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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  Great Band For Your Buck! - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By williamkreth - October 11 - 10:33 pm

  i have owned 2 kias besides this one, and once again kia has surprised me, with their great cars they manufacture! i have been a long time kia owner, and that is not going to change, i drive alot usually 25,000 miles a year! and the kias hold up just fine! and i love their basic yet stylish designs and layouts!

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  Nice car for great price. - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By rangerdopp - October 10 - 2:00 am

  I have looked at the other reviews and have come to realize that Kia makes some really great cars and some really bad cars. I guess I lucked out because I got this one at 7,000 and have had little problem with it. It drives well, has good steering and great gas mileage. My only problem is that my foot falls asleep on long distance drives (its a standard) and the radio doesnt have an automatic search button. Otherwise I love it.

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  A Great Little Car! - 2004 Kia Rio
  By armyboy404 - October 7 - 5:53 am

  Ive had my Cinco for 6 months now and it has been GREAT! I live in metro Atlanta so driving is a way of life around here. My Cinco handles wonderfully. Ive also done long distance driving and it was very comfortable.

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  My Kia - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By KIA Driver - October 1 - 9:43 am

  I bought this car used with about 70,000 miles on it. I now have 95,000 on the car and I still like it. Ive had to replace the complete front brake assembly and had to replace the rear brakes. All of this replacement is a cause of the previous owner neglect. Anyway I like this car a lot, its very comfortable, gets good gas mileage, and is very reliable. The only mechanical problem Ive had is the fuel pump needs to be replaced very soon, and the exhaust is rattling a little. One thing that is extremely annoying is a sharp loud metallic rattle coming from the automatic shifter inside the car. I cant figure out what it is, I just know its very annoying.

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  Love my car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By yellowbus1 - September 29 - 5:57 am

  Love my Kia have had it for two years now with no major issues im at 65000 mil... get 20-28mpg, its fun to drive and handles well. I have only had a few problems that were all covered under worriment, there was an issue with the sway bar Waring out and the power locks going out, also have had to replace the radio and visor on the passenger side. all little fixes so over all a grate car that has done me well and i plane to drive to the ground. The one major disappointment that was not covered is the TPMS sensor going out and kia refusing to fix saying i caused it

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  Works for me - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Rich - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought this 2005 Spectra EX new and now have 60,000 miles on it. I change the oil every 3-4K miles. My front tires wore out after about 25,000 because I never rotated them, so I put new ones on just the front. At 60,000 I should probably just change all 4 now. I havent had so much as a head lamp go out on this car. Original battery and this car has never failed to start or run smoothly. Granted I maintain it well and keep it garaged, but still it has exceeded my expectation for an economical car. Comfort is not bad considering I over 6ft tall and the upholstery has no tears, cracks, or worn spots.

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  It wouldnt die! - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By therangerman - September 24 - 2:44 pm

  Living in Canada, our winters are hard on cars. This van would not die! I bought this van with 250,000km on it and I ran it until 450,000km it was still running strong but I hit a moose going 110km an hour and it destroyed the van. Every year we would haul a 4500pound trailer all the way around Ontario and it never really hurt the van. Even though every year the rear heater lines would rot out there was nothing really done other than regular maintenance. The a/c stopped working after hitting my second deer. But other than those things you could run this van through hell and it wouldnt even get a scratch I even took it muding once. good job Kia you built a bullet proof tank

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  Buyer Beware - 2013 Kia Optima
  By funkster01 - September 22 - 12:36 pm

  The KIA optima is pretty on the outside, but the quality will leave you stranded on the side of the road. I had a brake warning light issue since I bought the car and KIA tried 7 times to fix it. They finally replaced the entire front wiring harness. Two weeks later the car wont start sometimes (it may or may not start). KIA has been unable to repair the problem ( 2 and 1/2 weeks of diagnosing). They are giving me my broken car back to drive until they get an expert flown in (time unknown) to look at the car. They are also trying to blame the problem on an auto accident that was sheet metal only damage and to the trunk. Avoiding their warranty claims (In My Opinion). Run Away from this car.

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  The 2002 Kia Sedona - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By akwilliams - September 20 - 6:16 pm

  This minivan offers more value than any other on the market. Fully loaded, the Sedona does not exceed $24,000. Yet, it has a 5 star crash test rating, leather seats, abs, sunroof and more. The build quality is very impressive. And, the warranty is the best on the market. If you can do without the power doors and fold down seats, you should give it a test drive. Do, and you will buy it.

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  2011 Kia Sportage SX just purchased - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By jbeach2 - September 20 - 6:17 am

  Took a long time to review models and a month ago selected the turbo Kia Sportage at $30K out the door-it has all the options including these neat little floor lights. Heres what I think so far: 1-great drive- turbo moves and comes with a better suspension 2-price-its $6k less than a equally equipped luxury badge. If you dont care about "prestige" save a bundle buying the Kia 3- 31 mpg on open road and 25 in town-this is comparable to the RAV and the CRV-but with the turbo thrust 4-leather-excellent quality 6-driving comfort great 7-roomy but doesnt look like a behemoth on the road