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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  What can I say - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Don - March 18 - 6:36 am

  The car handles like a dream, very, very comfortable. The power plant is more than adequate to get you onto the highway, and with cruise you have no problem keeping in traffic. In fact, I use cruise to keep myself from getting a ticket, because it drives so quietly, you dont realize how quickly you are moving. Ive had minor repairs done to the SRS (airbags), but overall the car has met or exceeded my expectations. Around town I get 20+ mpg and on trips 25+ mpg.

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  Great little car - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Jim - March 18 - 3:30 am

  For the price it is simply the best package of performance, cost to own, and reliability. Got to love the KIA 10 year warranty. Ive put about 1200 miles on it so far and it rides like a dream. Lots of interior room, and very comfortable seating. It has poor acceleration, so its performance isnt the best. Like someone else said, it revs REALLY high in first gear. Ive seen stuff on eBay that is supposed to fix this. All in all a great car and a worthy investment. I will definitely be back to KIA for more in the future.

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  2014 kia soul exclaim with whole shabang package - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Frank E - March 17 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle on Halloween 2015. It was time to upgrade vehicles. Researched over dozen vehicles for months. Finally narrowed search to soul or scion xb. But fell in love with a white soul exclaim with whole shabang package. It was in perfect condition with 13,600 miles. Negotiated hard for 2 weeks. Finally got my price 16,998. It has been a dream to drive no negatives here at all. Its like driving a Korean Bentley lol. Only thing I warn you. If your buying a USED soul or any Kia. Make sure its from a kia dealer and certified. Otherwise you lose the 10 yr 100,000 mile power train warranty. I bought mine from a mazda dealer. Hope to see you on the road! Update!!! Nearly 5 months of ownership. Still loving my soul !. No issues to report. Have 19119 miles now. Only minor issue is every time you start car up. Navigation always asks for permission needing 2 taps on screen to get you to use navigation or radio. Nothing serious, just little irritating lol. Still recommend this vehicle to those who want great value, space & comfort. Still Loving my Soul 23 months into it!

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  Low Priced Car--Great Value, great MPG - 2011 Kia Forte
  By rogern1967 - March 17 - 8:45 am

  I have logged 34k miles with no reliability issues whatsoever. I am nearly 6ft tall, 220lbs, and feel very comfortable in this smallish car. I find it notably more spacious in the footwell than both the Focus and Mazda3 I recently rented on biz trips. I am very partial to manual transmissions, and chose this car for that reason. Clutch action is very predictable, and gear changes are positive. Though this car is not exactly fast, the transmission adds great fun to driving, and I recommend a manual for all people who enjoy driving as I do. I average about 33mpg in mixed driving, 37+ on sustained freeway trips.

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  Love the Sorento - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Okie - March 17 - 7:26 am

  Bought this Kia after looking at and driving the Jeep Patriot & GMC Acadia. The 4x4 operation is very smooth. The build quality really impressed me. The wife loves the safety at 5 star rated with knee bags included. The auto-stick 5 speed is awsome. Great power from the engine. Hushed and refined. The price "bang for the buck" is hard to beat. Lots of safety, performance, build quality and features. I shopped for about five months before purchasing. Gas mileage is not bad, 18 mpg in town. The moon roof leaves plenty of head room for the 6 1" driver. 100,000 mile warantee sold me.

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  Sorry we bought this beast - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By erininohio - March 16 - 6:13 am

  Bought a new 06 in 07. Thought we were getting a deal.Buy van get RIO free.Still think there was something illegal about the paperwork,since we ended up with a loan on the "free" RIO.the van has not performed well at all. Headlights constantly going out.As soon as temp drops under 40 side doors freeze shut(dealership thinks Im crazy)Third row seat keeps getting caught,have to use screwdriver to unstick it.Brakes and tires shot at 20000 miles. Alignment has never been right. Airbag had to be fixed. Light still comes on. Engine light on and off all the time. They say there is nothing wrong with it,but van keeps acting like it is going to die on the road.Value is next to nothing.

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  Excellent - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By huffette - March 15 - 10:36 am

  I bought my kia in 2006, new. I loved the way it drove, and with the manual transmission, I managed to get 40 miles per gallon with it. I loved the way it handled and the horse power I got from it. I had no problems getting up to speed with it, and I had no service issues with it. When I was rear ended in February, it was totaled by a Toyota Tundra, going 70 mph, and even the passenger compartment was protected. I didnt have any rear passengers, but after the way the car looked, if it had been another brand, Im sure someone would have been hurt worse or even killed. I bought another spectra to replace it, and would gladly do it again.

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  I love my sedona - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By fapdaddy - March 15 - 2:00 am

  I couldnt find a vehicle with as much value.

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  What were you expecting? - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By pah-leez - March 14 - 2:13 pm

  I recently purchased a 2002 Kia Sportage 4x4 2DR convertible with 70,000 miles on it, as a winter car. (I drive a BMW M Roadster convertible in the summer.) The only thing Ive had to do so far is replace the tires. It rides a little rough, but its a truck! Trucks are not going to ride as smooth as a car. So far I am happy with my purchase. I think it has a lot of pep for a 4 cyl (and remember Im used to an "M" engine!)... and face it, its adorable!

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  Love my Kia - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By msclub8six - March 14 - 7:33 am

  Just purchased my first Kia, I love it! It drives very nicely, quiet cabin and plenty of room for a family of five. Im not sure about the gas mileage, 155 miles on a half a tank. The ECS OFF light came on the day after buying the car, getting fixed this week. Dealer said the sensor has to be reset. The warranty is great. The car will be paid off before the warranty is gone. After driving a automatic for so long the clutch was easy to relearn.