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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  Best for the money - 2005 Kia Optima
  By jne7690 - December 25 - 9:46 am

  I love this car i used to own a avalon and i feel like i have stepped up! I love the v6 engine and the sportronic transmission. and most importantly i feel better because of the free 10 year warranty!

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  Really Good Car - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Swamp Creek - December 23 - 10:40 am

  This car has plenty of legroom and headroom for me, 6-6". Handles very well, although the ride is a little stiff. I bought mine without the third row seats. That gives me a nice cargo area with storage under the floor where I can stow all the miscellaneous stuff that usually ends up scattered all over the car. The six speed transmission is the best automatic transmission Ive ever driven and the four cylinder engine has plenty of power. Gas mileage is around 23.5 mpg around town. Its a company car and gets driven lots of short haul trips.

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  Surprised by KIA - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By KMacker - December 21 - 10:00 am

  After much research and comparing with other cars in its class (4Runner,Highlander,Escape,Liberty), I found the Sorento to be much more spacious then most of the others. With all of its features you can not touch a Toyota,Jeep, or Ford, for such a great price. I wanted a reliable and SAFE SUV for under $25,000 and the Sorento EX is awesome.

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  Snazzy ride - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Wolfie - December 20 - 4:53 pm

  The vehicle is noisy on the open road, but handles fairly well. Gas mileage is good. I had a Suzuki Vitara and it is more comfortable and only a few inches lower. My granddaughter loves it and says that it is more comfortable. Nice features.

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  2004 Kia Spectra - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By LLBinHOU - December 20 - 6:30 am

  I bought this Kia used 8 months ago and I LOVE this car! It has smooth manual shift, feels sporty, great on the mileage and very fun to drive! No complaints. None!

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  Surprisingly Great Tech Package - 2017 Kia Cadenza
  By Tom - December 19 - 9:33 pm

  I have owned BMW Convertible, 5 Series M Sport, Acura TSX & many Toyotas & Hondas. The 2017 Cadenza is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. Full of High Tech in Tech package. Smooth ride, excellent seats (better than Volvo).

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  So Far I like it! - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By jrgleason2003 - December 18 - 1:34 am

  I took on a new job that required a lot of travel. I had to get rid of my beloved pickup and downgraded to a Prius. I absolutely hated the prius. Granted it gets great gas mileage but the ride and everything about the car was not comfortable for me. I started researching luxury cars and decided between the Kia Cadenza and the Buick Lacrosse. I really felt the buick was a more comfortable ride, the seats were softer but that is pretty much where the pros for that car stopped. I settled into the Kia Cadenza Premium w/the luxury package for $27K. I am glad I did as I took a 500 mile trip and really fell in love with that car.

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  Fun & Easy to Drive - 2005 Kia Optima
  By happywheels - December 17 - 1:53 pm

  I bought my Kia EX brand new in 2005. Its now 2014 and shes still running great & looks wonderful. The leather interior has done extremely well and there has only been one minor switch that was fixed ... other than that shes be completely problem free. Only trading her since we need a larger vehicle; otherwise, Id keep her for another 9 years! Great purchase! We actually purchase another Optima in 2011 and its doing great also. The larger vehicle will also be a Kia. Great cars.

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  Kia Optima EX 2011 - 2011 Kia Optima
  By wdhutch - December 17 - 4:37 am

  First noticed car at Boston Auto Show was able to test drive one there. Really enjoyed it and decided that this was the car to go with, had been looking at a couple of others but this car seems to have a lot of value for the money.

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  A Small Car Hard Not To Drive Hard - 2003 Kia Rio
  By Old Bear - December 17 - 2:00 am

  The great majority of my driving has been in heavy traffic, but I did manage a fairly lightly trafficed trip from San Bernardino to Santa Ana and back. This car is eager to fly. Before I realized it I was zooming along comfortably at 100mph. The car handled nicely, but I slowed. It seemed happy at 80, but had to be restrained to 70. In traffic it is eager and surprisingly comfortable for a large person. Im 511" and weigh 250. Mine is Rally Blue and it wants to race, behavior for which it penalizes you at the gas pump.