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 Spectra - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By FHarr - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Overall I have found this to be a good car. Bought in 2000 and 44,000 miles later no issues still looks brand new. I always get compliments on the sporty look that is has. Great car for the family just starting. Great warranty!

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  Optima - 2002 Kia Optima
  By plm - August 27 - 2:00 am

  The only problem we had with our Optima was a passenger side window that would get stuck if you closed the door with the window open. After the second trip to the dealership this problem was solved. We also had concerns with the was the transmission shifts. We were told that since the car was a demo, that the electronic transmission never had a chance to "learn" the drivers preferences. I would like a little more pick-up but other than that the car has been a great buy. I wish we had waited one more year to buy though. The 2003 has the Infinity stereo, a garage door opener, and auto dim rear view mirror, all standard.

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  Suprised - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By steveca - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Traded a 2003 Lexus RX 300 and I am suprised how great this Kia is. Now lets see if it holds up as well.

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  I like it, but... - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By iLike - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I like everything ...so far! One problem: my seat belt indicator does not work as advertised in owners manual. Once seat belt is disengaged the belt light is suppose to illuminate and a chime sound. Someone answer me this: IS IT JUST ME THAT FINDS IT ODD THAT THERE ARE NO DAY- TIME RUNNING LAMPS??? ...OR ARE THERE AND MY KIA IS SCREWED UP??? A POST FROM OTHERS WOULD REALLY PUT MY MIND AT EASE!

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  So Far So Good! - 2002 Kia Optima
  By J Christian - August 26 - 10:00 am

  Hey guys, Ive had my Kia Optima for 1 yr and 2mths now. So far so good. Im actually a few thousand miles over my next maint visit which I shoul schedule. Im a Network Engineer and sometimes Im required to drive great distances daily to reslove problems. But so far in my opinion it was a great buy. The only draw back is power but I purchased a 4 cyl so what can I expect. but its held up great for me so far. In short other cars are faster but wheres their warranty? What good is a fast car if it only last a couple of years. Ill keep my Optima and the 10 yr warranty. Best of Luck.

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  Interior Room Light - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Rik Nieves - August 25 - 5:06 pm

  2008 Kia Rondo Why does my room lights( the 2 lights in the cargo bay) stay on whenever I turn my headlights on? Ive move the selector to: on/off/door and they never turn off. its distracting when driving at night. Any suggestions/remedies? YIKES!!! help.

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  Great Car - 2007 Kia Optima
  By steven0925 - August 25 - 7:50 am

  We did a great deal of research before purchasing the Optima and it was the right decision. We have the fully loaded EX with the appearance package and I highly recommend it. We went with the 4 cyl for the better mileage and after 5,000 miles we are seeing MPG returns in line with what was stated on the ticker. Great car for cruising on the highway because it is comfortable and quiet. We had a bad snow/ice storm here in CT and the traction control was outstanding. I never lost control for a moment and felt like I was driving an AWD car rather than FWD.

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  Awesome Truck! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By aaronmateo - August 24 - 11:11 pm

  I bought my used Sorento about a year and a half ago with 48,000 miles on it and I cannot rave about it enough. Purchased it in Milwaukee and have driven it down to Austin, Texas, back to Milwaukee, back down to Austin, out to New York City, around NYC in the hardcore NY traffic for 5 days, then back to Milwaukee, not to mention a year and a half of miscellaneous city driving. It got me through the Great Blizzard of 2011 this past week too - kicked it into 4-wheel drive and it hummed through apocalyptic levels of snow, wind, and cold like a champ, didnt even flinch. Havent had a single problem with it. If youre looking for a smaller SUV, have a look at a Sorento. Durable. Reliable. Fun.

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  2004 - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By mike - August 23 - 3:13 pm

  Ive owned a 2004 Kia Sedona for one year and I only have one complaint. The rear seats dont fold into the floor, which is inconvenient when you need to haul things other then kids. It drives great. The transmission and engine are flawless. The interior is sharp looking and comfortable for long trips. The exterior is good looking as well. The best thing about this van is that I bought the top of the line model for $19,000 with tax out the door. I had a Dodge before and the Kia is so much better built. Also I tow 3 ATVs on a trailer and it tows them without a problem.Consider this model because price vs value is fantastic, as long as you can live without folding in floor seats.

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  Extremely Satisfied - 2012 Kia Optima
  By bambino3 - August 23 - 12:16 pm

  I purchased this car new in November 2011 and now have just over 12,000 miles on it. Its been flawless so far. Not a single issue. Averaging 30mpg under all conditions. I cant say that about any of the previous Audi A4s Ive owned--which were far more costly when comparing feature for feature. Great performance with the 2.0 turbo, plus excellent fuel economy for a sedan of this size--on regular unleaded.