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:

• 

  Could be better - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Poor Trans. - February 15 - 8:06 pm

  I purchased my KIA new in June. Got everything on it, leather, sun roof, GPS etc. I live in the mountains, and while the V-6 delivers adequate power, the transmission down shifts "very" rough, very annoying. Dealer says it is normal but I have never seen a transmission that rough. GPS very user "unfriendly" and costs lots of $ to update. Car rides and handles well and is fun to drive. Mileage very good.

• 

  SURPRISINGLY GOOD - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By alfisti1 - February 14 - 10:00 am

  The Spectra GS is a terrific economy car that offers a lot for the money. It is fun to drive and has real sporty styling. The paint quality of the Jade Green is outstanding. I like the spacious cargo area under the hatchback, and the excellent reliability of the car. It has also given me 34-36 mpg on long trips. Overall the car has exceeded my expectations.

• 

  2 years with the new Spectra - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Hans - February 13 - 11:00 pm

  I got the 2004.5 in March of 2005. The paint is easily marked with fingernails at the door handles. Visibility is excellent with the height adjustable drivers seat. The 4-wheel disc brakes are very good. The manual shifter is a bit sloppy, and takes some getting used too. Service at the dealer has been very good. I also got a very good deal without having to negotiate, paying the advertised price with several thousand dollars off the sticker.

• 

  My New Kia Sportage - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By shawn n - February 13 - 7:53 pm

  I have had my new Kia Sportage for almost 6 months. I have had no trouble. The performance is slow but who buys a compact SUV for a day at the races. The little Sportage does get blown around a bit on the highway. But its a very nice basic SUV. I still reccomend it. I am glad I bought it.

• 

  The unknown smarter choice - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Chris - February 9 - 11:33 pm

  This van wasnt on my list of vehicles to purchase. However after reading the reviews and taking many different test drives, I really began to appreciate this van. The engine performs well. The dash and controls are fantastic. Exterior design is very nice. And to top it off the price tag is fairly reasonable. Anyone wishing to purchase the Odyssey or the Sienna really are doing themselves a disservice if they dont at least test drive the Sedona first. They will come to the same conclusion that I came to and manage to keep a few bucks in your pocket.

• 

  Sweet car for the money - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By gogo809 - February 6 - 6:23 am

  This car was a joy to own. I purchased this vehicle used with 8,000 miles on it. It never gave us any trouble. For a little over 2 years it was a great vehicle, never had it in the shop except for oil changes. There is a difference between the "drive" of an EX and a SX, spring for the SX if you can. With the Standard Transmission there is plenty enough horsepower to have some fun. Acceptable highway passing power as well. Seems like I got about 27 MPG usually.

• 

  Great Value! - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Nicodemus - February 4 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I were second-time new car buyers and were looking to step up from the 2002 Spectra we had bought the year previous. We got the GSX, which has the power windows and door locks, power mirrors and tach. The CD player was nice, but we have our own in it. The stock speakers have been just fine, and it rides quite well for a vehicle with such a short wheel base. The small engine is our main problem, as we live in a mountainous area and have to turn off the O/D and A/C to climb the hills. Overall, however, weve had NO trouble out of this car and have only had to take it in for normal upkeep.

• 

  2002 Optima EX-V6 - 2004 Kia Optima
  By RobF - February 4 - 10:00 am

  For a 2002 it has had less problems than previous American cars Ive owned but more problems than my last Honda. Overlal I am happy with the fit and finish of the interior and the amount of car for the money.

• 

  Trade offs - 2001 Kia Optima
  By DJS - January 30 - 10:00 am

  For the most part I am satisfied with my Optima. I love the acceleration and the smooth ride, but just wish it was built to last. From the moment I got it, I had an issue with the paint peeling off one of my door handles, serious paint chip issue with the side view mirrors,and then some fun with power door locks opting not to wrk. All said you cant beat the price, but you do get what you pay for. I have satisfied for the most part, but if I knew then what I know now, I might have thought longer and harder about my purchase.

• 

  Great for the price - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Dan - January 28 - 11:43 pm

  Great for off road with the compact design. Have yet to be left behind when out wheeling with other. The 4cyl does ok. Its not for hauling. If you have some heavy passengers you can feel the lose of power but hay its a 4cyl. Dont care for the swinging spare tire on the back, it takes two hands to close. Overall its great for the dollars spent on it. We have a family of 4 right know and it works great for us. When we expand we will look into a newer version. A little bigger and the v6 :)