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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  2016 Sportage - 2016 Kia Sportage
  By Cindy C - August 3 - 9:01 pm

  Love the car! The only reason Im letting it go is because its leased and I got a job that requires a LOT of driving!

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  I never thought I would buy a Kia - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Robert - August 3 - 8:06 am

  i recently found myself in the position of needing a new car. I shopped Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Nissan and ended up at a Kia dealership on a lark. Once I rode in it... It was over. The ride, the amenities and the look had me at hello. I had been driving in a friends Lexus and the experience was virtually the same for less than half the price. I want home, did my "due diligence" and found an overwhelming abundance of positive reviews and experiences regarding the Amanti. In the "bang for the buck" category, the Amanti is the winner, Hands down.

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  Great Small car but can be pricey - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Benjamin - July 30 - 1:26 am

  Recently i bought my 2002 Kia Spectra, so far its been a great little car and even with a 153,000 miles on it it still has a lot of its kick still in it, cant burn out but it tries like hell to, but the only things i have had to done lately is servicing when bought the car it had no air filter and the spark plugs were bad so changed all that and it seemed like it had a new life in it, but recently the front right tire seemed like it was going to fall off due to a tire shop so i had to spend 500 dollars to get all that fixed but ever since then best little car i ever owned and gas mileage is great get a 100 miles to a forth of a tank plus it tries to be sporty at times.

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  Wow!! What fun!! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By mikeyt - July 26 - 9:33 am

  I love this car. Best features, great sporty ride, engine has some nice pep to it, stands out in a crowd!

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  dont understand what this is - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Hank Bossung - July 26 - 7:30 am

  Great van. Price was good with rebates, much lower than competition. No problems with vehicle whatsoever other than having to have a windshield wiper replaced.

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  Suggested Improvements - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Areh - July 24 - 3:23 pm

  Had Kia since May. So far, Its good until it rolls onto any size road bump. Bad noisy, jarring & annoying suspension! It drives nice on smooth roads but you feel every bump to the point that you are shaken up. Camera is irritating, it blocks your vision. Radio power button stop working. Other features are commendable. Had major problems with Nationwide Dealership in Timonium MD. Very long story made short, got a call 3 wks after purchase saying I had to pay 3,800 more for my trade in. 2 mths later, they still have not paid off my trade in, which is now affecting my good credit.

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  best bargain - 2006 Kia Rio
  By lhennigar - July 23 - 5:56 pm

  This vehicle is all around a great one / good mileage & reliable. Front seats are hard, though wouldnt trade it .

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  Greatest Find of this and last century - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Morko Berbeteoux - July 23 - 3:25 pm

  This is a great and special car. Glad to meet a quintessential sales associate with discerning abilities that conducted himself in a professional manner and wore fine Italian shiny suits.

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  Spectra LS is a great car... - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By spectraboi2002 - July 23 - 10:00 am

  I have just under 30,000 miles on it.I paid about $16,000 for this car and I got all of the goodies, Cruise, power windows and locks, XM radio. Another great thing that I like about the Kias that most do not know Alpine makes their radios.Also I have had very little problems with my car.The most major problem that I had was the Cruise control switch broke,and it was not because of poor quality,but rather me letting others drive it on vacation and them not knowing how to use the switches and they broke one off.I am extremely rough on my car and It is still going very strong for highway passing. So it is fun to drive and alot of "Bang for your buck".

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  Extremely nice car for the price - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Lazin - July 23 - 12:56 am

  The Forte EX with electric steering feels like Im driving a high end Lexus or Acura. Stay away from hydraulic LX model since it does not feel the same. The Forte handles very well with an adequate performance motor.