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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  Waited a LONG time for this! - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By motowngirl1967 - July 5 - 8:59 pm

  I had to buy a new car--my 2003 Hyundai Sonata had 204,000 miles on it (and is STILL GOING STRONG) but the air conditioning died three years ago. A/C is a requirement here in Florida! After driving my 6 year old son around in it and making both of us miserable, I did my research and found that the Kia Sorento had the features on it that I wanted and, most importantly, at a price I could afford. I really liked the redesign, as well. I got great financing through Kia, as well. I have not regretted signing on the dotted line 48 hours ago, and I will not regret getting such a good-looking vehicle with a fantastic warranty.

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  Great Ride - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Dennis McCoy - July 5 - 5:56 am

  Great design and love the color combination we picked, white exterior and the black cloth interior. V-6 with sunroof and spacious for us as we are mid sixties and room for the grandkids. Already been on eight hour drive and seating is very ergomatic as not exausted when arrive at destination. Lots of compliments from friends and relatives.

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  Its been a year now since my purchase - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By Jim - July 3 - 6:23 pm

  Its been a year now since my purchase and Im still a fan of the Amanti. Love the vehicle and its reliability. Im getting low mileage around the city but 80% of my driving is just that. City 15.8 MPG .. but on the highway I get a strong 34 MPG. I traded my lincoln continental in for this vehicle and was nervous about my choice. I went with the Amanti for value and warranty. Im glad I did. Ive not regretted my decision yet - in fact wonder how I got so smart. This car is just flat out fun to drive and has everything in it an on it I ever had with my lincolns. Especially satisfied with winter driving - electronic stability control is great. Check out the Amanti befor you buy anything.

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  Big value, Tall ride - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Markv - July 2 - 1:23 am

  Value on this car is great, but as a 6 6" 300lb man, this car is a tall ride. There is head room to spare and my legs have space to roam. The Rondo was a surprise test drive and sold me from the moment I sat down. I cannot say enough good things about the space for me and my family, all tall kids and one small wife! We love it. Drives smoothly, good mileage and for a small van/wagon it looks nice too. The best out of 3 months of looking, test driving and researching.

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  Refined Luxury with a sporty overtone - 2013 Kia Optima
  By boesman1 - July 1 - 2:21 pm

  Coming out of a 2007 Mazda CX7 GT, I was leaning hard towards a 2014 Mazda6. In my due diligence, I looked at the 2013 Optima which really caught my eye with its beauty. After test driving the SXL w/turbo there was no comparison. With 3k in incentives it was comparable to the Mazda, yet blew it away in creature comforts and luxury. Ive had the car for about a week and have no regrets. Having had BMWs, Infinitys and a corvette I can honestly say this car is the nicest I ever owned. Performance is nothing less than amazing with the smoothest power-band Ive ever experienced, especially considering the turbo. Comfort and value are second to none. Fun factor remains to be seen as I adjust.

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  Best new car yet - 2008 Kia Optima
  By art - July 1 - 10:00 am

  I own a 08 optima. Was skeptical at first, but after a shake down Cruise of 500 miles, I was hooked. Got 31 mpg new. Only after market addition was a k&n air filter. Got 50.000 out of the original tires and believe it or not the brakes! Have had no major problems and it only left sit once a dead battery! I remember the earlier models and all the problems associated with them. Night and day! Way to go! Would recommend Kia to anybody looking for an inexpensive durable car. BTW mine has over 75,000 on it.

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  Love our Kia - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By JIM FROM GEORGIA - July 1 - 10:00 am

  We also own a Kia optima 90,000 miles. You will love the warranty on your sorento roadside assistance is great. No one but Kia has enough faith in their vehicle to have a 100,000 mile warranty except Hyundai which is going to be made in same plant in ga everybody need a Kia

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  Unintentional Purchase - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Gene - June 30 - 11:45 am

  I intended to buy the 5 passenger Turbo 4. I drove one and it was excellent. This vehicle is for my wife and it was difficult to find a 5 pass , turbo 4 that had all the " needs " on her list. The dealer made me an offer I couldnt turn down on this 7 pass , V-6 and we are extremely pleased. The most difficult thing about senior citizens like us when buying a car is learning all the new features especially the audio / navigation and electronics. We owned the car for 4 weeks and have put 1200 miles on it. Our last trip was 386 miles of interstate and mountain driving. We got 27 MPG on this trip,

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  2005 Kia Sportage LX FWDR - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Susanne - June 30 - 8:43 am

  A great SUV, fun to drive. Gas Mileage is at 19 and 26 per dealership. I love the storage capacity and the ease of flipping over the back seats that lay completely flat. Its comfortable to zip around town in all day and is a great cross country vehicle as well.

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  2009 Borreg - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By COLORADOMTNLUVR - June 30 - 5:00 am

  We bought a 2009 Borrego for my family 3 weeks ago. We love the features and the comfortable ride that the vehicle provides. Fuel economy is as advertised at 21 mpg, which is not bad overall considering the size of the vehicle. We are very pleased with this vehicle and I would definitely recommend it to anyone!