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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  It is a good Soul - 2011 Kia Soul
  By miriz01 - March 23 - 11:59 pm

  All the "Soul" jokes aside, this is an awesome car. Ive had mine about a month and a half and have put over 7,000 miles on it including 1 trip from Tulsa to Corpus Christi and 2 trips from Tulsa to Waco. The Soul is lots of fun and handles very well. Running the AC at full blast contstantly all summer (it has been well over 100deg) I am getting about 26mpg average. My 2 sons love the roomy back and I have found that there is really a lot of room. We did install an aftermarket roof rack for extra cargo space too. This car is perfect for lugging the kids around town with all their sports gear. The front seat comfort wasnt quite as good as my Jetta GLX, but this is still very nice.

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  2014 Sorento SX-L, AWD, A great choice! - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By stuball45 - March 23 - 8:48 pm

  Our new 2014 Kia Sorento SX-L AWD is our second Sorento. We bought a 2011 EX V6 FWD in April 2010 and put about 60K (happy) miles on it. It had all of the available "bells and whistles" at the time but the new 2014 SX-L is a huge advancement in nearly every category. It is so feature-rich, comfortable, powerful and well finished that I think it beats the competition from Honda, Acura, BMW etc. for thousands of dollars less. Admittedly, this is the top of the line so the Nappa leather and panoramic sun roof wont be found on every model. Aside from the many features on the SX-L, I would strongly recommend the AWD version. It really makes a positive difference in how the vehicle drives.

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  Was Skeptical - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By JKM - March 23 - 6:56 pm

  When I first ran across this SUV in an ad I thought no way, but the price created curiosity. Once I test drove it and compared it to similar SUVs like the Pilot and a Trailblazer it was hands down the superior vehilce. It handles great, accelerates well (very important in Houstons no signal/blinker culture) and is very confortable. Has cost me $120 in tickets because my wife enjoys the acceleration but not bad for being pulled over 6 times in 3 wks! Only problem has been lights (head, rear blinker) short circuiting.

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  Eye Pleasing Performer - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By b - March 23 - 11:30 am

  I love the look and the feel, but not the gas mileage. It could use a little more horses under the hood just to match its competitors.

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  Better than expected! - 2006 Kia Rio
  By jani - March 22 - 1:40 pm

  We were shopping for something a little bigger (Vibe, Matrix, Focus) but this little car suits us just fine for $5000 less. Our Rio5 5-speed takes us on 100 mile round trips at least twice a week, plus a few miles back and forth to work each week. It gets up to 70 with no problem, cruises at 75-80 comfortably. The shifting is a little stiff in reverse, but otherwise smooth.

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  Gotta Love It - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By crowbar - March 20 - 12:10 am

  Right out of the gate, this car has curb appeal in spades. The sporty looks are fitting after experiencing the way this car handles, and it is indeed a fun ride. The additional features that come standard is impressive, and I couldnÂ’t help but be impressed with the headroom. Fact is, this car is roomy everywhere. The list of standard safety features is also impressive, and many are not even available from other manufacturers.

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  NO regrets - 2002 Kia Optima
  By BOW - March 19 - 4:20 pm

  I bought this car used in 03. It had 27,000 miles on it and was a rental. Before the Kia I had a Mitsubishi Galant. I traded in @ 120,000 miles and 2 transmissions. The KIA is a very well made car, seats are very comfortable, very solid feeling for a mid-size and economical car. Have had no major issues and have 143,000 miles on it now. Even though I did not get the 100,000 mi warranty because I bought it used, no regrets. Would buy another. Think they are well made and a great value. Wish it had a sunroof though!

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  Love my Kia Amanti - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Paula - March 17 - 9:26 am

  I got my Kia Amanti in Aug. 04 and have never been disappointed in it. I traded a Cadillac Catera for it, and I prefer the Kia. It is a great size car, handles well, and the price is right. I have had nothing done to it; other than oil changes and regular maintenance. It is a great car, and I will purchase another one in the future.

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  Sorento SX FWD Rocks! - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By rusty53a - March 16 - 10:43 pm

  Had my SX one week. First tank 20 mpg. Love the Handling and ride (very European), and the many safety and function features. After researching many reviews and driving various competition from Nissan, Subaru, Honda, as well as Sorento 4, and 6 cylinders, bought the SX. The double valve shocks and suspension features on the SX make handling like a sports sedan. Best SUV feature and quality for dollar available IMO.

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  VERY SAFE! - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By zambo - March 16 - 10:00 am

  I had a 2003 (with 26,000 miles) EX that was totaled in an accident. My Sedona certainly had significant damage but compared to the other car it was unbelievable how well the Sedona held together from the impact. I was really impressed with my 2003 EX that I went out and got a 2004 EX as a replacement. I got the add model so paid (are you sitting down) 15,998 after 3500 in rebates (2500.00 plus Kia loyalty rebate 1000) and the dealer discount. After taxes and licensing it came to 17500 aprox. but still a killer price for an EX.