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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  wow - 2009 Kia Optima
  By kinkejay - November 2 - 2:23 am

  I truly never thought I would ever buy a foreign car but I have now bought two Kias in 6 mths and love them. The Optima is an inexpensive luxury kind of car. You really do get the bang for the buck with this one. Ford, GM, Chrysler take notice, Kia is here to stay.

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  Soul could become an icon like the Mini - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Mike Gordon - November 1 - 4:00 pm

  Our plus automatic is a month old. Its a small car which drives like a much bigger car or a SUV. Interior space is amazing. Engine is quick enough for California traffic, and the transmission is well made but 4 speeds are not enough. If they would place the 2.4 liter engine and a 6-speed auto with paddle shifters in the Soul, it could become an icon among "hot hatches" like the Mini Cooper, Mazda Speed 3, or he VW GTI. I enjoy driving it more than our V6 Accord. As a former Honda tech I think the engine bay has lots of space and it should be easy to work on. I can do an oil change on the Soul at home without raising it with a jack. And it doesnt have the drive-by-wire throttle - no runaway.

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  2010 Kia Forte Koup - 2010 Kia Forte
  By kiaaed - November 1 - 10:49 am

  Good car and fun to drive. The exterior is very nice and the interior looks nice but the material doesnt look like it will last very long. There are some issues:1) The sun-roof is very noisy and bounces around when hitting a bump. 2) Air condition doesnt feel cold enough especially on a hot 100 degree day.3) There are leaks in the floor board or door that is causing mold to grow on the passenger floor mat. Kia cannot figure out the problem. They just bandage the problem by trying to kill the mold that eventually comes back. Make sure you check yours!4) Gears shift hard unexpectedly.5) Alignment/tires wear down in the inside of tires & change tires after 20k miles. Bluetooth/addressbook bad

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  good looks great value - 2003 Kia Optima
  By tony927 - November 1 - 10:00 am

  as a previous lincoln and cadillac owner, I was amazed at the creature comforts and quality of ride.

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  4x4 ex Kia Sorento - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By bwinquist - November 1 - 9:40 am

  Purchased this Sorento ex 4x4..to it for a 400 mile test drive and found it to handle well on highway-no unreasonable vibrations, handles well, good turning radius, good acceleration. The seating however, is quite hard. Perhap this can be an improvement for future. Good legroom for driver and passenger, the steering wheel could perhaps elevate higher. The wheel base should be longer to allow for greater back cargo storage. The seats do not fold down well wihout adjusting the headrests.

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  Never Again! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By lori - October 31 - 8:43 pm

  We have had nothing but trouble since we bought this thing. Weve had to have new rotors put on after the first 15,000 miles.The interior lights stopped working. Have had to change countless bulbs in the head lights and tail lights. The transmission has gone out and dumped $1600. in having it worked on and still on working properly. The front seat design is horrible for long trips - across the country. The only good thing about this junk is that it is paid for. Ill never buy another KIA!

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  Careful - 2001 Kia Rio
  By Tiago Moraes - October 31 - 11:20 am

  When I bought my Rio it was clean, I mean clean like new, you could still smell that new car smell in it, the other owner took such a good care of it and I was very exited to have a car that was so new, so I drove it to work and home and one day when I parked the car at work a piston broke off and that was the end of the car, for no reason or now warning signs a piston broke and now I have to change the whole engine. Kia wont cover it (of course) now I have a car that looks new but doesnt run, it has only 60,000 miles and all three mechanics told me it was garbage, so be careful and listen to what people have to say.

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  surprising comfort and value - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By N. Bowles - October 31 - 3:46 am

  Bought this for my job in sales as my Range Rover and F-150 were gas guzzlers. I own or have owned many nice vehicles including an 04 Range Rover, 04 Mercedes E-320 and 00 Corvette convertible. I expected to "tolerate" this for the sake of efficiency. How wrong I was. My initial drive left me speechless at the refinement,velvety switchgear, and quiet cabin at cruise. Engine thrashes a bit at 4K rpm but not excessively for a 4 cylinder. Once at highway speed, noise is nicely quelled and a pleasure to drive. Ergonomics are excellent and visibility is great. Peppy engine, great brakes, and agile handling make this a sleeper. You will not find more bang for the buck than this car.

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  Great SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Kia lover - October 30 - 7:23 am

  This is my third Kia. I really like the quality and affordability of these autos. My Sorento was all I hoped for and more! Great ride, comfortable interior is worth the so-so gas mileage.

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  Awesome Vehicle - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By CD - October 30 - 2:16 am

  I purchased this car because of the value and the bells and whistles the car has to offer. Everywhere I go: work, pleasure, people stop and admire my vehicle. I live in the Tahoe (California) area, where we had an epic snow season last winter. The vehicle was just gliding thru the snow covered roads, no sliding, no worries. I do highly recommend the vehicle.