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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  Excellent car - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Shahed - September 5 - 3:03 am

  Better than any of its class. Warranty is best. Why worry if you are backed by KIA. Lot better than Corolla or Honda. Low price compared to options you are getting. Nowhere can you find the safety or this class.

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  2011 Kia Sorento is Awesome! - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By HappyOwner - September 4 - 6:06 pm

  Weve owned the Sorento for about a month now and we love it! We got the premium and limited package so it has all of the bells and whistles. I cant beleive how much car we got for our money. They are selling these vehicles way to cheap. In the end nothing could even compare to the value and styling both interior and exterior or the Sorento. I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone in the market for a new small size SUV.

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  Kia 2004 - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By fred2boo - September 4 - 3:20 pm

  had a hard time actually buying a minivan, but works well for my family.

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  Awesome Sorento! - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By kiareview - September 3 - 10:30 pm

  So happy with my new Sorento! Traded in my 2006 Sorento for this major improvement. 4 cylinder AWD has more than enough power to get up Seattle hills. Cant wait to go test it out in the snow. Love the standard features of bluetooth, steering wheel controls, and ipod dock. You MUST get the convenience package! An extra $500 bucks or so gets you fog lights, roof rack, back up sensors, and a back up camera in the rear view mirror. After all of the rebates, loyalty discount, and dealer cash, I was able to get out the door for just over $20,000. Bought on last day of the month too.

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  Kia Newbee - Sorento 2011 Thoughts - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By e_today - September 3 - 8:33 pm

  This is our first Kia. We have been a Ford and Dodge only family. Since the Sorento is USA made I felt better about the branding issue. This new Sorento 2011 is really different and superior than the 2009, which we compared side by side. Kia skipped 2010 production. This car is a crossover and compares to the Ford Flex and Rav4. The big difference is price, about 30% more bang with Kia. Read the Edmunds review about the Kia 2011 Sorento, it is similar to my opinion. Smaller engine power was not enough to keep me from buying, and hope to get 24 Average mpg. We bought the LX with convienience package. Be sure to check KIA web site for special offers, they have many special offers.

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  Great Family Car! - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Happy Kia Owner - September 3 - 6:40 pm

  We did a lot of research before we bought this vehicle. We were replacing our 98 Ford Windstar, we wanted better gas mileage, but still versatility. So we rented this vehicle for the weekend, highly recommended. Took it to the ocean and for the weekend and got 25mpg (200m 60% Hwy & 40% city). It handles worlds over a minivan, fun to drive, and parking lots are easy. Purchase process, we talked to the car sales arm of the rental agency, said we wanted dark as possible interior and 7 seater, they brought in a Silver exterior, with black interior. Ultimately we purchased it for $13,000 with 7,000 miles on it and we have gotten 21.8mpg strictly in town driving, that is what we expected.

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  Wow - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By lesan6 - September 2 - 2:00 am

  I am impressed with this one! Gotta hand it to the Euros; they can make a car; Kias selling like hotcakes over there. My vehicle warms up fast in the winter, idles quietly, handles well on the road, has good radio,sound quality! If the Koreans are offering a warranty like this, it tells me that they have engineered one heck, "see, we told ya so!" of a car. Easy on the wallet! Maybe its a "Honda clone."

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  all that in an amanti? - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By jlthe man - September 2 - 2:00 am

  simply the best bang for the buck. looks like a mercedes/jaguar from the front, and lincoln/bently from the rear. definite eyecatcher.

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  Whoah! - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By bperk - September 2 - 2:00 am

  This van is an amazing value for the money. The quality and reliability are great, and the 3.5 L engine gives far more pickup than anything in its class. Way to go Kia!

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  What a SUV should be - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By khoelscher - September 2 - 2:00 am

  After test driving the Sorento, I knew this would be the SUV for me. Exterior styling is right on. Interior was well laid out with good quality. Maybe too much hard plastic in some areas, but nothing that youd be embarrased showing off to friends and family. Driving impressions were great. Very solid feeling, plenty of power, smooth shifting, decent handling. Built on a truck frame adds to the solid, rugged feel, and makes it a much more capable off road vehicle, if you are so inclined. For the price, the Sorento really is in a class of its own.