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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  Happy Driver - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By profinej2 - June 6 - 10:26 am

  Love the way car handles, great looks, well designed.

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  Great car for $ - 2010 Kia Optima
  By lisa522 - June 2 - 10:00 am

  Its a great running car, good on gas. Lots of room on the inside. 3 kids ages 7,9 & 12 also a hubby that is just over 6 feet. Very roomy. It has a big trunk also. We went from a 3rd row seat trailblazer. The trailblazer was good but we would have to put the back seat to travel so the kids had to sit in the bench seat anyways so it doesnt really change with the space we need cause the optima trunk is so big & so much better on gas.

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  What a buy! - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Tom - June 1 - 3:00 pm

  This is an awesome little economical car that more people should know about. Its very easy to get in and out of and you sit pretty high which is great for visibility as well as for entry and exit. The seats are supportive and comfortable, if not plush and overly cushioned. Its like a small SUV in a way. Its quiet and rides well and also handles well. Not like a highway cruiser or luxury car or sports car, but at that low price, you couldnt expect it too. No, its just an inexpensive little car thats big on room, build quality, reliability, value and safety. It could use just a little more cargo space and get a little better MPG. If the car has a flaw its a little noisy when accelerating from a start and also a little slow to get to speed when merging under hard acceleration. But when you get to highway speeds its actually pretty quiet and moves with ease. I drive up a hill every day and never have a problem with power. The base has everything I wanted feature wise, nothing too techy, just simple and easy to use. A remote rear latch release would be welcome, though. Ive had it over a year now and no problems and its holding up fine.

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  Amazing ! - 2014 Kia Soul
  By doug142 - May 31 - 7:03 pm

  I was looking for a second car,to save miles on my 14 Scion Tc, I already had 11,000 miles in 6 mos. I saw a commercial for 2014 Souls for $10,900. from a local dealer. I ended up paying $11,300, because I did not qualify for the military discount. I did not even drive it ! The color is amazing, Latte Brown. I had owned one of the first 10 Soul sport models in 09, so I had an idea of what to expect. Boy was I in for a shock ! When I left the dealership I was speechless. The car was so quiet and it drove so nicely. The interior was so upscale, and the features shocked me. Nice stereo, Satellite radio, power heated mirrors, p.windows, p.locks,bluetooth streaming, adj. p.steering ,nice ride.

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  Gas Milage - 2013 Kia Optima
  By larry134 - May 29 - 3:02 pm

  Kia should state true gas milage. They say 24 - 35. In reality it is more like 20-22 to 31-32.Stop lying KIA, you have a great car here except for your bloated MPG milage.

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  Luxury and Value Combined! - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Vikki Smith - May 29 - 4:26 am

  Luxury at a value price! Not a Lexus, not a Mercedes, but for 30k less than these, you cant go wrong! Due to the safety features, insurance rates are extremely fair and reasonable for a vehicle this size.

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  Wonderfully, Disappointing - 2011 Kia Forte
  By juego - May 28 - 4:48 pm

  I would look at Mazda 5 again, but the Kia value as a 2.0 liter hatchback with the long warranties, roadside assistance, and all the standard features, likes Bluetooth, satellite radio, and safety equipment is hard to beat. Speaking about safety, I keep getting cruiser and volume controls mix up on the steering wheel. Hopefully, I will differentiate them before itÂ’s too late.

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  Sedone Saved Our Lives! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By chosen4worship - May 28 - 10:00 am

  My husband and I were traveling to New Hampshire from Pennsylvania and were bumped off the road by a tractor trailer hauling a flatbed full of lumber! Our Sedona was up to the challenge, and took the blow from the steel of the flatbed extremely well. We also took out 60 feet of guardrail, and though the exterior was obviously smashed, the engine actually kept running for a short while--long enough for us to move the car to safety. It was totaled, and were going out to buy another Sedona!

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  Love it - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Randy T. - May 26 - 9:46 pm

  I bought this vehicle approx. 2 weeks ago. I like it a lot! It doesnt have all the bells and whistles, but its a great car to drive. The day after I bought it, we took it on a trip. We put about 350 miles on the car in 3 days. When I checked the mileage, I couldnt believe it. I was getting 38 mpg! I have since filled the gas tank a 2nd time and still get 38 mpg. This is more than what I anticipated and Im very happy. The car is comfortable and handles great. I was a little nervous as a first time buyer of a Kia, but so far Im happy with my purchase. The only item I need to have checked is the outside passenger mirror. There is a whistling coming from it going over 35 mph.

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  I had to check out reviews - 2010 Kia Forte
  By jkim1102 - May 26 - 12:20 am

  Ok, I have only rented this car twice now and I had to check out the reviews because I was so impressed. Ive driven everything under the sun because of my traveling job and Forte simply impressed me in this class! The reviews on this site has confirmed my feeling. I dont need to buy a car right this minute but if I had to I would definitely buy this one. The only other one I would consider is the Toyota Prius 2010, but Im sure its much pricier. Ill have to do some calculations. My research says that you should get the fuel economy EX model with 5 speed automatic. It comes with impressive electric steering. I just had to put my 2 cents in!