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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  Gasoline - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By MIKE - July 29 - 6:43 am

  I am not the perfect guy to get great mileage.(4 cyl.) My job requires a lot of in town driving and some idling. In Texas, if you have an outside meeting, you get into someones car with the a/c on. After 6 months, I have had only 1 tank of gas that got over 22 miles to the gallon. The pros make this still a great purchase. I got the last 07 and got my car for under 15k. I would do it again.

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  Buy if you dont care about gas mileage - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By natlikescars - July 29 - 1:56 am

  We bought our Sorento the end of July 2011. The first 800 miles we got 32 to 34 highway mpg. After that it dropped to 28 and below. The dealer has checked it twice and they say nothing is wrong and Kia has said that is normal. Really?? We really like the vehicle except for the gas mpg. If the EPA sticker had said highway mileage was 27 mpg it would have been great. I challenge anyone to to get 32 mpg highway with any normal gasoline. Was the computer made to give you great mpg for the first few hundred miles, but if that continued the engine would burn up? So after about 800 miles it gives it a richer mixture? I am planning on contacting the EPA and have them reexamine the Sorento mpg.

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  My Kia - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Mark - July 28 - 10:33 pm

  I have had this Spectra 2 weeks now and have my ideas down. This is a very well built vehicle, but being a stockier guy, the seats seem kind of narrow. If I am not sitting exactly square in the seat, it feels small. The car has enough pep for around town driving and runs well at highway speeds. Not much in the way of passing speeds, but it holds 70+ easily on the road. I am slightly concerned about the texture of the paint on the sides, it looks like maybe it has orange peel, but the dealership is going to check it out. Also having issues with the passenger seat airbag switch not always turning the airbag on.

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  Hard Riding - 2008 Kia Rio
  By SURPRISED - July 28 - 11:03 am

  After reading the reviews, I am beginning to think the factory forgot struts & shocks on my car. It could be Pennsylvania roads though. My Kia only has 8,000 miles on it, but it rides like a buck board. My 2002 Prism, 103,000 miles outrides it by far. The brakes grab when cold & the delay from reverse to drive is slow. I dont like the cupholders between the seats. They are much more useful located by dashboard. No cup holders in backseat. The window washers only spray a third of the way up the windshield. The gas milage isnt bad...should improve as the car is broke in. Overall, I am looking to trade it in on a smoother ride and I am glad I still have my Chevy Prism.

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  Love my Sedona - 2009 Kia Sedona
  By LovemyKia - July 27 - 10:33 pm

  When I became pregnant with our 2nd child our Toyota Yaris wasnt going to cut it with 2 car seats. We needed something bigger and safe! The Kia Sedona fit our budget and gave us more room. We have had our Sedona for 2 months now and I wouldnt trade it for the world. We bought a 2009 so we got an awesome deal since its 2010. Coming from a Toyota family I as pretty nervous but its a GREAT minivan and I feel safe with my family in tow since its a 5 star rated vehicle.

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  The Best Buy for a new Mini Van - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By HappyInNewJersey - July 27 - 10:00 am

  Cant beat the options and value for the price. It doesn’t have all the luxuries like auto sliding doors and an entertainment system. But, it wont cost you $35K either. The standard LX has everything you need and the EX looks good with the added 2 tone body style and mag. wheels.

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  should cost more than it does - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By k west - July 27 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! It has all the bells and whistles of the high end SUVs without the pricetag. As others have stated gas mileage could be better, but its not bad for a 6 cyl. all wheel drive SUV. I have the luxury package and believe you me it feels like a million bucks!

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  i like my kia - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Brenda - July 27 - 10:00 am

  i am very pleased with my car ..........

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  The Perfect Car - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By sportagelover2 - July 26 - 3:58 pm

  I have owned 2 KIAs and loved them both. My 2006 Sportage has almost 200k on it and still going strong. I would never buy another kind of car. My next one with be a 4 wheel drive now that I live in the mountains. Thank you KIA keep up the great work! PS Try working on the rear end safety :)

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  Kia rocks after 5 or 6 Toyotas - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Pontiacprince - July 26 - 10:46 am

  Much better quality than any of the Toyota Corollas Ive had over the years.Bought i for the many extras at a much lower price than Honda or Toyot was charging for similar vehicle.Gas Mileage is not the best..average 25-27 in city.Car seems heavy at times.Seats need another few inches extension for comfort.Very smooth and ideal on open highways.