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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  Excellent Value - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By bendersx6 - January 12 - 10:00 am

  I actually traded my Toyota Sienna CE for the Sedona EX. It had everything I ever wanted in any vehicle at a price that was still $3000 less than my very basic Sienna CE. Ride, fit, and finish are on a par with the Sienna, and the kids think it look really cool...now theres a real plus!

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  KIA OWNER - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By DADEPO@AOL.COM - January 12 - 2:00 am

  I LOVE KIA AUTOMOBILES I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMENED THEM AND WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE MY SELF

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  sedona - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By goer - January 12 - 2:00 am

  Two days after purchase, noise when air conditioner is on. Sounds like compressor. Well see how good that warranty is when we have it checked. Lots of extras included in price.

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  Amazing little car - 2008 Kia Rio
  By bootsncigars - January 11 - 11:13 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to replace my not so fuel effecient 07 Tuarus.. My first impression was, solid, tight, peppy though not powerful. I enjoy the 6 speaker stereo and power package with heated outside mirrors. Since Cruis control is not an option, I did some research and found a great kit and had it professionally installed, case closed. Im figuring Im averaging around 27 mixed city and hiway. I havent taken a long trip yet but hope to get 35 as the sticker says. I had those gawd awful skinny Kumho tires replaced immediately with some more aggressive BF Goodrich T/As. What a difference in handling, BTW, Im 6 ft 2 in and it has plenty of room for comfortable driving positions..

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  So Not a MiniVan/Soccer Mom...til Now! - 2010 Kia Sedona
  By J.Zof - January 11 - 4:26 pm

  Weve only had the van for about two weeks now and so far love it! Its like they say, never want one, till you own one! With 3 kids this is the perfect car for us. I was sad to get rid of my CX-7 but am so happy we did - not just for the room alone. The ride is smooth and surprisingly quiet. The leather seats are very comfortable! DVD with wireless headphones = awesome! And getting all in & out is stress free. Looked at the Sienna & the Odyssey - so nice, but expensive at the mid-range model. We got this fully loaded for about the same & neither could touch the cash incentives or the warranty! We hope weve made a good investment & are able to ride this car into the ground. A Kia? who knew?

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  Love My Kias - 2007 Kia Optima
  By R Jenkins - January 11 - 2:40 pm

  We purchased a 2007 Kia Optima EX V6 with heated seats, sunroof, spoilers, dual exhaust, etc. and LOVE this car! It has lots of safety features, a huge trunk, a comfortable interior, and is still sporty to drive. It feels like you are riding in a much more expensive car. The car is very responsive. We have owned sports cars and luxury cars, but this is the best of both worlds. The front and rear de-icers are great and the ten speaker Infinity sound system is AWESOME! The built-in roll-down shade for the rear is like those often seen on a Benz. The car is quality built and we believe that by the time Honda and Toyota take note, their market share may be lost! We love both our Kias.

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  Not happy! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Austinsmommy - January 10 - 10:06 pm

  My van is in the shop for the 4th time since I bought it. The A/C went out (fuse) shortly after I bought it, visor mirrors broke easily a couple of times, fog lights blew, check engine light comes on all of the time, Mass Air Flow sensor went out (expensive!) and now the A/C is messing up again, check engine light is on again and it wouldnt start yesterday. The paint is peeling on the side mirrors already (and I have kept it in a carport). Once it left me alongside the road for a wrecker to tow. What is the deal? Cant believe such a new vehicle has so many issues.

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  ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By avengers2 - January 10 - 2:41 am

  Bought new in 05. Engine light came on when I got home from the dealer. Sensor out. Head lights go out about every 4 months. The back windshield wiper blade runs for about 5 minutes every time you start the car. I had the car checked out. They said I have 3 electrical problems. The air conditioner went out 2 years ago.

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  Good car BUT overstated mpg - 2014 Kia Forte
  By Paul - January 10 - 2:16 am

  Kia Forte overall is a good car, but they overstate their mpg. Im not getting near kia projected 29 mpg instead Im getting 25 mpg while driving about 60% highway and doing it with a light foot. Kia and hyundai are getting poor mpg compare to other compact cars manufacturers, plus they recently got fine by the govt for overstating their mpg for their cars. Guess they havent learn there lesson.

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  Great value - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By David - January 9 - 2:28 am

  The engine and acceleration on this van are great! We have 136,000 miles and have had NO engine problems. Weve changed the battery, but thats about it. Im very satisfied with the overall quality of all the parts that matter- engine, etc. But, the inside of the car feels a little cheap. It feels "plastic-y". But, we bought this car for overall value so were very happy with a peppy, great motor and drive, and dont really care about the feel of the inside controls.