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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  Rockin Red Kia Soul - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Steven Nichols - September 21 - 2:14 am

  The handling in snow and slush is well below average. The Kia Soul is a comfortable commuter. Its great for short trips that dont require much luggage. Both the driver and passengers have plenty of leg and seat room. I owned the very same car, previously, in a color that I did not prefer. I loved my car well enough to buy the same year and model when I found one in Rockin Red!!!

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  False MPG, but lovely car - 2013 Kia Optima
  By optimahybrid - September 20 - 6:21 am

  The 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid is pretty to look at! It is also comfortable to drive and has good pick up. BUT...the fuel economy under real world driving conditions is substantially lower than the estimated 36/38/40. We drive 85-90% hwy miles and our mpg is a pathetic 33 mpg. Weve driven 10,000 + miles and have calculated the mpg each time. Worse, the fuel gauge onboard display overstates the mpg by 4-5 mpg. It is easy to be lulled into thinking the mpg is decent, but when calculated...it isnt.

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  LEXUS RX300 CLONE - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By HOWEL MOLE - September 20 - 2:00 am

  HAVE OWNED MANY NEW AUTOS, FROM MARK 7S CADILLACS, BONNIEVILLES ETC. THIS EX MODEL HAS EVERYTHING. IT HAS TO BE A CLONE OF THE RX300. THE QUALITY IS AS GOOD AS THE RX300 WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LEATHER SEATS. ONLY 1" DIFFERENCE IN THE LENGTH, 300 LBS HEAVER, 20 HP LESS AND $14,000 LESS. VERY NICE RIDE AND THE POWER IS NOT LACKING FOR A V6. I STILL CAN BELEIVE HOW GREAT A CAR IT IS FOR THE PRICE.

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  Great purchase - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By jdcam - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Just purchased, only 110 miles so far. Best Bang for the buck out there!! Only time will tell on quality, but as of now.. I couldnt be happier. Fit and finish seems outstanding, no rattles or stange noises. My choices were a Kia or a 99 Merceded ML320. Features were the same, price was the same. I had to go with the warranty.

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  class act.... - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By boats - September 20 - 2:00 am

  well just got it 3 days ago no complaints did the research. think kia did a great job

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  Long Term Review - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Kentucky Ranger - September 19 - 12:06 pm

  After driving this Car for 2.5 Years and 40k Mi I can say it was well worth the Money. Pros: Still very quiet and runs very smooth. No rattles or squeaks. Very roomy and comfortable on long trips. Flawless operation of the Drivetrain with no abnormal Fluid usage. Still very tight handling with no sign of any wear in Suspension or slop in the Steering linkage. Exhaust system still very quiet and resisting Rust. Cons: Not even close to the advertised Fuel economy. As of now 23/29 Cheap Carpet and Seat material already showing signs of wear. Windshield Weather Stripping had to be glued to keep from coming lose. Horn was not hooked up at Factory. Clock intermittently shuts off.

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  Fun Little Car - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By smartie pants - September 19 - 8:50 am

  We were downsizing due to rising gas prices with no end in sight, and the current Middle East crisis. We are both tall, hubby 66" and me 6 and we fit well with room to spare. The latch lock and rear anchor tether system for child seat is great. With all of us in the car, it is not too quick off the mark, but it is great for what we use it for, commuting to work. The hatch back has a ton of room. I managed to fit 2 big boxes and a black bin bag full of recycling in there the other day and I could still see out of the rear view mirror! For the price this car is a lot of fun to drive and has all we need for a comfy ride to work.

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  good as any other car i had! - 2004 Kia Optima
  By MAURICE HAMEL - September 18 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE NOTHING BAD TO SAY ABOUT THIS VEHICLE,IT HAS BEEN A GOOD RELIABLE AUTO , I BOUGHT IT IN JAN 2004 I HAVE 26500 MILES ON IT , ITS BEEN IN BELOW ZERO WEATHER, AND VERY HOT WEATHER, AND IT PERFORMED FLAULESSLY,I GET 31 MILE PG ON HIWAY AND I LOVE THIS CAR. I HAD CHEV,CORSICA,2 LUMINAS,BUICK REGAL,CHEV VENTURA VAN,ALL NEW AND THIS CAR IS AS GOOD AS ANY OF THEM!

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  Great car! - 2013 Kia Forte
  By kevohyuh - September 18 - 12:58 am

  Currently at 15,006 miles and loving it. I heard a lot of complaints about the gas mileage and I have to tell you.. I get 32 to 35 miles to the gallon easy and have nothing to complain about. The car looks great. Inside and out. I would suggest better stock speakers and a metal fuel door, but other than that, perfect little car for the money. Cant go wrong.

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  Dont regret the purchase but would not buy another one - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By apennysaved1 - September 17 - 11:50 am

  I own a 2007 KIA Sedona LX. I purchased the car used in late 2009. It had 37,000 miles at time of purchase and was a good value for the money. The good points about this car: it drives smoothly, has a lot of power, is very roomy and comfortable, incredibly safe with electronic stability control, 8 airbags, ABS, and I like the look of it. The gas mileage isnt bad for city driving. I get about 20 mpg in the city. However, Ive had some big issues with this car that would really make me think twice about getting another one. The transmission needed to be replaced at 88000 miles. I was stunned that the transmission died so quickly.