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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  kia can not be beat - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By Barbara Nesbitt - July 6 - 10:00 am

  this is the second Kia I have owned and I would never switch to anything else. The Sopia is roomy,stylish,fun to drive,holds the road,easy on gas,runs fast and takes mountains nicely there just great I have owned and driven many cars and none of the others have anything on the Kia.and they are affordable as well as has a great company warranty

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  Spectra is build for life - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Joe Gagner - July 6 - 7:36 am

  I just bought a Spectra 5 Hatchback. This car is sweet. This car is fast looks good and has a standard spoiler how cool is that. Toyota and Honda charge 500 for all standard. Safety must be first when it comes to this car 6 Airbags plus an automatic airbag that shuts off when someone under 75 or no one is sitting in the passenger seat. Great suspension

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  Awesome Car - 2001 Kia Optima
  By New Yorker - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I just had my first child and needed a reliable car that was inexpensive but still looked flashy. (I wasnt ready for the mini van) The Kia Optima is it! The V-6 is a blast to drive especially with the porsche designed tiptronic transmission. When I sit in traffic its on automatic, but when i want to feel the road and the engine, I flip over to manual mode. Tne interior is roomy. I am a 62 and i am very comfortable in the ride. WE just drove to Disney from NY and it was a pleasure. When it comes to styling, people cannot take their eyes off of this car. My boss who owns multiple luxury cars belives it looks like a BMW.

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  sweet ride - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By riley ed - July 4 - 7:27 am

  Not overwhelmed with power , but awesome on gas.

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  Great owning car - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By jim - July 2 - 12:26 pm

  Quiet driving vehicle. Not a lot of power but enough for city and highway. People cant believe its a Kia.

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  Fun, Economical & Reliable - 2003 Kia Rio
  By Navin Mahabir - July 1 - 3:26 am

  I bought this car because it was the cheapest available. But I also did my research and found that Kia quality had been constantly improving. I wanted a car that was reliable--I was selling a Ford that had every option possible and gave problems with almost every one of them. I wanted a car with low cost of ownership and the Kia has been that and much more. Its fun, its reliable, and Ive had to spend no money on it other than gas and oil. Reviewers like JDPower give this car a bad rap, but they dont take into account that for the price of a used Corolla with 50K, you get reliability, a great warranty, and standard features that dont leave you wanting.

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  Great little car - 2004 Kia Rio
  By huff3 - July 1 - 12:50 am

  I bought my Rio used, had all servicing done. Still under warranty. Had this car on a 1k trip last month. Got anywhere from 29 to 33 mpg. Had no problems at all. I have just had 60 k service done, new timing belt, etc. This must be done on time for 4 cylinder engines. This Rio is very reliable, uses no oil, is easy to park, has an adjustable driverÂ’s seat (helps on long trips). Best thing about this car is the warranty. It is much longer than US cars and the service department never gives me a hard time. Better yet is gas mileage.

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  2012 Sedona - 2012 Kia Sedona
  By 2012sedona - June 30 - 7:22 pm

  We traded our 2011 Soul for this Sedona. The soul was a great little car but it was difficult for us to get in and out especially with artificial knees. We absolutely love our Sedona, we have the power package on it which gives you a lot of extras. We average round about driving 23-24 mpg. Not as good as the soul but it sure is a lot easier to get in and out of. The engine is very powerful and will throw you in the back seat if you kick the gas. It has a six speed transmission and we dont even feel it shift. At seventy mph it runs around 1600-1700 rpms. That in itself saves the engine greatly over times. With GM, and Ford quit making vans you only have a very few choices. Love it.

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  My 2nd KIA - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Faith - June 29 - 7:30 pm

  I have 3,800 miles on my Sorento. Owned a Sportage a few years back and went back for another KIA after my Ford Explorer. The last tank of gas, city driving, 21 mpg accurate check. It is breaking in well because it is a 4WD. For my passengers, I wish the back seat had a bit more leg room. Most of the time I drive it alone anyway. I love the gray interior. The paint must be strong because it has been through 3 hail storms since I bought it. In appearance it is just like a Lexus SUV a couple years old. I love it. I drove many vehicles, of all brands, and the only thing that said "BUY ME" was my KIA Sorento. For traveling to my 2nd home in N. Iowa, the 4WD is a must. Great!

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  much better than expected - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Richard Henry - June 28 - 10:06 am

  Very powerful engine and good five speed automatic with manual option. Comfortable for seven and the most safety features of any van. Averaging 21 mpg on mixed driving. Great price and financing, compared to other vans.