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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  Sedona EX Gas Monster - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Edgar Torres - December 19 - 10:00 am

  I love this van with the only problem being the horrible gas mileage.

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  review - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By misty g - December 19 - 10:00 am

  Are overall experience has been awesome. We are first time buyers and are satisfied with are final choice in vehicle.

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  Cant believe the quality for the price - 2014 Kia Optima
  By admiralrich - December 17 - 10:08 pm

  Going on one month now for the 2014 LX. The car is half the price of the Lexus I used to own and the ride is better, its quieter, the 4 cyl gives me all the power I can use not to mention the gas mileage, warranty, all in a beautiful car. I cannot believe they build this great car for the low price.

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  Great All-purpose hatchback - 2010 Kia Soul
  By SuperAce - December 15 - 8:20 am

  I really love my 2010 Kia Soul. It has enough passenger room to carpool with four adults and I can fit all my music gear in the back for band practice. The interior is great - especially the stereo and easy-to-use steering wheel controls. I choose the Kia over the Scion xB or xD, and am happy with my choice. I think the Soul hits the size sweet spot between the original and redesigned xB.

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  Fun little SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Lori - December 13 - 4:30 pm

  This is a fun SUV to drive. It turns tightly and maneuvers easily. Gas mileage is ok but much better than the Suburban I used to drive. The seats are comfortable and roomy as well as lots of head room. The Sorento has a quick acceleration and does well in the mountains. At times it rides like a truck when you go over bumps. The interior is noisy. Overall, I could not have gotten a better quality SUV with all the bells and whistles at such a reasonable price.

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  i saved thousands and got what i want! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By EricB - December 13 - 10:00 am

  I never expected to purchase a Kia but I am very glad I have. The dealer was very informative, showed me the benefits and instead of talking down the competition, showed me the value of owning a Kia. The Sorento is great, much less than the Grand Cherokee I owned before and has more features and I saved almost $10,000. Ill most likely be trading my Lexus GS300 on the new sedan that Kia is coming out with...

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  Great car for the money - 2010 Kia Forte
  By MarkPaterson - December 12 - 5:36 pm

  Have had my Forte for 5 months so far. Still very pleased with it. Excellent ride and mileage, very good quality. I have the EX with the fuel economy package (5sp A/T).

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  Best SUV deal with fully loaded features - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By lin - December 12 - 12:43 am

  Compared with many other brand, such as Hyundai, Chevrolet, GMC, Lexus, Acura, Honda, Toyota this is the best deal with touch screen navigation radio sound system package. It will be perfect if the trunk space is 2 inches longer than it is now. Blue tooth is great for cell phone. This car should come with at least one memory button for the driver side and step up bar should be standard with both sides. Ride and handling are great so far. This 2011 sorento is a great choice for personal and/or family use. Great!

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  Very Happy with my 2011 Kia Optima - 2011 Kia Optima
  By devildawg1 - December 11 - 3:07 am

  We have had our Optima for 5 months and are pleased with it. The MPG is excellent. We took a trip from Illinois through Pennsylvania and then down to Myrtle Beach and back to IL. We averaged just over 35 MPG for highway driving. This is corrected as the computer reads a little higher than we actually receive. We typically were driving 65 - 75 MPH. I am 64" tall and I fit very comfortably driving. I can even stretch my legs straight out if I need to stretch them. The trunk is large. I play golf so one of my expectations is that I can get 4 sets of golf clubs in the trunk. With this vehicle it is not a problem.

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  Refined Evolution - 2016 Kia Optima
  By BillyB - December 11 - 1:57 am

  I leased a 2013 Optima SXL and LOVED the car !! My lease expired and I got another SXL 2016 and WOW has this car evolved in three years not to mention how refined its become. The cabin is incredibly quiet, even on concrete highways at highway speed. The handling is SO much better than 2013 model, very refined with just the right feedback. The technology is amazing and if you are a techie, you will enjoy it all the more. SO happy with this car, I cant stop thinking about it.....LOVE IT !! ​