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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  kia sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By green mg - June 9 - 2:00 am

  the car has good fit and finish and is comfortable on long trips there are blind spots on the right and the left sides of the car. the performance is good and the car is able to run smooth and stable at 85 + mph my only regreat is that the stick was not avalable at the time we bought it

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  1st Kia - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Marty M - June 9 - 2:00 am

  EVERYTHING WE EXPECTED AFTER TEST DRIVING IT....EXCELLANT BUY FOR THE MONEY.....love it

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  Just getting started - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By toddr - June 9 - 2:00 am

  We jsut got this rig and it seems to be solid for the price. We really looked around and in the beginning mileage was a major factor but as we atarted to look for the price and wiht the warranty we get with this vehicle we decided to give up a couple of miles per gallon and give it a try. I read all of the reviews about the road noise and I think Kia must have also because the 2004 seems to be solid in that area. I think it is a great buy for te money and would recommend it to anyone. Another side note is I have already had people from a distance think that I was driving a Lexus SUV!

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  Great new vehicle - 2010 Kia Soul
  By mddriver - June 8 - 7:23 am

  Just got a Kia Soul ! in Alien and love it. The dealership I was at sold 3 that day. This has to be the most fun I have had driving a car in years. Sound system is amazing and the car has more pickup than the Jeep Liberty I traded in for it (and the Jeep had twice the horsepower). Have not had any problem with the automatic transmission..shifts fine and has not issue passing on the highway. This vehicle will sell fast and it should. There are more amenities in the Soul than any car I know of at that price range. Now I need to keep my kids out of it..its mine..

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  2011 Optima SX Turbo - 2011 Kia Optima
  By gt88b - June 8 - 4:57 am

  Had it for a month & love it. Handles surprisingly well for a front driver. A little slow off the line (unless you power brake it) but after 10 ft it is really quick. Trans drops down a gear or two very easily. 50 to 70 pass happens right now. Very smooth ride even with the stiffer suspension. Every one who drives it ends up going 80+ thinking they are going 60.

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  Better than expected - or reviewed! - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By gphvid - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Purchased this SUV after extensive research and price checks. Yeah, it could use a little more power, it is actually no problem with what it has. I got mine in the Limited version with all the options and still got it under $18k delivered. After 17000 miles, the ride is consistent and balanced and handles most road problems very well. Remember, this has a truck chassis, so it will be a little rough at first.

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  Great value for the money - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Kevin - June 7 - 8:10 am

  I purchased the EX 4WD new in March 06 and have gone 7,000 miles with absolutely no problems of any kind. Ride is firm but stable. Transmission is very smooth, fit and finish inside & out is excellent. Roomier than it looks.

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  Great purchase - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Jose - June 7 - 12:23 am

  I bought my Sorento 2 months ago after long research about the vehicle. I gave it a try because the looks of the car and the engine. When I went to the dealer and tested it, I got impressed and bought two of them, the other for my wife. What I like the most is that it has a smooth ride and the engine is very powerful for the Texas highways. It handles well on bumpy roads. My wife almost crashed hers, but the car handled very well and nothing happened. The drawback of the car is the sound system. The front speakers have an average power but the rear ones are very weak. The car has plenty of storage spaces, cup holders and lighting consoles which are nice features.

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  Great Car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By 6Dogwood - June 5 - 3:46 am

  I sold my Corolla and was looking to find a great replacement. Well, enough said. This is a great car. It can carry four people very comfortably. However, economy is a hard pill to swallow. I am averaging 21 mpg and this is taking some getting used to. My corolla averaged 28 mpg. I thought this was a problem with the vehicle but turns out that after reading other reviews this is normal. Overall I am pleased.

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  Nice van, has been reliable - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Tim - June 3 - 4:56 pm

  Bought new 2/2005 and now has 49K miles. Mileage has been 16-17 city & 22- 24 hgwy. Only trip to dealer was for switch on power seat. Need front brakes/rotors at 45K. Overall, van had been comfortable, safe and reliable.