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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  Big Value - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Burton - January 19 - 10:00 am

  Koreans are trying hard to nitch their way into the Japanese market. The 2002 Spectra is a vast improvement to their initial attempts and seems to be on par with Hyundai. For the money, I couldnt find a better deal. I think Kia is doing what Honda did in the early 80s. I hope they succeed.

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  Great Budget Car - 2009 Kia Rio
  By good budget car - January 18 - 7:16 am

  My Kia Rio has so far been excelent as far as a purchased car. The car is a bit cheeply made. One of the few problems I experienced was when I bought my car it had a bad fuel pump but it was resolved by my dealer. The car is overall very quiet on the highway no real complaints. As far as gas with the economy the way it is Kias are the way to go. It makes about 30 to the highway however I have experienced up to 40 to the highway. I am a college student it fits my needs as far as room.

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  Short-Term Review (5k Miles) SX Premium Touring - 2012 Kia Optima
  By cura04 - January 15 - 3:14 pm

  Currently owned for 3 months (my last car was an Acura TSX). I researched like hell because I never thought that I would purchase a KIA in the near-future. Overall, I am in love with the vehicle. I mainly purchased the vehicle because of the appeal, features, performance/fuel efficiency, and size (in order of whats important to me). I like to point out the price point- Retail $30,395. No car in the mid-size region offers every option as the optima SX for that price. Of course, pending where you live, incentives and supply/demand will dictate the final price. I couldnt be happier with my purchase and I feel like a million bucks (as I drive down the street knowing what I actually paid for it)

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  Pretty nice, but flawed - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Allan J Birmantas - January 15 - 7:40 am

  I probably would have rated this car much higher if the passenger seat air bags worked properly. My only complaints besides that are the following. 1. No MPG on trip computer 2. Very hard ride. Pretty hard to seriously rate reliability after only one month, but I will be making my third trip to the dealer next week. Judge accordingly.

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  Love the Car, Hate the Mileage - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By sresnick - January 15 - 2:00 am

  This is an outstanding vehicle. However, I didnt realize when I bought it that the mileage would be so ridiculously low. It seems like they should have had a freeway driving gear, as most of my miles are done on the highway and my mileage is still averaging 15.5 mpg. How can a V6 Vehicle get the same mileage as a full size V8 suv? Regardless of this, the car is superb and is a great value at purchase time. With gas at $2.25 per gallon, it is difficult to stomach the mileage. I also think the car is a little bumpy when you drive about 60mph on the freeway. Other than that, the car looks great and has nice features.

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  Dont Think I would buy another one - 2008 Kia Amanti
  By Kim - January 13 - 2:46 pm

  The car is alright, but dont think I would spend $30K to buy another one. I have the loaded, leather and all the bells and whistles. Originally when I purchased, I was driving 50K miles a year and wanted some car around me on the highway, now that I only drive 12K - 15K, I dont like the car nearly as well. I will look for another car which is smaller, has all the bells and whistles and gets better than 20 mpg

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  Long Island NY 2011 KIA - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By stevemac3 - January 10 - 5:22 am

  I opted for the 4 cyl. AWD and its ok, ive driven a Sorento from long island to Memphis TN back in April (rental) and it was a great ride which lead me to choose the Sorento, I purchased my KIA on 12/7/10. I like the car and i like the interior layout and the dashboard, its put together rather well, just a few rattles in the interior and ive squelched all but one... i average 24 mpg, a combo of local and hwy driving...i like the rear back up camera. make sure ya get the ipod cable, and the rear cargo cover and your good to go...

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  Rockin Rondo - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Tony Petty - January 9 - 6:10 pm

  As an over 50, I find the Rondo fun to drive. Would love a power seat though. Seats are big and comfy but dont drop anything down between the seat and the console! They should provide an extraction tool! Suggested improvements - move the high beam indicater down a bit, it gets blocked by the top of the wheel. As a smoker I would love pop open rear 1/4 windows.

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  Mostly a good car - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By dawnmg - January 9 - 9:56 am

  I think the car is too close to the ground. It is impossible to park head-in without scrapping the curb. Even going up slanted driveways causes problems. The gas mileage on mine is horrible. After nearly 5 years of driving in town and on the highway, I am very disappointed in the gas mileage. I get about 18mpg in town and 21 on the highway. So sad! I thought FWD meant front wheel drive. If I have front wheel drive, why do my rear tires spin when starting on a hill?

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  Bargain car, Bargain performance - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By FDE - Savio - January 8 - 11:36 pm

  Going on one year with my 2000 Kia Sportage EX 4WD and I must say Im really pleased. Acceleration from 0 to 60 is slow (13.0 seconds), but once up to speed it handles well (thanks in part to the Lotus tuned suspension). If your Sportage lacks a limited slip rear differential you might lose grip in rain or snow, depending on the type of tires you have. I plan on installing a Phantom Grip LSD conversion in the front and rear differentials to help increase traction. Front hubs and bearings had to be replaced (common Sportage problem due to design); all repaired under warranty. Ive read other peoples "horror" stories, but glad to say I am 100% HAPPY with my Kia Sportage.