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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  Must Consider this car! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Mister Tough - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Very pleased overall with performance, styling & creature comforts. Note: Do not see engine temperature / charge / oil pressure gauge. Owned Chevys my entire life. Never thought I would own anything else. The recession changed my way of thinking to consider best possible value for the dollar. After looking at American makes, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai, decided that Kia offered the most car / most features / best performance / best economy / best safety / best warranty for the dollar. For less than the cost of one repair bill, upgraded to 10 yr / 100K mi Bumper-To-Bumper warranty. The total price tag was less than any other new car and many 1-8 yr used cars.

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  Its not just a KIA - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By islesfan303 - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for about a week now and I couldnt love it more. After looking at several other small SUVs, (Equinox, Terrain, Outlander etc.)I stumbled upon the Sportage. I would have never even thought to look at a Kia, but a family member had just gotten a great deal on Sorento. For the money you cant beat the amount of features you get with this car. The LED running lights look awesome day and night. The comfortable fabric seats have cool stitching and small designs on the lumbar area. I really only got the EX because of the LEDs and the 18 inch rims - Im glad I did because they make the car stand out big time!

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  2011 Kia Sorento LX - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By jlwear - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Initially, we never considered a Sorento, but the new 2011 proved to be a pleasant surprise. We needed space for cargo and carrying the grandchildren. AWD was a requirement due to rural roads. The 3rd row seats were the best we saw within our price range and the ride exceeded our expectations in this price class. All in all, I would consider this vehicle as best in class. I hope it as dependable as it feels.

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  Work horse - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Zack - April 13 - 10:49 pm

  Bought the Kia for a commute to work, been daily driver for years and never had single prblem. Self maintenance is very simple. Overall impressed with the car, it doesnt look stylish but dont judge a book by its cover it performs well. Adequate acceleration with satisfying fuel economy. Transmission shifts smooth without notice, also has sensitive steering. Surprisingly very comfortable ride with plenty of head/leg room for compact car Im 62" and its pleasant to drive. Has over 250k miles and still drives like new! No oil burns, drips or leaks. Simple maintenance and these cars will run forever.

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  A new way to roll; and yes, its no mini, but thats GOOD. - 2011 Kia Soul
  By joe331 - April 13 - 9:37 am

  My previous car was a mini. Everything about this car is better as far as I am concerned with few exceptions. Its not fast, but, its still a lot of fun to drive and its plenty fast enough. It is easier to get in and out of than the mini, it holds 4 big adults comfortably, everything works well, The base stereoe sounds way better than the minis. Gas is a trade off, mine got a little better mileage but the soul burns regular. It shifts just fine with the manual trans; I have no idea what all the fuss about vague shifting is about ... I never miss a gear, the clutch is light and easy, shifting is effortless. A great car, looks good, engine even sounds better than the mini.

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  Power to Surprise - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Jack - April 12 - 9:10 am

  I chose the Kia minivan over several others I test drove. It has a nice driving feel to it. It looks nice as far as minivans go, and it has a good warranty. Its a good value for the money when you throw in the 100,000 warranty. I was very disappointed when the transmission locked in park and it stranded my three young kids and me thirty miles from home. Unfortunately KIA agreed to tow the car to the dealership but didnt offer to provide us with a ride home or contact a rental car company. Kias slogan is "The power to surprise." They got that right. I was surprised that a car would break down after only six weeks and 3,600 miles.

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  Good Car - 2009 Kia Optima
  By Seriouscoin - April 12 - 7:03 am

  Had to trade in my Rx-8 (worst car ever) and got this. I loved this car!! Very good gas, and price was not bad at all. Highly recommended for a family car.

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  So far so good - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Theolus - April 10 - 2:00 am

  After 3 months, we love our Sedona! Not one problem with it so far. My wife loves the way it drives. We have 5 softball playing daughters and it carrys the seven of us and their gear to tournaments on weekends with no problem. Plenty of power to move us along. The leather upholstery is holding up well to the abuse.

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  The Sorento is a Blast! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By DElliot - April 10 - 2:00 am

  Weve had our Sorento for four months and it remains the only car Ive ever had (out of about 20) that seems to be worth considerably more than what I paid for it. It is a blast to drive and the engine has enough torque to embarass many V-8s off the line. Since Kia hired Porsche to do the suspension tuning, the stiff ride is understandable and in my view, preferable. When you factor in the double five-star crash test results-- what a deal! Im so glad I didnt get a Lexus RX 300 or a BMW X5.

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  good deal for the money - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By greg2174 - April 9 - 10:13 pm

  everything i expected when i bought it. got it for my wife in december 2011 as a christmas gift.i bought because of the price when all the dealing and haggling around with the dealer was done i gave 20k for it. has done fine so far.now it is no tahoe or pilot or acadia but it didnt have the 30k to 40k price tag that thoes model have either.our last five vehicles have fouty thousand plus dollars and had some of the same problems people have described on here about the sorento.may i remind people it is a 20k dollar vehicle if you want to have the bling bling effect of a bmw and the ride of a mercedes and the resale value of a lexus the i suggest you open your wallet and get one of thoes .