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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  My Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By eshma - September 20 - 10:00 am

  From the first time I viewed this SUV in person, I fell in love with it. I owned a corolla (2000) for almost 3 years and was looking at midsize SUVs. My Sorento handles great on the snow and rain (comes with standard Michelan all terrain) I drove from nyc to orlando in April; filled up 4 times. I feel like i got a luxury suv for half the price. At first i was wary of the fact that kia made the car, but after talking to some kia owners in my neighborhood and online research I decided to take a chance on kia. Now I know I made the right choice. I get stopped at least twice a week by people inquiring about the car. I love it much more than my corolla.

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  Fantastic Find - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By John Uhden - September 18 - 9:44 pm

  The Kia Sorento EX 6/AWD is a fantastic auto. I had had my mind set on a GMC Terrain, but there is no comparison, not even close. Our Kia is so quiet yet so powerful. There are no more bumps in the road, and it handles almost as well as my Honda Accord did. It came with third row seating, heated leather seats, the back-up camera, lane warning, and power liftgate, all of which i strongly recommend, oh, and all those electronic thingies. With the flat folding rear seats the cargo space is huge, and they are easy to operate. It has a power passenger seat and even the second row reclines (separately left and right). Our ride from NJ to Maine was actually enjoyable, plus we got 25 mpg at 80 mph! We put $5000 down and are leasing at only $300/month for 36 months. With 5000 lb towing capacity it will be a breeze towing our boat up to Maine in July. We are thrilled with our decision. Gotta deal with Tom Brennan at Sansone Jrs. in Neptune, NJ.

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  Turning sour on a lemon - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By cm in boston - September 18 - 11:13 am

  We loved this SUV at first; great in the snow, nice interior and good price for features. However, now in its third year, it is falling apart. The transmission plug fell out, requiring a new transmission. Kia paid however we had to pay for the rental. Then one of the belt pulleys broke off requiring a new "lower engine block" This second repair took two weeks. Kia covered rental for this repair, but nothing for the inconvenience. Still like the vehicle, but I probably made a mistake buying it the first year out.

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  Nice little car - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Johlem9 - September 18 - 7:43 am

  I bought my Spectra LX two years ago today. Its been a great little car. Factory tires were horrible. Also the car got out of alignment pretty quick, but that is my only real complant.

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  Solid Vehicle - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By tomease - September 16 - 11:26 am

  The engine with select shift is fantastic. The heated leather seats are great quality. The ride is solid, and having low range is key. It is fast, the 5 speed auto is smooth, the torque will let you out accelerate most. This is the perfect sleeper vehicle. Quality issues of Kia are a thing of the past, although I think consumers will be ahead of the press on the issue for a while. Sorento did top JD Power and Strategic Vision 2007 awards, so maybe this is being noticed. If you compare this vehicle like I did, when test driving forget about the badges and this is very hard to beat.

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  Money sucking - 2002 Kia Rio
  By JoBlow - September 16 - 7:56 am

  My God, where to begin my rant. I bought this car for 4 gs and a year later the engine went and then the trans went, needless to say I put just as much into it as I paid for it. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE car I will never buy a Kia or anything that has anything to do with a Kia ever again. And now to top it off the mass air intake needs replacing, please heed my call and stay away!

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  MPG - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By bunnyskier - September 15 - 5:18 pm

  Love my Sorento. It is one of the best looking SUVs out there. I have gotten 27 MPG on the Hwy. I took a trip camping with 4 girls and all our gear and got 24 MPG. This is partial hwy and partial mountain driving with plenty of steep grades. I use the ECO option to keep my foot and pedal in check.

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  Issues to watch out for; - 2013 Kia Optima
  By mabstoa - September 15 - 12:46 pm

  Very good looking car but after 1200 miles I am now on my 6th tank of gas, mpg is about 13-15 in the city and 18-20 on the road. Dealer says wait until after 3500 miles for an improvement. Huge blind spots by rear quarters and both windshield pilars by the sideview mirrors, careful on turns with people crossing!! Wonders/drifts all over the road and constantly correcting for it, makes for a tiring drive. Kia knows about this but... Can not get comfortable in the seats. Very disappointed and lost a day from work due to a flat tire with no spare. Make sure you get the tire insurance policy, you need it. Very hard ride, not a road trip car!! Recommend renting one before you buy it!!!

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  Got to get you one! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By YOU HAVE TOGET ONE! - September 14 - 8:26 am

  6200 miles and no problems, fun to drive, awesome look (gets a lot of attention!). We average 28 mpg on the road and 26 in town, with gas so high we love this car! Lots of power for a small car, 70+ on highway with plenty of power to spare! I need a job selling these, too easy, just drive one and you are sold on them! Believe me with the warranty, service (dealer gave me 3 years free oil changes!) and quality you will buy it on the spot! The interior does scuff and scratch easy but I can live with that, moist cars do these days! What else can I say, best car to come out in years, my first new car in 7 years, love it!

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  Third set of tires - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By salon1616 - September 13 - 4:40 pm

  Im the only owner with 13700 miles on it,started with 75. The car is eating up tires. Im on my 3rd set with 5 alingments. I dont think they know whats wrong. I want a full refund for the car and tires.