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:

• 

  3rd kia - 2010 Kia Sportage
  By koupon - July 1 - 5:06 pm

  Before kia I owned nine American and one Toyota. kia best ride 16 others before purchase ford equal other brands 3-5 levels down have medical thing have sensitivity to vibration and sound all city mileage 24 mpg had car 11 months total 11 years never major repair factory tires lasted at least 40,000 with them if use lucas injector cleaner 3 to 6 miles better fuel eco mpg. Go to kia dealer service ask how many are there for paid repairs bet under 30 percent if there are ten cars most scheduled maintenance or covered by warranty. Car dealers bad mouth them you are not buying low end entry level I would have ford escape hybrid but no one really new about how it works about details.

• 

  Best reasonably-priced EV that you can buy today - 2016 Kia Soul EV
  By Al - June 30 - 11:39 am

  After driving a Nissan Leaf for nearly 4 years, I thought Id check out what else was available. Here in WA State, there arent many choices beyond a Kia Soul or a Nissan Leaf. BMW and Tesla are too expensive for me, and other choices (e.g. Ford, VW) are not yet available here. I was sold on the Soul EV less than 5 minutes into my first test drive. Even though it is shorter than a Leaf, the Soul feels so much roomier inside, with a much better driving position and more comfort in all the seating locations. The engine is quieter and smoother, as if that is even possible! Handling and steering feels taught, and that torque-y electric acceleration is great. The controls are well thought-out, as is the navigation/entertainment system. Pretty much everything that I wished the Leaf had is present in the Soul. The base model is nicely decked-out, and I felt no need to go up to the next (plus) trim level.

• 

  great car - 2010 Kia Forte
  By minotrice - June 30 - 12:48 am

  keeping in mind this is an econmy car not a luxry car, its a great car. quick great on gas, and at 64" its very roomy for me. have a few friends that also have this model and they love there as much as i love mine, for the price of these fortes you are geting a great little cat

• 

  Good first car - 2001 Kia Rio
  By rio888 - June 29 - 6:20 pm

  I bought it used with 98,000 miles. Now it has 138,000. I have driven it across the country and back, with no porblems and good gas mileage Mine gets in the low 30s city, and high 30s highway. It doesnt have much power, put it still runs good at 80 mph, and topped it out at 116. If you dont mind an odd looking car, then get it. It dont have ac or power steering, but its small and not hard to steer, and ac is overated.

• 

  transmission went kapoof at 25k miles - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By fishstick - June 29 - 2:15 pm

  Car: 2011 base model, 4cyl. Transmission went kapoof at 25k miles. I rolled it into a stop sign then suddenly, loud grinding sound and the car wont move anymore. The engine still runs but car wont move. Towed it to the dealer and they replaced the transmission (for free) under warranty. It took them 4 days to fix. No loaner/rental car was provided..."it is not in KIAs policy" The car was never driven hard. I hope a recall would be issued regarding the transmission problem that people are having. When that warranty runs out....watch out $$$ One of the tire pressure sensor keeps leaking air. The seal on the valve is crap. Fix: replaced it with a traditional non-tps valve.

• 

  Bettet Than I Believed - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By C Reid - June 29 - 5:20 am

  I thought this would be a short-term use car as I was buying it at end of the year sales. I didnt think I would actually find a car that would really meet my needs for long-term use in the short exploring time I had to review cars available. The KIA Amanti model is quite eye-catching and I receive many compliments and interested looks while out with the car. I was quite surprised at how well it handles, engine performance, speed and brakes. I think it is outstanding compared to a previous Saturn I owned. The Amanti compares with and exceeds many features to a Toyota Camry that I thought was one of my best previously owned cars.

• 

  Love It. - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Kelli - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Wanted a Sienna, But for approx 8,000 less and more features, we decided to go with the sedona. Gas mileage is not so great , but it will take a lot of miles to burn the 8k difference in price. Also the Kia dealership was easier to deal with than the toyota dealerships. This van along with its warranty will eventually take huge market share from toyota, honda, etc.

• 

  Love My Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By ssteely - June 26 - 10:00 am

  After owning a 2001 Ford Explorer, I never imagined that I would own a Kia, but after my first test drive, all that changed. To say the least, comparing the Kia to the Ford is like comparing apples to oranges. My Ford had a tendacy to jar ones "innards" at every bump in the road, whereas, the Kia takes them like a trooper! I could go on and on comparing the two, but I wont. I do know I have no regrets and look forward to the years ahead w/ my Sorento!

• 

  Excellent SUV for the money! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By ajh - June 26 - 10:00 am

  I was hesitant to buy a SUV with a KIA nameplate on it at first, but after test driving the competition and seeing their MSRPs, there was no competition for the features and price plus the 10/100k powertrain warranty. After driving it for a couple of weeks I know I made the right choice. Do yourself a favor and buy one before the word gets out and hence the price increases!.

• 

  Great Vehicle, Great Value - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By Dave - June 24 - 8:13 pm

  Purchased used with 12,400 miles. I was looking for a more comfortable vehicle for trips that could haul larger items when necessary - but it needed to also be economical. The Rondo delivers on all counts, and its even fun to drive! Comfortable, smooth ride, good brakes, interior looks good, lots of room and yet it is a fairly compact vehicle. 24-27 mpg on the first few tanks, nearly all highway miles (hoping for better than this.) Lots of storage cubbyholes. Im impressed with the features for the money (ABS, stability control, traction control, etc.) and surprised that more people havent discovered the Rondo. Its not a sports car but it does what it does very well.