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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  GM killer - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By fedsales - November 13 - 2:00 am

  buick build quality without the inflated GM price....will remind you of the buick park aves of old without gouging your wallet..the most comfortable car i have owned in many years..why buy GM anymore?

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  Go buy it! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Art Morris - November 13 - 2:00 am

  Just completed a 3000 mi road trip & this vehicle exceeded our expectations. Good ride/handling & plenty of power. Add all the extras & the warranty,& KIA has a real winner here!Lots of "bang for the buck".

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  Love this van!! - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By josephina1000 - November 10 - 3:10 pm

  We bought this van brand new back in January 2005. We had it for 6 whole years now. Never had 1 problems w/ it. We drove it all the way from Calif to Florida and back. Dragged a tent trailer and regular trailer w/ it quite often. It has totally held up really well. We maintained it and took care of it. It was the best van we ever had. We are now looking into trading it in for a newer model. We highly recommend this mini van.

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  From Suzuki to KIA great move - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Mark - November 8 - 12:43 pm

  I got the EX with the sunroof and the alloy wheels. This car has truly surprised me the way it drives and handles is excellent. I have only had it about a month but have already taken it on to lengthy road trips and it was very comfortable and easy to drive. The satellite radio and bluetooth are awesome too. The stereo in this car rocks!! I traded in a Suzuku SX4 that rode terrible when I got in this car and drove it I felt like I was in a cadillac but for a much cheaper price. I would highly recommend buying the KIA and the warranty cant be beat. I am very happy that I purchased this car. It looks great and is fun to drive. I look forward to driving it every time I get it in it.

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  Pleasantly Surprising Car! - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Molly M - November 4 - 7:16 pm

  I got this car after my 2005 Honda Civic EX was (unfortunately) totaled. I bought it used with 35k miles and it now has 38k. Let me stress that I absolutely LOVED my Civic, so I wasnt exactly thrilled about getting a new car. But after 3000 miles, Ive learned to love my Spectra almost as much as the Civic! It only has about 30 more horsepower than my Civic did, but its very noticeable. The engine is extremely quiet upon acceleration, and I have to watch out or else Ill end up doing 80/90mph without even noticing. Fuel economy is great. Ive gotten up to 430 miles on 12 gallons (close to 500 on a full 15 gal). The seats are very comfy (I drive long distances often). Great little car!

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  Best features for under $20K! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Skittles - November 4 - 1:13 am

  Fun to drive, sporty interior, amazing features (see below), best bang for buck ever!

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  Love My Kia Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By tobylm - November 3 - 10:00 am

  Ive also owned expensive cars and was a little weary about buying a Kia. It turns out this Kia Sorento is awesome. I love the look of it inside and out and it drives like a dream. I have people stop me all the time in parking lots, complimenting me on the car and asking how I like it. I love it!!!!

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  Love My Kia! - 2001 Kia Rio
  By Bobby - November 3 - 12:50 am

  I bought my Rio, brand new, 6 years ago, and Im still driving it. It now has nearly 90,000 miles on it. Its been in an accident, been broken in to, hauled furniture, been on a couple trips halfway across the states, and generally not been treated with kid gloves. Through it all, I have not had any problems, and it has been a very reliable little trooper. I am completely satisfied with this underestimated jewel.

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  Very Happy - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Landis Carrier - November 1 - 5:16 pm

  This is my second Kia and I am very happy with the Forte so far! I have the SX with the 6-speed, the ride is a bit bumpy but this car is a lot of fun to drive and it has a ton of features for a 17k car!

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  Best of both worlds - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Happy - October 31 - 7:03 pm

  Have had vehicle a little over a month and am very pleased, has plenty of power and good fuel economy. Have used it to move daughter to school and hauled the needed goods well. I love the color and it always gets comments. I am tall and heavy and it is a joy to get in andout of, I think I made a good buy for me.