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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  Love our little gas sipper - 2011 Kia Soul
  By tysmeme - May 23 - 7:53 pm

  We have had our Kia Soul since Jan 12 and it is a 2012 model. So far we are more than pleased with this car. The fuel economy is good , there is ample leg room, the ride is not bad. Do wish it had an arm rest but this is a small thing. I love the idea of all the air bags it has. It gets lots of attention !

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  one thing after another - 2008 Kia Optima
  By bobbyhill - May 23 - 10:23 am

  iv had my car for just over a year, i bought it off my dad and he got it new in 08! in the last year i have had nothing but problems with it, first it was struts and sway bar links and bushings, then wheel bearing, and now the newest thing is my headlights like to burn out, replaced the passenger one 4 times now, at $25 a bulb for h11b its getting expensive, had it to the dealership and they want me to spend a bunch of $ to replace the headlamp assembly! iv been reading up on this and it seems it was a real issue in some of the older optimas, 02 especially! oh yeah, when i had it in there to look at headlight they told me the shift module had to be replaced, at $700 i passed, NOT IMPRESSED!!

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  Disappointed owner - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Tanya DeMyer - May 23 - 5:26 am

  Ive had nothing but problems with the electrical - head/tail lights out every 3-4 months, clock, interior lights, thermometer for outside temp all stopped working. Exterior paint started chipping when the car was only 2 yrs old.

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  outstanding - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By james b - May 23 - 5:16 am

  Quality, warranty, performance and comfort; totally awesome for low priced vehicle. So good my wife and I purchased another one a week later.

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  Falling Out Of Love - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By jclaeys - May 22 - 7:42 pm

  Purchased 2012 used in Dec. with less than 5K on odo. Was impressed then with the value. Now at just 8K beginning to realize that this is a good vehicle, not a great one by any means. Probably first and foremost is service, its just completely lacking, and until KIA becomes a household name it will probably remain so. I am disappointed with the gas mileage, as I am easy on the pedal and am only able to avg. 20MPG combined 50/50. I have made countless calls and visits to the dealer for an engine that "shakes" at idle with the brakes apllied. I have to place car in neutral at every stop light. Problem is, as long as there is no engine light on, no one knows what to do. Stay clear of "4"

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  2005 Kia Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By P. McPherson - May 22 - 2:40 am

  Great car for a good price. Liked the exterior and interior and the options available. Havent had to service the vehicle except for oil changes and tire rotation.

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  Retro Euro-Styling meets American Ride - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By MENTOR - May 22 - 2:00 am

  This is a cool looking car -- kindo f reminding me of a mongrel mix between a Mercedees a Bently and something coming out of (former) Communist East Germany. Sitting in the interior is like time travel to 1961 (at least as far as the dash is concerned). The drive is soft, like a mushy American ca. Trunk space and roomy interior make this a comfortable ride for passengers. Performance is what youd expect for a GM-type of mid-range car from the early 1980s -- you dont want to do any extreme maneuvers.

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  The worse vehicle I have ever owned - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By silky99x - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I mistakenly gave this vehice a good rating back in June 2003. Now just 6 months later, Im about to take it in for a warranty repair for the 2nd time. The brake Master Cylinder went bad in NOV 2003. Now the Power Steering unit is leaking. So far, all is covered under the warranty. I gave the local service center a poor rating since it took them 4 days to get and replace the Master Cylinder. They told me to take my care somewhere else in the future to get warranty work. How bad can a major car dealer be. The worse. Never again, will I buy a Kia. I should have stuck with a Toyota.

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  my comments - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By tplans1 - May 22 - 2:00 am

  solid construction, quick response, good horse power

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  solid suv - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By exds - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Sorento is attractive and very solid suv. It is very capable in the mud. Much more comfortable than was the Honda CRV I traded. The Kia dealership has treated me very well. It is a shame that they do not make a mid-sized pick up as it would put the Dakota to shame.