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:

• 

  Same Problems - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By Kevin - March 11 - 3:13 pm

  Same old things happening to me as well. Rear window on right will not open. Motor replaced 3 times. New Rear end, Gearbox, clutch replaced 3 times. First when Gearbox went. Driveshaft dropped out while driving. 4X4 does not work. I repalced with standard hubs. ($1600.0o to try to fix orgional) Molding clips let go. Painr bubbling over winshield. Plugs and wires replaced before they should have been. Cup holder both front and back pice of junk.Gas tank neck clogged and now it burps out gas if you try to fill normally.Rear coil spring on passenger side repalced twice.Engine light stays on regardless.Heater motor and switches replaced.Rear sparetire bracket replaced. More o So much fun right...

• 

  Decent car - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By princ_e_pal - March 11 - 4:23 am

  Ive had our Sorento now for about 4 weeks! Since then, Ive replaced the same brake light 2x. I guess there is a recall out for the switch but need to take it in sometime. Also, heard that LED bulbs will fix the problem since they take such low voltage to work. The airbag light has been on and I guess it could be an issue with the sensor in the seat or seatbelts. Take it to a reliable autobody place! They can solve most of the issues that the KIA dealer will SCREW you over. Im about 6 tall and feel like the sorento is a "chick" car. the seats sit up high and dont really adjust so I need to scrunch down to see out the window under the mirror. It does handle well and has power.

• 

  Exceptional CUV (Updated) - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Brett - March 10 - 5:04 pm

  15 Months of ownership and my original opinion of the Sorento still stands. Quiet, comfortable with no compromises. Completely satisfied with my purchase! ***************************************************************************** After endless hours of online comparisons, expert and consumer reviews, I finally narrowed my Premium Midsize CUV search. We test drove MDX, RX, Limited Highlander, Platinum Murano, and Sorento SXL V6. (No a fan of domestic brands and European makers rides too stiff) In a nut shell all vehicle had attributes, but we decided on the Sorento for the following reasons: The right size - perfect size for my family; with an emergency 3rd row as needed. A full suite of safety and luxury amenities, that are second to none of the aforementioned CUVs. Exceptional ride quality with a hushed cabin, second by a slim margin to the RX (which looks dated). Controls are intuitive and uncluttered - equal, if not superior to the Murano (exterior too radical for my taste). Exceptional warranty - Basic 5 Year 60,000 miles/10 Year 100,000 mile Power Train; superior to all brands. Thousands of dollars less than a comparably equipped luxury brand and sacrificed nothing...well maybe brand snobbery. Favorite Features - Large Panoramic Sunroof, exceptional connectivity and Infinity sound system with clarify, Surround View Monitor, ride quality and Smart Lift Gate and Enhanced Smart Cruise Control. No brand snobbery. I could go on but no need. Small improvements - Power tilt telescoping missing (manual only) Forward Collision Auto Braking (Only audible warning)

• 

  Excellent SUV but one major flaw - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By sprintrps - March 10 - 9:56 am

  The Sorento EX has it all for the price. I am 65" and it has plenty of room with easy ingress/egress for me. The SUV is fast, quiet and very solid. There are no rattles or squeaks. I am a conservative driver and my around town driving has measured 22.9 mpg. Very happy with that. The transmission is not smooth, shifts at strange times, downshifts with an impact and "clunks" the first 1st to 2nd gear shift of the day.

• 

  Not to Shabby - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Chuck - March 10 - 5:23 am

  I bought this car w/ 49000 and now have 100000. I have had two wrecks with it and it looks terrible from the outside but I dont care since im a poor college kid. I love the fact that it has no auto locks, auto transmission, or power windows bc ALL of those features eventually go out so that was a plus for me. Of course great on gas, little to no maintenance, and great leg room being that I am 65". I have slept in it on numerous occasions on vacations with the seats folded down and is doable. At 98,000 my fuel pump went out and it cost me about $100 for me to replace myself. Timing belt lasted until 98,000 until i replaced it myself-$40. Fuel pump got clogged very early-$15

• 

  First car I loved - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By cswartz - March 10 - 1:53 am

  I had the Amanti 6 years and then had to sell. I loved that car but in the last year we put in over $3,000 for catalytic converter, some kind of band, headlights, testing, electrics and other misc. then got the news our transmission was going and another $2,500. Less than 92K miles & only 7 years old. I wanted to pay for repairs but husband told me to face the fact the car was going to nickle and dime us. I actually miss that car. For the price I originally paid, the luxury and style it provided, it couldnt be beat. This was my first foreign car, and probably the last.

• 

  The Power to Surprise? How about Amaze! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Baltojeff - March 9 - 11:50 am

  This is a very well built vehicle. The first thing I noticed was the quality of the interior. It was completely above my expectations for a KIA. Very "touch friendly" and well laid out. The leg room in the 2nd row was probably the clincher. I cross-shopped the RAV4, CR-V, Pilot, Highlander, Equinox, CX-7, Santa Fe, Outlander and a couple of others. There was just no comparison. I also have the 7 seat model (which satisfied our need for 6+ seats), and even loaded it is very comfortable. The driving dynamics are also much better than expected. Great pickup on the v6, easy highway cruising, very commanding view of the road. We took a 900 mile trip the day after we took delivery. Grade: A+!

• 

  Great Car For Commute and Travel - 2009 Kia Optima
  By sbowen36 - March 9 - 2:23 am

  The car is midsized and larger than my Toyota Avalon. It shifts quite well with the manual transmission and has more than adequate pickup. The interior is masterfully designed from microfiber and low pile carpet. The seats are comfortable and adjust nicely. I am very pleased overall with my purchase and the price of the vehicle. Only time will tell how it holds up, but with a 10 year warranty I am not losing any sleep. Couldve afforded 2 Optima for the price of any other sedan in its class.

• 

  piece of junk - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By opencarry - March 8 - 9:06 pm

  Bought it in 08 with 15k on the odometer.... 3-4 sets of brake pads pr year, Throttle positioning sensor replaced, Camshaft positionong sensor replaced, power steering pump dissintegrated, ac compressor..shot, timing belt, L front strut..toast, unable to maintain allignment, 5 sets of tires up front, gas mileage sux!!! 13mpg - 18mpg., underpowered, delayed gear shifting, 4 sets of headlights, power seats malfunction, front bearings, seizure of R front wheel. Aaand regular maintenance costs. We are a fam of 7. demand are high but the vehicle has been maintained. All was well untill 75k. After that, should have dumped it.... never again.

• 

  2nd Review AFTER 13,000 Miles - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By OkieGill - March 8 - 1:20 pm

  Thought I would write a update since my first post was May of 07. It is now Feb of 09 and not one thing wrong in 18 months and 15,200 miles on odometer. No squeaks, rattles or groans. 3.8 is exceptional engine. 4x4 works flawlessly. Fit and Finish still first rate. Had just normal dealer service every 6K. Dont pass up this bargain and fun to drive sport ute. Great job Kia