, and still has the original shocks and struts. The engine, transmission, and driveline are fine. The handling of the car still feels like factory new. We prefer the Bridgestone H/T 684 tires. They wear extremely well and even. The navigation, back-up feature, and interior lighting, (red) are great features. Buy one. Good for 200K.

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  Love this car - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Sandy - July 4 - 6:50 am

  I love my new Kia. I traded in a Toyota Sienna because I was unhappy with it. Was looking forward to the Kia and I am so pleased. Nice smooth ride, nice looking car, easy to work all the features and plenty of room for a family of 5 and all our "stuff". We spend most of our time in our car and the Kia makes it fun!

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  I think Kia has a winner! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By ZEBBEZ - July 4 - 6:40 am

  Picked this car up just over two weeks ago and I love it. I almost got a VW and decided for the money and other factors the KIA was the best value. So far so good, no dissapointments except for one thing. When idling, fully warmed up, im noticing a rattling. Looked at exhaust system and what not and seems solid. Sounds more like something in the engine compartment. Not a big deal, thats what warranties are for : ) Its handling is awesome, accelaration is pretty good, a turbo would do this car wonders. Definitely needs a better sound system though, kinda dissapointed in it. The little red lights are also a little cheesey but I like them sometimes (everyone feels the same)Gas is ok.