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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  BETTER VALUE FOR YOU DOLLAR - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By SUS56 - August 25 - 7:30 pm

  WE LOVE THE SORENTO SUV, THERE IS NO BETTER WARRANTY OUT THERE ESPECIALLY FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY. STORAGE IS GREAT, INTERIORS ARE HANDSOME AND PRACTICAL. WE ONLY ADDED CUSTOM, COLOR CODED RUNNING BOARDS FROM A VAN CONVERSION PLACE AND THIS REALLY ADDED TO THE SHARPNESS OF THIS VEHICLE. EVERYONE THINKS IT IS A LEXUS, GUESS THAT WOULD BE A GREAT COMPLIMENT. YET THE PRICE IS MUCH MORE AFFORABLE.

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  Comfortable and reliable - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By rebecca Hunt - August 25 - 1:43 pm

  I love my Kia sportage ! I have owned it for a year now and I have enjoyed it more than I thought I ever would.I car pool kids in it I have driven through the mountains of west virginia in it and I went camping in it. and I love the interior, it isnt full of hard plastic everywhere. I have the basic model and I love the easy to care for fabric. The sound system is great and it has plenty of power for me. I highly recommend it for moms on a budget. It gets great mileage on trips and I also have 4 wheel drive and I can get anywhere in this SUV, believe me I have used it, and it cleans up nice too! I have lots of confidence in this SUV, my next trip will be Key west!

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  My 2005 Kia Sedona Ex - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Dave&Gretchen - August 25 - 10:56 am

  From the start the purchase of this vehicle was very pleasant, My wife did most of the research and I was suprised on all of the features that Kia had to offer. We elected for every option except the first aid kit. My wife enjoys driving and shopping in our Kia much more then our Suv. It is easy to load the kids and anything else you may have to hall around. I would purchase another Kia in the future.

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  Excellent value, excellent car! - 2005 Kia Optima
  By mark wilms - August 25 - 9:03 am

  I have had my Optima for 8 months and have done extensive traveling. I have had not one problem with the car. It has plenty of get up and go which is important to me especially since I used to own a Mustang. I would have no problems recommending this car. If you are on a budget it is an excellent value.

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  full package - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By oside760 - August 25 - 12:01 am

  Was looking to buy a 2012 sorento but couldnt find 4 cyl with third row convenience package so just got a 2013 just the way I wanted it. I love this car. The gas mileage. It picks up very good. Smooth comfortable ride. Love the evo the back up camera and everything. Looked at the traverse, Mazda cx9, explorer but none matched the sorento. I never thought I would have a Kia but I love it. Great value.

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  Truly Understated All-Around Roadster - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Rion KSA - August 24 - 10:10 am

  As i was trying to find a better off or on-road veh to own this early 2009, i end up looking at the 2008 Sportage model. A lot of disappointing feedbacks causing me to wonder how true these feedbacks really was. i drove two brand new units in the past from toyota and Volks. But i made a test on this one. God Its understated 1000x!! The 5 speed manual can climb any dune and boost 195kph in few seconds... who tells its a slow starter? Only at 200+ plus a buzzing sound seems noticeable. braking is great too. In cornering u must slow- down. Space is too good for my field projects with many small equipment and computers. Very dependable. Cute everyone love its curves. Im just too happy for it.

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  Great Car - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By sportdee - August 24 - 6:23 am

  Havent had any issues with the car other than frequent burn out of rear lights. Fun to drive, nice to travel in, and plenty of room for 4. I would get another one in the future!

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  We love our Kia Rondo! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Bob Crepeau - August 22 - 1:30 pm

  This is just what we needed! We are a retired younger couple who are on the go...but I need a lay-down space for me in the back for long trips. We wanted a foreign car and the Kia Rondo is just perfect for us. It is zippy, comfortable, pretty inside and out and the 60/40 seating configuration is perfect for us empty-nesters. The cost was within our price-range as well.

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  Love my Amanti - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Krissy - August 21 - 12:16 pm

  What a great car. We went to the west coast; had a lot of people admire and ask questions. If the gas price would have been a little lower, our trip could have been perfect. We would recommend the Amanti as the perfect car.

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  Best SUV for the price - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By unknown - August 21 - 12:33 am

  In the Oregon mountains, we have lots of snow and this small suv with the big ground clearance out drives our Ford Explorer. Our Sorento has every extra known to man and is $7 to $10,000 cheaper to buy than any suv outfitted as nice. Best of all the Sorento is a pickup truck on a luxury body. It is tough.