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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  surprisingly fun and responsive - 2011 Kia Soul
  By ricks52 - July 7 - 4:37 am

  Ive only had the Soul for a couple of weeks but already love this vehicle. It is much more than I expected in performance, comfort and fun-factor. The minute I see it, a smile creeps across my face and Im in a better mood.

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  Well Worth the Money, Riverside Kia AMAZING - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By JWDEVUS - July 6 - 6:34 pm

  Well Worth the Money and RIVERSIDE KIA was Amazing and they were great to deal with, so with that said: PROS: Many PROS LIKE PRICE AND WARRANTY, STYLING IS VERY NICE, interior is pretty nice for the price, Headroom is good as I am 6 and it works well with my daughters car-seat :-) It has pretty good storage room but but could use a little more :-) CONS: A 3" SCREEN for Radio and CONTROLS ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! You cannot see the screen most of the time due to the angle and glare from the sun/window it is HORRIBLE and I MEAN HORRIBLE come on KIA you can due much better then this!!! The sound system is OK nothing to brag about! ANOTHER BIG CON IS NO AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS and I forget to shut them off all the time thinking they will off automatically like most other older cars and most if not all NEW Cars! ANOTHER VERY POOR CHOICE ON KIAS PART!!! FUEL ECONOMY is not that great right off the bat as I got the car with 8 miles on it and it now has over 600 but not over 700! I really have to watch what I am doing driving wise to get 19/20 around the city. I got the SUV on 8/31/2016 so most of my driving is around the city as I am retired :-) I REALLY LIKE THE SORENTO DESPITE MY CONS, WHICH MANLY ARE PET PEEVES AND KIA SHOULD HAVE DONE A LITTLE BETTER IN THESE AREA!

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  Five years later! - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By lovemykia! - July 6 - 6:00 am

  I bought this car new in 2003 and I still love it! One review said it doesnt have child locks, but it does! Only a couple repairs and this car has been driven to death with very little maintenance. Had to take it to the dealer early on, forget what it was for but they fixed it at no charge. At 100K mi I just replaced the belt. Its needed five or six new headlights, brake pads at 60-70K, a new battery earlier this year, and only fully replaced tires once for wear. And my sun visor is broken. The car sucks up gas with the AC on high, even on the highway. Other than that, no trouble whatsoever and I give it a dependable rating of "10"

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  Kia driven for 133,000 - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By russ75 - July 6 - 4:31 am

  I bought my Kia new in 2004 and have riven it for over 133,000 miles. Overall the car has performed well without unreasonable mechanical problems; except, the lines for the rear heater have rusted out twice. The first time I paid over $600 to replace them and Kia just said, "Gee, I am sorry to hear you had that problem." Reviews that criticize Kia for not doing something better for their customers are correct. Also the rear window defrost has failed. I have not experienced any problem with rust on my Kia and I live in Michigan. As my car has aged, in the recent months it has experienced a series of problems; for which I am considering replacing it. Everything gets old eventually.

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  Kia makes quality stuff - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By KA KIA - July 6 - 1:03 am

  Kia now makes a quality mid sized SUV. True it is truck based and rides over hops a bit unsteady, but all SUVs built on a truck chassis do. On the beach or the trails this SUV shines. It truly handles light trails like a Jeep, albeit more refined in cabin and appearance to boot. Gas mileage is better than advertised with 26 highway and 20 around town. After I get sick of this vehicle I will use it to tow stuff with, the engine is awesome.

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  Functionalilty and Price - Cant Beat It! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By ash_1021 - July 5 - 11:00 pm

  I am in the midwest and have driven American cars for several years now. I feel we in midwest have a special bias towards the big 3, just because of our proximity to Detroit. I have to admit I was really scared to try Kia for the first time. I have found Kia Rondo to be an exceptionally functional car with a lot of cool features, Excellent mileage for all that space and fabulous price. I was thinking of considering Toyota or Honda but could not find anything close in the price range and/or mileage that Rondo has offered me. Also, I feel the warranty scheme is just something that speaks for itself!! I am a very proud first time KIA owner now!!

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  got to try this car - 2009 Kia Optima
  By wvlivin - July 5 - 12:43 pm

  I went to the dealership with all intentions of buying a chevy or a ford but fell in love with the kia optima. the interior is comfortable and easy on the eyes and the value is unbeatable. The 2.4 engine is the perfect power and fuel economy that averages 27mpg. Drives great and has plenty of room for my family of 4 and is surprisingly stylish. Im sold on this car dont pass up a test drive you will be shocked I was.

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  Ideal for a tight budget - 2013 Kia Soul
  By MW - July 5 - 3:52 am

  Last winter I had to part ways with my beautiful 2004 orange Pontiac GTP. I loved that car ~ but I could not keep up with repairs after the electrical started to fail (bought used, had more problems than I was aware of at the time). So after car shopping for months (because I was reluctant to let go of a beautiful car) I settled upon a Kia Soul+. I knew a couple of people that had one and never complained about it. So let me tell you the perks of owning one. Seating is comfortable, for both drivers and passengers. Visibility is great - unlike my Pontiac Ive yet to encounter a blind spot while driving. Steering is sensitive, acceleration is nice - though Im not impressed with the noise (sounds like a fart car compared to my Pontiac). Out of all the vehicles I test drove, I felt comfortable behind the wheel and actually felt the car was from this galaxy when I checked out the entertainment bit. You have a usb port, a jack, two lighter sockets, and the controls on the steering (volume, blue tooth call, etc) are easy to learn. Millage is good - if you have proper tires, and filled properly, and use your cruise control and dont drive like youre in the Daytona 500 you may get more millage than you expect. Im getting about 30 in the city, and 32 on the highway. Now for the cons... Its not a fan of bumps. Youll feel them unfortunately. I once went over a bump so hard I nearly popped out of my seat! If youre in the US, youre missing out on the rear parcel shelf - its a hard top that doubles as a privacy shield to hide your things in your trunk. Google it and buy one - dont waste your time with the flimsy canvas stores and dealerships try to sell you. The wheel; its nice, but if youre used to a larger wheel size it can take some getting use to. I once hit what I thought was my horn in the parking lot to alert a distracted driver and instead hit my blue tooth call button. Speaking of blue tooth, it syncs better with an iPhone. I have an android and even though Im able to sync for calling, it doesnt sync/provide volume for when I try using my phone for maps or music. Lastly.... THE TIRES! THE TIRES ARE TERRIBLE. Theyre fine at a 16" for snowy weather, but the brand they have on their is TERRIBLE. If it comes with Nexen - ditch the wheels straight away. I tried driving on them in my Pontiac and they were not suited for winter, despite saying all season tires. Hankooks are a little better but I still wouldnt recommend it - buy yourself some proper tires. If your dealership tries to sell you something other wise, take it to a trusted mechanic for better tires or google what the best tires for a Kia Soul would be. Lastly.... if youre thinking about getting a Soul Base - dont do it, at least if you live in a snowy climate like I do. The wheel size is smaller as is the engine. Spend the extra cash and get yourself a Kia+!

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  Kia Amanti Rocks - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By pwax - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Our Amanti is a very comfortable car that has very quiet interior and contrary to other reviews, all the acceleration we need in a car. We have received numerous compliments and "looks" every time we stop for gas.

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  Power Steering to be DESIRED - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By TFC Jason Thompson - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I have taken back to KIA Dealer 3 times, twice for power steering pump and after all this I cant even rate a 1972 maverick from the dealership to drive while they fix this reoccuring problem. The steering will be fine for a day or so and then its like driving a 1960 model tractor.