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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  Think twice - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By Henry2 - January 17 - 10:00 am

  My first car. It had problems with the breaks squeaking from the day I picked it up. Didnt have any problems with it until recently. Its been having problems starting. The engine will rev, but it wont fire. The local dealership doesnt quite know whats wrong. I think its time to say goodbye. Which is sad since its got less than 70,000 miles on it. Ill try to afford a Civic this time.

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  love my kia - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By sexiestinpink - January 17 - 10:00 am

  my new kia handles very well , corners highway ect.its good on gas although all cars could improve on that!the warranty is excellent.it is comfortable and the design is kind of sporty.the ride is very smooth. i havent had it long enough to know of any future problems,i feel very safe in my kia spectra. i will say it is a nicely designed car.im very happy with it. anyone who sais kias are no good , they are wrong!!

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  2012 sorento owner - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By srule - January 16 - 3:39 am

  Purchased our Sorento SX with all the bells and whistles over the internet through the Kia Depot in Santa Ana Ca. I challenged many regional dealers online for best price but the Kia Depot (Kai Ascencio) came in early with the lowest pricing with no pressure or attitude. We purchased the vehicle with little problems but I noticed a door ding (very minor) and inquired what the solution would be. Dealer said 2 days to fix. I said OK what do we do for 2 days without a car since we traded our primary car away. We settled on a free $400 car alarm instead of fix. I was very satisfied with the deal.

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  My first Kia - 2017 Kia Soul
  By Joe - January 15 - 11:16 am

  I have a three year lease on a 2017 Soul. I have owned the vehicle for just a few weeks now. In that time I have made the following observations. It is important to keep in mind that this is a base vehicle. I see it filling a niche was owned by the VW Bug, with technology and comfort. My 1.6 130 hp with an automatic transmission is plenty of motor for this car. The mileage is amazing and I love all the technology that tells me about my consumption and range. I find that I drive a bit slower in this vehicle for some reason. Getting in and out are important to me and this is done with ease. I wish the front seat had a few more adjustments but it is fairly comfortable. The Soul is easy to drive and the ergonomics are good. The technology is easy to understand and use for an older driver like me, love the Bluetooth.. This vehicle is easy to park and navigate well in tighter areas. The one real knock on the Soul is that its smaller windows create very dangerous blind spots. If you dont have a warning system and I dont, the passenger side has a huge drivers blind spot. The drivers side is also bad but not as bad. Overall I am delighted with my KIA Soul.

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  4 years owned and still likin it - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Melissa - January 15 - 2:06 am

  I have owned my Sedona 4 years in October. I have had a good experience with it and would recommend it to any one interested in a minivan at a lower than average price.

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  2001 kia spectra - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Spickez334 - January 12 - 10:00 am

  i like the car a lot

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  Best overall minivan - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Scott Armstrong - January 11 - 6:46 pm

  I test drove the Honda, Toyota,and Nissan. The Sedona was always near or at the top of every test I put it through. At roughly 8k less than the others fully loaded it was an easy decision. To this point I have no regrets. The van does everything it needs to do, it does it safely and I would say its the best family vehicle on the road. For those who value safety the Sedona has the best crash test rating ever for a minivan and has all the active safety equipment standard. For a vehicle this size fuel economy is decent, and power is plentiful.

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  great car - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By dparent - January 6 - 5:18 am

  I had my 2005 kia spectra for 5 years, the car had 148,000 miles on it and it had never let me down. 2 weeks ago my wife and I and our 2 sons were rearended buy a fullsize suv we were waiting to turn into a drive way and we were hit. The driver of the suv didnt even try to stop he hit us at at least 55 mph. my 9 yr old son and my 6 year old son were in the back seat. and even with the impact we all walked away without injurys. after the accident the car still runs great. I will find a new body to the motor into.

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  Not Just a Sporty Economy Car - 2007 Kia Rio
  By Don K - January 5 - 9:03 am

  Just sit in one. This model has a nice sporty interior. Leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter. Sport stitched seating. The exterior is sporty with a unique look not to be mistaken for all the other models out there in its class. Though its not going to win any races, it is fun to drive. It handles well and sticks to the road. Its a compact car, so the ride is a little bumpy. It has front and side front airbags as standard safety equipment.

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  Better than I expected - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By hotrod8983 - January 4 - 2:14 pm

  We bought our Sedona new in 02 after our Windstar gave up the ghost. After all of our shopping around, test driving, negotiating, etc. it came down to the Kia or a Honda Odyssey. Hondas warranty was a joke and their non-negotiable price was $6 grand more. We took a chance. Cant say weve regretted it. A few quirks that were expected for the first model year of any car, but the warranty covered everything. Gas mileage continues to be a disappointment, but this thing plows through the snow and tows a fishing boat with no issues. Would like to buy the wife a new one but at 185,000 miles she refuses to give it up. Perfect? No. But definitely a lot for the money.