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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  2002 Kia Sedona - Great Value - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By tennmows - April 22 - 10:46 am

  Purchased Kia Sedona based upon the great price and features it offered. Most other minivans with Rear Air Conditioning (needed for young children) were around $22,000 - $24,000. Only complaint is that on the EX model, it doesnt have keyless entry and the "unlock all door" feature only works on the Driver Side door (which differs from what the owners manual says). Other than that we have been pleased with the van.

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  Mr - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By Paul Thandi - April 21 - 10:00 am

  By the way, my other vehicle is a Mercedes M430 which, the pile of crap, has had more problems than my Sportage. Actually, the Kia is my wifes but I dont mind driving it at all. It is sooo much fun. Trust me, the other suvs arent much better. Ive owned 7 and this one is the most fun.

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  Saved by my KIA - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By tony m. - April 21 - 8:36 am

  My wife and I bought our Sorrento by total LUCK!! She saw one, told me about it,and as they say "The rest is history." We did extensive research on it,and felt we couldnt lose. Unforunately,we were slammed on the left side at approximately 40-45 mph knocking us over. The other vehicle as well as my, sorento was totaled and my wife,son(6yrs),myself not a scratch. If safety is a priority,then fear not,We can vouch for it.Safety,looks,overall quality, rest assured WE WILL BUY ANOTHER SORENTO!! Remember at one time Honda was a laughing stock in the car community. If Kia stays on course with their products,they will soon be at the top. Thanks KIA!! Sincerely!!

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  Fun to drive with style! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By GMLLC - April 21 - 6:16 am

  Bought for my son as a high school graduation gift. He drove the Cube & xB & the Soul was by far his fave. Great style, fun to drive, very roomy inside & fantastic features standard in this model. Build quality is excellent. Stereo system rocks. Ipod connectivity works great. No complaints so far. Add the great warranty & you have a winner compared to the Nissan or Scion. Got 1.9% APR financing as well as a great deal. Nice job, Kia!

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  a decent car for a decent price - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By b wirsing - April 20 - 3:50 pm

  This vehicle drives better than a Corolla, Honda, and any other import car. It is as spacious as a van or SUV yet gets killer gas mileage and fits in those hard to get places. I am 6 foot and 230 pounds and took this thing camping; folded the seats back and was able to sleep comfortably in the back. I couldnt believe it. I also got 160 miles on an 1/8 of a tank.

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  Should have bought sooner - 2016 Kia Sedona
  By Mom of 4 - April 20 - 7:05 am

  With small kids this is a dream. I previously had a 2015 Dodge Journey and Ill tell you what, the Sedona is a luxury ride compared to that. The Sedona has so much room, easy to get my kids in and out of car seats, the air conditioning works excellent in the back seats which is so important for me since I live in Phoenix, AZ. We have the 8 passenger, so we never need to have the rear seats up and that leaves up with a lot of cargo room. It rides smooth, handles nicely and is comfortable. My only complaints are, I already had one of the motors replaced on the rear sliding door. (mine is a 2016 with 18,000 miles) Without a warranty it would have been over $1,000 at the dealership I went to. Also, The sound system is beyond cheap.. totally poor quality & there is no navigation and no power lift-gate (which I feel should be standard on a minivan) All in all my husband and I were those people that said we would never drive a mini van yet we are both bummed we didnt purchase this before we wasted money when we bought the dodge.

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  Why NOT to buy this vehicle - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By misspriss - April 19 - 7:33 pm

  Since about a month after buying my Kia Sportage I have had nothing but problems- the timing belt almost completely broke, parts have broken, and the gas mileage is awful. While it is good looking and somewhat fun to drive, I am not sure I would wish this vehicle on my worst enemy. The only positive is the 4WD was nice in the winter, but the car was still all over the road. Just under a year after purchase, I am trading it in!

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  Great find - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Amy - April 19 - 3:13 pm

  After test driving and researching other mini-vans, we found the Kia Sedona to be the best performer and the best value. I gave up my SUV- loving ways and purchased a minivan in preparation for the birth of our first child. I can now safely say that I dont miss my SUV at all! With a baby on the way and two dogs to transport, this van really is the most convenient and fun vehicle I have driven. Great handling and features like the stow away third row seats have made us thrilled with our decision.

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  Better than the Audi I have owned - 2013 Kia Sportage
  By Mike - April 19 - 9:47 am

  First is the cost to run. Regular Gas Vs. Hi test 0.20+@ gallon better Second Serivce done regularly at dealers 1/3 to 1/2 the cost Third Comfort is equal sound system is equal Fourth Insurance is much cheaper

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  Soldier of a car. - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Jsp9890 - April 18 - 7:12 pm

  I bought this car with no choice. Mine was stolen, left with little time I bought a 2005 Spectra EX for $3800. It had 98k miles. That was in 2011. I still own it, with 180k+ and shes magnificent. The little 2.0 has power on the highway, without having to go up high in the powerband. The tall gears in the automatic gearing kill performance, manuals are quicker by far. Mine hits 60 in 8.8 seconds with a 4 speed auto, and shes topped out at 126mph. I guess thats about average. The stereo is surprisingly good with a 120 watt 6 speaker setup, as well as interior materials. I previously owned a Honda and Kia is quite close with their quality. I dont care what ANYONE says, Kias are damn good vehicles.