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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  May It Rest In Peace - 2001 Kia Rio
  By MCB - April 13 - 6:26 pm

  I drove this car for 6 of its 8 years of life.... Yesterday a Ford Expedition pulled out in front of me and I T-Bone it.... Air bags deployed as they were supposed to which probably save both my wife an my lives.... The Kia took all the impact and distroyed the front end but the inside was OK... We went to hospital but were relased with only minor nicks and scraps.... I just got back from getting our stuff out of the reckage and had to say good by to an old friend.. Except for minor fix ups and normal oil changes, this car has been a great car for me and my family...... I drive an average of 20,000 miles a year on the freeway and I got 32MPG.. It died with 150000+ miles on it.

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  No problems-fun to drive-economical - 2001 Kia Rio
  By ldusich - April 11 - 10:00 am

  I won this car in May 2001 and have never had it in the shop. (over 17,000 miles on it now)I get good gas mileage but I do wish it were earier to handle on rain and snow (it does do some sliding). I also wish you couldnt hear so much engine noise when doing highway driving (although I do realize that it is only a four cylinder). This car has been reliable, fun to drive and cheap to maintain. It would be great for a college student or as a going to work car. If you do a lot of traveling you might want to buy a car with a little better ride. I personally recommend this car for short trips or in-town driving.

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  STILL A NICE CAR - 2003 Kia Optima
  By KEITH C. - April 11 - 10:00 am

  After having my new KIA OPTIMA 2003 for over a month, I find it still worth the money. Still enjoy driving the car. Mine is a 4 cyl, so, when driving onto a Dual Highway, the pick up speed is bad. And when you are using your AC, you can really feel the difference in pickup (not good). But all in all, the car is still worth what you pay for it. Just remember, if you want a car that has a good take off onto a dual highway, for passing, or running your AC and doing the above,you should go with a 6 cyl. But if I had to do over again, I would still buy the 2003 KIA OPTIMA "BUT" I would get a 6 cyl.

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  8 Month and No Problems! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By briankiser - April 11 - 10:00 am

  Im very happy so far. Hate the grill design, poor mileage, and stiff ride, but everything else is great. No problems whatsoever.

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  Drive a new Kia Optima - 2006 Kia Optima
  By Silky - April 6 - 10:40 pm

  I purchased this new 2006 Kia Optima LX 2.4L three weeks ago and drove it to Alabama and back to Colorado. The drive was great. I averaged around 28 MPG. The car is much more comfortable than the 03 Kia Spectra I traded in for this new one. My wife was surprised when I drove up in this new Optima. She didnt know for two weeks that I had purchased this new car. She wanted something that was comfortable. This vehicle is very comfortable. Im happy with this 06 Optima and I would recommend this car to anyone.

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  Things you should know about the 2011 Sorento - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By sadme2013 - April 6 - 6:35 pm

  Let me start by saying it has great gas mileage and plenty of room. The last year(2nd year of ownership) has been very frustrating. I drove it off the lot new. Folding back seats have been a major issue on never working right and breaking. It took over a week to get parts to fix seat from Manufacuture. Starting seems to be a problem-starter replaced and original battery.

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  I like my rio but want to sell it - 2001 Kia Rio
  By bo bo - April 5 - 10:00 am

  This car is fun to drive if you like to drive a go cart .It has been relly cheap to maintian and have had no problems .The only reason for the average rating is it is CHEAP CAR CHEAP TO DRIVE. gets you around thats it.Really I love to drive it I just would like to look better in a BMW

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  Love the car - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By puppywhipsers - April 1 - 6:26 pm

  I bought my Spectra 8 months ago with barely over 8,000 miles on it, I bought it because of the manual transmission and so far I love the car. The only trouble I have experienced is the cruise control wont always set, it goes to the dealership on Monday. Contrary to other reviews I get excellent mileage on my KIA. I commute 55 miles one way to work, I have gotten anywhere from 30-38 mpg depending on my driving habits (if you know what I am saying ;)). My in town mpg is even better, I regularly get 40+ mpg and have had as high as 52mpg in town. I recalculated 3x because I couldnt believe it! Its a great car and with the sunroof & factory rear spoiler and on it, it looks sporty too!

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  Great Value - 2011 Kia Optima
  By cosmosprophet - March 31 - 10:02 pm

  I bought this car as a second vehicle to drive to work. I commute 600 miles one way. I bought it because of what I perceived as a great value. It has been just that. The gas mileage is coming up a couple of miles short but still very good at 33 miles per gallon on the freeway. I drives excellent and is very comfortable to ride in for the 8.5 hour trip.

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  Fun vehicle but disappointing fuel economy - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By mayfield53 - March 31 - 5:32 am

  Great styling inside and out. A number of features standard that you would pay extra in other cars. Have about 3,500 miles with no mechanical issues. I am over 6 foot and have plenty of head and leg room. The six speed automatic is quick to downshift on a grade. Fuel economy is well below the advertised 23-31. I have average around 22.5 through the winter months. Tires perform poorly in snow due to poor tread pattern. Ride is very stiff. Rear window is limits visibility, but large side windows overcomes this with a look over the shoulder. Overall fun to drive, easy to drive with good visibility of the road