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:

• 

  Kia Sedona - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By TBbeck10 - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Nothing too fancy, but reliable and a good value.

• 

  Much better than expected. - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By quinn3 - March 3 - 10:35 pm

  I bought it used in 2007 with about 12k miles on. It has been an amazing ride. Great acceleration and braking. I can get the middle seats out easy and the rear seats fold into the floor to fit a 4 x 8 piece of wood in there. It also held it value very good. Im looking to buy another one but dont like the 24k price tag and its hard to find a used one with only 12k or so miles on it.

• 

  Im Loving It - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By trisha - March 3 - 10:06 pm

  Was shopping for a car for about 4 months. Never really paid much attention to the Spectra. Was looking at Toyota and VW and Honda. I fell in love with this car. My husband has an Accord, loves my car better. Both cars are garage kept and when my car is parked in the garage beside his, it doesnt even look like a compact car. I would recommend this car to anyone not just first time buyers. Because Im not a first time buyer and I will get another Kia when it is time for another one. Now my husband wants a Kia. And you get all of that bang for your buck. So get it now before Kia realizes they are giving away too much.

• 

  Wont buy another - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By g graves - March 3 - 9:55 pm

  This is my 5th Kia and Im done! The gas mileage is in the low 20s for city driving. The radio reception without Sirius radio is poor. When temps are in the teens the engine has a hard time turning over. It always starts but it seems to struggle. We havent had below zero temps yet so dont know how that will go. Dealership cant replicate the problem. The major problem with this vehicle is that the steering wheel has locked up 3 times in the last 2 months when I turned it off. The key wont turn, the steering wheel wont move, and the gear shift is locked. The steering wheel needs to be perfectly straight when the car is turned off or I may be stranded. Love Kia vehicle assistance but this is a MAJOR pain . The dealership is zero help with this problem. The tow truck driver has gotten the steering wheel turned but offered no suggestions. The 1st Optima I owned also did this.

• 

  2007 Kia Rondo EX - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Hopx4 - March 3 - 7:50 am

  First let me put my review in perspective by saying that I bought the Rondo as wagon for commuting and recreational activities; I didnt need a third row and this is not my primary family vehicle. I thought I wanted a small/mid-size SUV until I tested them and discovered that they lean in curves too much for my liking, and what I really wanted was car-like handling with SUV space/flexibility. The Rondo is the vehicle that offered that combination with a higher seating position and decent gas mileage. I like the Vibe/Matrix, but the engine was not powerful enough, the backseat had no leg space and the cargo area is much smaller than the Rondos. Great deal for the money!

• 

  Beware of faulty brakes - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Unhappy Kia owner - March 2 - 1:13 pm

  Within a few months of buying our Sedona we began having brake problems. The brakes would grind when stopping. We took it to be repaired and they fixed it at no charge. The same problem happened again within a short time and the brakes had to be replaced for a second time. We read on the internet that the brakes were too small for the weight of the vehicle. This was a design flaw. A third time we had to take the van in for brake repairs and this time the dealership told us that they had a brake kit that would permanently fix the problem. They put in the new brakes but since the van had 50,000 miles on it they made us pay over $400.00 to finally fix the problem. We are furious about this!!

• 

  Best Value on the Road - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By cubbyk - March 2 - 10:56 am

  I am a big man. There is tons of space. Got 24 mpg in the city for the first 700 miles. Now I am getting 27. The secret?. I never go over 3,000 on the rpms. My son has an 05 Hyundai Elantra and this little Kia blows it away. Cant go wrong.

• 

  So Far so good! - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Ms.Kiesha - March 1 - 12:46 pm

  So far I absolutely love this vehicle, the only thing I dont like is the non- adjustable headrest, which can be uncomfortable on long drives...its great on gas, the radio system is great...I love it!

• 

  Reliable, good handling, low mantainance, fun. - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By kingwong234 - March 1 - 10:49 am

  I own one since 2005, after 8+ years, 220,000km it still running great! Ill make it 30kkm+. Changed oxygen sensor last year, new stunt, changed front bearing half year age; brake and rotor.... Never down, just oil change and the timing belt. Cd player fail after 2 yrs, got a new one for free. Cheap but comfort and quiet. Small outside big inside, big leg room. Fun to drive, not the best for gas. Want to find a better car after this one, may be a Camry or KIA again.

• 

  Check engine light - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By Cruz - March 1 - 5:46 am

  The vehicle that I bought has given me nothing but problems. After my warranty expired, the check engine light came on and after over $5000 in repairs, its still on. Had the catalytic converter replaced 3 times, even got a new transmission. Had the fuel filter changed, the coil pack changed 4 times. Changed the spark plugs and numerous other things. The engine diagnostic says that its the coil pack. But every time its replaced, the engine light only stays off for a couple of miles.