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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  My Chick Maggnet - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Cowboy65 - January 10 - 10:00 am

  The car has been very economical, In that, I have saved a bunddle of money in fuel costs. Also the car is very good when out in the hills four wheeling. I enjoy driving hte car.

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  KIA SORENTO EX 2003 - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By robdi - January 10 - 10:00 am

  This is our first KIA vehicle, which I bought for my wife, and we have had a WONDERFUL experience. We will NEVER buy an American Made(JUNK!!!) vehicle again. Our hats go off to KIA!!!!!

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  Great Value - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By kalkoala - January 10 - 10:00 am

  The more I look at the my Sorento the more I fall in love. It is a beautiful car that unfortunately gets bad gas mileage. The reason for the poor gas mileage is the ratio between horsepower and weight. If you dont mind the gas mileage its a good buy.

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  Love it but needs better MPG - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By JasonPate - January 7 - 12:10 am

  Car looks great, inside and out. Seats might be a little tight if your on the fat side like me 260ish. But it handdles great, its fun to drive. But so far I am only getting about 20 miles per gallon, I can only hope that impoves, a Hybrid version is my dream version of a car.

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  Its not the car; its the dealer/service - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By garibaldibyrde - January 7 - 12:04 am

  As much as I like my 08 Sorento LX, its not the car, its the dealer/service! The Sorento seems to be one with certain issues that plague most of the models. For example, so-so MPG, the passenger air bag sensor, brake rotors, hard shifting transmission (intermittent), rear differential failure and a front, testy transmission when in 4WD and recurring right side axle seal leak. These are problems which should be handled under warranty by any KIA dealer. Unfortunately, that is not the way the company does business. If you get lousy service at one dealer, you should be able to go to another dealer for service without problems. Not so with KIA. Let the buyer beware! Also if you miss any of the recommended services, they wont honor the warranty if any parts are adversely affected, even if the part just went bad on its own! KIA is extreme with their maintenance recommendations and timeliness of the services. Also be very careful when buying in the showroom. Every dealer is trained in HIGH PRESSURE sales/scare tactics. Dont allow them to pressure you into buying a car that you dont want. A "similar" vehicle is not the "same" vehicle that you want. Brush up on your haggling and bargaining skills and be prepared o walk out if you cant reach an agreement.

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  OK, for what it is. - 2009 Kia Rio
  By Bill - January 4 - 9:33 am

  I can find not fault with the build quality. Thinngs shut and reveal gaps are very exact. The motor in 5th gear turns much higher than I would envision for the torque and horsepower required. Needs a 6th gear.

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  Great SUV - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Elena679 - January 4 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the Kia Sorento for almost two months now, and I love it! I live in colorado and have over a hundred mile commute to and from work into the mountains, and this SUV is great. It picks up really well when going up into the mountains and I love the cruise control. It also handles very well going around curves. This is a great SUV and I would reccomend it to anyone who wants a reliable and fun SUV, but who doesnt want to spend a fortune to get it.

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  GOOD CAR, DECENT PRICE - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By bogtrotter - January 2 - 10:00 am

  WEVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. WE TAKE IT BACK TO DEALER EVERY 3,000 MILES FOR UPKEEP, AND WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO COMPLAINTS. ITS COMFORTABLE AND RELIABLE.

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  Excellent Value - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By rrc - January 2 - 10:00 am

  We were determined to by a domestic van when we heard about Kias 5 year warrantee. Having not seen a Sedona, our curiousity lead us to our local Kia dealer. We liked the look so I proceeded to take a deeper look. The underbody is much beefier and the quality finish and feel, inside & out, was most impressive; as good as any other we seen out there. And to top it all a fully loaded unit at several thousands of dollars less than a competitors equivalently loaded unit! We purchased our EX 3 weeks ago and absolutely love it. It is comfortable, roomy, handles well and the engine powerful. Surprisingly, we achieved 22.5 mpusg, 50/50 city and highway in our 1st 650 miles of engine breakin!

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  Desert Diver - 2002 Kia Rio
  By bobbytimmy - January 1 - 9:10 am

  Has been a great daily driver thus far. Brakes and maintenance have only been minor thus far. Outstanding Air conditioning but noticeable pausing from time to time. Were getting 33 mpg on mostly cross town driving (60 miles daily}Air is on 1st setting.