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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  Completely Satisfied - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Satisfied - October 15 - 3:46 am

  The vehicle is awesome to drive and a pleasure to own. I couldnt have asked for a better deal as well as incentives for a purchase of a new vehicle. Yes. Interior is cheap but for the price I cannot complain. Extremely satisfied in my purchase and will use kia again in the future!

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  Small Things - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By jreynard - October 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car new from the dealership. This car was my first brand new car. I was blind to all that goes into buying a car. If I had to do it again I would not. It ran well for the most part and it did have a roomy interior but the attention to details was lacking. The engine was really loud on the highway and its handling was bad. The body was made of very weak metal that showed the smallest of dings. It seemed to me that alot of quality was comprimised when they were trying to be "economic."

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  Kia Spectra - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Jdowns37 - October 14 - 2:00 am

  Slow Take off Speed Tire poor traction Lacks sporty look need two door version arm console weak needs beefed up

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  Just put 21,000 miles on my Kia Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By trawets20 - October 14 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Sorento right about a year and have now put 21,ooo miles on it.It has had no problems at all and has been a real pleasure to drive.I too was skeptical of the Kia badge ,but did alot of research before I purchased.Its turned out to be a real good vehicle so far,and for the features you get its a great choice.

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  Quality - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Jasons Kia - October 14 - 2:00 am

  I love my KIA. Gas milage is pretty poor, but I knew that going in. I hated Thomas Kia in Highland Indiana, the place is a scam, they go back on their word. But, they had the car I was looking for. Great, purchase.

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  My new SX turbo rocks! - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Ken - October 13 - 12:11 pm

  This has everything I was looking for (SUV, size, power, styling, tech, etc.). I like German makes, but for for this level of equipment youll be spending north of $45,000. I like that this trim includes everything, no nickel and diming for options. Mine is Pacific Blue with the beige interior. I think the cool grey interior would be nice as well. Kia reliability is up there with the best in the latest surveys. Looking forward to a long ownership. Update: zero defects in the first year. Ride is a little stiff but last night I rode in a RAV4 and it was worse. Steering is nicely weighed and responsive. Transmission is excellent, always seems to be in the right gear. Love the low rpm torque pull in second and third gear. Al the tech stuff works great. Mileage could be better and the gas tank is small (15 gallons). Overall totally satisfied with my purchase.

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  KIA OPTIMA SXL Never buy it - 2013 Kia Optima
  By Abdul rahman - October 13 - 9:48 am

  Please dont buy kia optima sxl engine turbo the car looks great but the engine are so annoying I was driving my optima 80mils a hour coming from work while suddenly the engine make some noise and I dont see any warning signs in dashboard before or even after it stopped and shut down ,break up the engine and that was as easy as 123 so my advice to all of you who buy it dont ever spend your money and time on something not worth it. Its kia optima sxl

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  I tested them all! - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By H. Danis - October 13 - 8:29 am

  I started searching over a year ago for the best 3 row SUV that was affordable, great looking, and gas worthy. I first liked the Rogue but quickly changed my mind on that. It has great gas mileage but the third row was ridiculous. The new Rogue has the second row raised as if you are sitting in a movie theatre. I hated that and it felt really strange being higher up than the front row. That was a deal breaker for me. The Murano is over priced and so is the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder was gorgeous but the base model doesnt have the basics like blue tooth and Sirius Radio. The next trim model that offered it was 6,000 more. The Pathfinder also received weak reviews for reliability. I drove the Mazda 9 and loved it but the extremely low gas mileage (combined) is only 16. Thats unacceptable for a car like that. One would think Mazda would make a car with better gas mileage. I also drove the Highlander and it has a lot of room, but I felt it over priced and not very attractive. I do remember driving a 2014 Kia Sorento and was not impressed back then. However, I read the Sorento was getting a face lift so I went and checked it out. What a surprise. It is gorgeous and the fit and finish is great. I read all reviews on all SUVs and took the time to finally select the 2016 Kia Sorento. I love it. It feels like a luxury car and it is very quiet. Kia has come a long way with their line of cars and SUVs. I have one in Black with a black interior. I am a picky shopper and I am glad I purchased the new design.

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  Kia Optima - 2013 Kia Optima
  By jshafto - October 13 - 3:37 am

  Just bought a 2013 Kia Optima - Absolutely love it!! The salesperson at Young Kia was very knowledgable and was not pushy at all.

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  No complaints whatsoever... - 2013 Kia Rio
  By csandste - October 12 - 5:58 am

  Very comfortable for a subcompact, seems like a larger car. Actually seems to have more front seat room than my 07 Optima. Excellent fit and finish. Stock Kumho tires get lots of hate on Tire Rack, but I have no complaints on noise or handling after 18,000 miles. Averaging 29.57 mpg, cant complain about that. This is an EX hatch in dark sapphire, a color thats not supposed to exist on this model. Backup camera comes in very handy because rear window and c pillar restrict view. I would recommend spending the extra money over the LX, the electronics folding rear view mirrors, etc. are worth the extra $$$.