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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  Wonderful car for the Price - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Kisticat - July 15 - 9:50 am

  I just bought a 2005 Sorento and its great. You can get in parking spaces real easy and its fun to drive. It has so many standard options you dont need to look for anything.

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  sportage - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By bill winters - July 15 - 2:00 am

  4x4 rubber boot replaced,no other problems

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  Kia Forte Koup Rocks! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By mark - July 14 - 3:53 pm

  I leased this Forte EX Koup for a great price. Got the deep blue color. Have been driving it for about 3 weeks an an quite impressed for the price. Good tight build quality. Nice,peppy ride and everything well layed out. I highly recommend you put this car on your test list.

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  My Amanti - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Gene Broussard - July 14 - 1:26 am

  Best deal I ever made in a car purchase. Great auto. Never had a problem. Only improvement would be better gas mileage which is not good.

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  exelent car for small budget! - 2005 Kia Optima
  By jason - July 13 - 3:56 pm

  21 city,28 highway, not bad! needs only regular maint, i recomend you to drive one (5-6k with 50000 miles on it). never had a single problem almost 1.5 y driving!

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  Kia Spectra: The New Yugo? - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By FLEECIV - July 13 - 10:00 am

  The Spectra brings the word cheap back to the world of inexpensive cars. From fit and finish issues to gas mileage that rivals an SUV, the Spectra was amazing in its capability to miss every expectation we had for it. Those expectations were not high, but we had been given hope after our Focus and Echo. The engine was loud and every bump was felt through the cheap seats. The car did start each time it was asked, a point that typically goes unnoticed in cars today. It is difficult to say anything else that could be considered positive.

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  The one that replaced the Pilot - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By SimonW - July 13 - 4:26 am

  After much research & test drives of both the turbo 4 & the direct injection 6, we finally optioned for a SX V6. We did not option the Limited as we thought the extra cost for all the "Im an idiot" driver aids are not warranted, After all , when your driving , shouldnt you be ....driving!. The SX V6 is comfortable car, SX comes with a panoramic roof & that is a major feature of the car, It has plenty of power, is very comfortable & can tow 5000lbs. I am already a Kia owner & we had not had any issues on that so far, & the fact that this car has the same warranty is most re-assuring. It is great to be under warranty when the car is finally paid off!. I got a great deal using "TRUECAR" & also rcvd 0% finance too, The cabin is quiet, even at highway speeds & even with standard 19" wheels, The literature states acoustic glass & this must help in keeping the noise down. The seat are comfy & drivers is power adjustable with memory presets, so great for the Mrs. The passenger is also power adjustable , but without added lumbar & thigh adjustability. Smart power lift gate, my personal favorite, with this option engaged, you stand behind the car with the keyfob in your pocket & after 3 seconds , the rear hatch opens, no waving your leg under the car with your hand full, such a great function. So far so impressed & so happy with the purchase.

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  Glad I didnt buy the Lexus RX 330 - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Allen - July 12 - 8:40 pm

  We thought it was as good looking as the Lexus at half the price. Plus the great warranty as we keep our cars a number of years. The Kia rides and handles great. My first 600 mile trip and my back felt great. I would like a little bit more power but it pleases my wife who drives it 90% of the time. It does have a rattle in the cargo area, but I think thats the 22K I saved on buying the Kia!

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  FOLLOW- UP REVIEW - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By ldward45 - July 12 - 5:33 pm

  Ok, I feel the 4cyl is not an adequate engine for this SUV. The six speed transmission is down shifting all the time at all speeds just to keep this vehicle at 55-60 mph. Which in return makes this vehicle use a lot of gas. I was told at the dealership, "let it get 1000-2000 miles on it and it would get better". Ok it just rolled over to 5000 miles and the mileage is just as bad. So the dealership tells me now,"it will get better at around 7000- 8000 miles". REALLY NOW how much longer are they gonna make excuses for putting an inadequate engine into this SUV. But that is really my only complaint with this SUV. I shouldve gone with the V-6 model or another make.

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  So So Car - 2002 Kia Rio
  By macbob - July 11 - 9:13 pm

  Recently bought this used Kia Rio Cinco with 33.000 original miles. Weak performance, especially with a/c on. Engine light is on and not fixed yet. Unknown why light is on. Car handles badly with vibrations, etc. A car with only 33k miles should not have these problems. My 1991 Buick regal I sold to buy this Kia was a lot better running car. No more Kia for me.