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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  CMB-Review - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Khodam - September 9 - 10:00 am

  The car handles much better than the Honda CRV and the Hyundai and the Toyota RAV4 and is not sluggish at all. If only the fuel efficiency could be improved (i.e. technologiclally possible) then it would be really the best car for the buck. It has many amenities that are options on other similar category cars.

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  Excellent but - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By HN - September 8 - 6:16 pm

  I am so pleased with my Kia Sorento EX 05 model performance and off road experience have exceeded my expectations. Only one thing that I am not impressed about which is the frequent transmission glitches & the internal dashboard noises.

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  The Amanti turn heads - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By djoyceh - September 7 - 10:33 pm

  The Amanti is a fun car to drive. It has all the quality and features of sedans costing thousands more. We have had people approach us in parking lots with compliments. It will turn heads as we drive by. Its great! You cant beat the 10 years or 100,000 mile warranty either.

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  Im Pleased Overall - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By John Schleifer - September 7 - 3:56 pm

  I"ve had the car for over 5 years now. I wanted to get quality and resale. However, the resale and problems are not that must different than American cars which Ive always purchased. Not too many problems, but, as usual, when taking the car in for the minor problems, under warranty, they "cannot duplicate condition." However, now that my warranty has expired, they seem to find the issues ricght away when Im paying for the repairs. Go figure. Probably my last Kia. Problems included: leaking radiator overflow tank, Air-Bag light, outdoor temperature guage (ner repaired by the way). Gas Miliage is terrible. My wifes Cheyy Avalanche gets better miliage!

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  Kia CAN be reliable - 2001 Kia Optima
  By Iowa - September 7 - 5:06 am

  I love my 2001 Optima. Ive had it for only a month, and it has 95,000 miles on it. It drives like a Buick, though, and is as reliable as a Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai. I had to have a new timing belt put in it ($500), but that was just a maintenance thing since it looks as though the previous owner had never done it. Its so much fun to drive, though, and all of my neighbors, friends, and family salivate over it saying it looks brand new. I couldnt find a better deal for $5,000 with all the options!

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  Poor Quality Parts - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Scott - September 6 - 8:56 pm

  I have owned my Sorento for over five years now and for the most part I have been happy with it. However, It does have some re-occurring issues. For the first two years I had to replace the rotors every 6 months. All along the dealership telling me that it was my driving habits. I finally quit buying kia parts and replaced the rotors with after market part off the internet. I have not had an issue since. I have also had numerous electrical issues that the dealership can never fix because it doesnt occur when we take it in. Unfortunately if the cars computer doesnt tell them what is wrong, they are done looking. It is too bad because the vehical isnt that bad, it just needs better parts.

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  2007 Amanti Best Luxury bargain in US - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By MikeWellsEsq - September 6 - 4:03 pm

  I purchased a pewter beige Amanti with leather package (tan interior), ESC/safety package, 17 in. wheels and sunroof. After seeing an article online about the Amantis redesign for 2007, test driving one was a relevation. I seriously shopped the Amanti vs. the Azera and a couple of other nice sedans, and the Amanti won. This car is an amazing value. I am continually being blown away by the quality and features. The quick power and smoothness of the ride are truly a delight. Id say this car, for 2007, is the biggest hidden secret on the U.S. market, since Kia is not doing any advertising that I can see.

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  Love It - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By Mike J. - September 6 - 2:10 am

  The ride is very smooth and the Sportage handles well. Im actually getting better gas milage than what the sticker said I would.

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  Fine Ride - 2003 Kia Optima
  By militarymama1969 - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I love this car!! I had a Focus and i loved it and when trade in time came, the Optima is the only car that caught my eye...

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  The service is the problem not the car - 2003 Kia Optima
  By Leann - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I have made 4 visits to kia service centers and for a simple problem with the belt squeeling. I supose today it will be fixed after the car had to be towed.