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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  Excellent value and sporty looks - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By cybern - April 29 - 3:16 pm

  Bought with 15,000 miles and was pleasantly surprised with the interior room and luxury. Performance could be better but is satisfactory for everyday driving. Get lots of compliments. Am anxious to buy a 2008 Sorento, entirely new and exciting styling.

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  Practical SUV - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By rogerdar - April 29 - 1:33 am

  I researched several small suvs and decided on the Sportage. It is very nimble in curvy mountain driving, and excellent in climbing grades with the alternate manual shift feature. It gets excellent mileage for a 6 cylinder car (20 around town; 25 on the highway at 70 mph), and cruises well on long distance drives. While there is some road noise on some road surfaces, it is not a major problem. I recently had to move quite a few large boxes and was able to accommodate them in the vehicle with all but the drivers seat laid flat. A nice feature.

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  Love it! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Laney - April 27 - 11:50 am

  I absolutely love this car! Everyone stops me and cant believe its a Kia, it looks more like the Acura SUV, at a fraction of the price. Gas isnt great but what SUV is. My mom is buying the same car now and my friend is even looking into it. Fabulous!

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  RENT A FORTE - 2010 Kia Forte
  By FORTE - April 27 - 4:53 am

  I was given a rent a car when my car was in for repair. I requested the 2010 Forte that was on the lot since I had an interest in buying one and thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for an extended test drive. I liked the car and all of the extras that are included.. bluetooth, etc. I was pleased with the ride and the gas mileage was OK. I was hoping for a little better. HOWEVER, I was very disappointed that in 7 places on the car, the paint was already bubbling and peeling. The paint appeared to be applied in a tthin fashion. I know this was an issue on one of the 2005 Kia models but would have hoped this was corrected. Has anyone else had any problem like this????

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  Outstanding! - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Outstanding!!!! - April 26 - 12:13 pm

  I bought this car instead of the Ford Fusion and Chevy Impala. I could see the quality in the car. The lower price sealed the deal. The engine was clean and sounded good. I like the dual auto/manual shifting. I had 2 Toyota Corollas and this is much better. Better comfort than my Crown Victoria. A/C system is stronger than the Crown Vic. The increased MPG from my Chevy S10 will take me one month without fill ups or 512 miles. Thats great for a long trip. The 2.4 liter is surprising nice and can handle almost anything. I think this car is a winner for the price. I thank God i live in America where we can chose our best values. Kia Optima definitely is a good car. With 42K it looks like new.

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  Best Small Wagon for The Money - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By amirek - April 26 - 10:06 am

  Prior to purchasing this car, I had a 2006 model, which was a spectacular car. I never would have guessed that the 2007 model could top it, but it did! The exterior and interior have some great new accents - minor changes, but wow! Especially the interior - silver accents on the dash, armrest controls, and door handles give the black interior a touch of class. The speedometer has a new look, too, and its easier to read at night. I havent measured, but I think the 2007 has a bit more clearance. Ive not bottomed-out on any potholes yet. Best of all, theres a bit more space both through the hatch and the rear passenger doors. I can fit my folding tables in the 2007, not the 2006. Awesome!

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  What A Honey Of A Car!! - 2003 Kia Rio
  By Picky Woman Driver - April 26 - 2:00 am

  My "silver chariot" is the sweetest car I have ever owned and I have had plenty cars over the years. I love to park it next to a Saab, Audi or VW sport wagon, for it looks better than all of them. I look at its reflection in store windows and admire it constantly. It drives and handles like a sports car. What a surprise at such an economical cost.

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  Unreliable car. - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By nat16 - April 25 - 8:33 am

  "I have Kia Sorrento for 4 months only and it was in repairs twice already! 4000 miles on the car. Last month was an oil leak.This month - the transmission stopped shiffting and I couldnot stop the car! Unreliable! I always bought american cars and had them for 10-11 years, with regular wear and tear. This is the first time that I decided to buy non-american car, and let me tell you, you get what you pay for! GARBAGE!!! For $ 6000 more you can buy Ford or Jeep and have no problems! Do not buy this car, unless you want to have a big problem in a couple of months."

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  You couldnt pay me to buy another Kia! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By mm2kanda - April 24 - 5:53 am

  We purchased our Kia new Feb. 2006 when it had about 18 miles on it. In less then 6 months the check engine light came on. Not a big fan of dealerships but assuming things are under warranty we take it to the dealership in the town we live in. We are told its not covered anymore by about 800 miles ago (CO2 sensor). We fixed it ourselves. Light still randomly comes on and goes off. We blow headlamps what had been about 3-6 months apart but now as soon as 10 days. My dash light has been randomly going off for about a year and now my dome light randomly goes on. Our dome light stopped working correctly 2 years ago. Very uncomfortable on long trips especially for tall men. Just a gag car!

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  I Love It But........ - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Kirstin - April 23 - 9:00 am

  It has great "get up and go", which I wasnt expecting in a vehicle this size. There is storage galore, all seats are easily reclined, folded, tumbled, removed, etc. Very sharp/sporty looking exterior, especially with the roof racks. Now for the "buts", which are only 2 so far: About 25 minutes into our drive home from the dealer, we noticed a rattle, or vibration in both the sliding doors which got worse and worse. By the time we got home an hour later, the rattle was pretty much constant, even over bumps as small as seams in the pavement, and sewer lids. Were going back to the dealer tomorrow for that, and because the cd player doesnt work, which probably just means a new stereo.