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:

• 

  unhappy car owner - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By unhappycarowner - February 22 - 1:33 pm

  I purchased this car a year ago and have been extremely unhappy with the performance in the winter. If it snows less or more than an inch of snow the car will not move it does nothing but spin. It also was parked on a lawn and had to be towed out for it would only spin up mud and not move. I have brand new all season radial on this car and still it cant get out of its own way. The rack that is provided by the factory is terrible I am scared to put my kayaks on them for fear that the rack is to weak & it will break under the pressure. It also does not go wide enough to accomodate the length of the kayaks. Over all this vehicle is to light for the maine winters and I have been very unhappy.

• 

  great car - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By tsedhun - February 22 - 3:46 am

  Im a Toyota guy for the past ten years, I owned three different Toyotas, Camry, 2 4runner, but let me tell what Kia sorento totally blown me away with its looks and performance. I traded in my 4runner and got Sorento 2011, it was smart move because Toyota dealership was too spoiled and very bad customer service. Im very pleased with my Kia sorento 2011 purchase, I got sorento v6 ex awd, and it has all the goodies and Im loving it. I would highly recommend sorento 2011 for all those new car buyers, you should check it out and test drive. Youll definitely fall in love with it. And its make in usa. You go sorento.

• 

  And we just keep rollin... - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By jenners1 - February 21 - 4:23 pm

  I bought my 2006 kia spectra brand new with 53 miles on it. I change the oil every 4000 miles, change the transmission fluid every 80,000 miles. I didnt have to put new brakes on until 120,000 miles. At 150,000 miles I had her tuned up. I decided at 185,00 miles I should put new belts on it. The check engine light came on at around 85000 miles still under warranty took in for new O2 sensor. The check engine light came back on just after 100,000 miles and its been on ever since, sooner or later its gotta burn out right? still waiting for that but she runs like the day I bought it. We are currently at 265000 miles and still rolling

• 

  Great Car - 2011 Kia Forte
  By lorri66 - February 21 - 2:35 pm

  I was not in the market for a Kia and had no intention of buying one. I had my heart set on a new Honda Civic but decided to test drive the Kia Forte to compare against the Honda. The Kia turns out to have vastly more features than the Honda including, bluetooh, Sirius radio, cruise control, internet capability to name a few. Plus the warranty on the Kia is far better than what you would normally get with a Honda. And at the dealership I went to Dick Hannah Kia in Vancouver Washington they offer you free tires for life and other services that I have never heard of with any other dealership. My salesman was very knowledgeable and seemed to really care about me. Thank you Luis.

• 

  Please Buyer Beware - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By ambeaubian - February 21 - 2:07 pm

  I foolishly purchased a 2004 Kia Sorento EX, in 2009, to date I have replaced the following, Crankshaft, rings, bearings, head qasket, radiator, oil pump. At a tune of 5300.00, at that time is how much I owed to pay it off. I now have a burning smell and smoke every morning that I drive it..No mechanic knows why it occurs, Also have the lights to be replaced rear and front, at least 6 times, my dash lights do not come on at all. Then the paint is chipping off of the hood. If the car stays running, its semi-reliable . If there is another two grand I have to put in this car. I will be buying a new one...A Ford.

• 

  The Kia Rio SX is not what you want - 2012 Kia Rio
  By sumafluma - February 21 - 12:19 pm

  I bought the Kia Rio SX automatic thinking it would be something that would save me a lot of money, however, its been nothing but a disappointment. The mileage is terrible. I live in a rural area, nice long windy roads, no stops, no traffic. Using its "city" mileage reference, I get 24-26 in the city, on the highway I average a solid 29. Im an old guy and I drive with a light foot. So far this car has over 20k on it and the gas mileage has not improved. You can see where kia tried to make it fuel efficent by limited weight, but it equates to cheap materials: cheap plastic, chinsy seating material that rips. Dont buy this car. It has been my biggest regret. Get a Fit.

• 

  A stiff suspension and a bog in acceleration hurt this suvs rating. - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By bc59 - February 21 - 10:08 am

  I took delivery of my Kia Sorento with the optional V-6 a little over a year ago. After several months I noticed a bog (flat spot) when accelerating from a stop. The Kia dealership said to put gas treatment in the tank which I did but this did not help. The problem still persists. The suspension is very stiff and even the smallest bumps in the road can be felt. I driven a Ford Edge and a Jeep Cheerokee and their suspensions were much softer. Also, one of the side steps on my suv has come loose. Apparently from the factory a screww was not tightened enough. I like the looks of the Sorento but it is not a refined vehicle. Ill probably trade it in on another vehicle soon.

• 

  Practical and Roomy - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Darkstar01 - February 20 - 10:20 pm

  Just bought the Rondo Ex V6 5 seater in Urban Gray. This 5 seater is very comfortable. So far it has been everything Id expected and more. It drives well, is quick enough to weave through traffic with enough glass to see everything. Without the 3rd row seat you get extra storage under the floor which is perfect for hiding stuff like laptops. With the back seat down it is perfect for a couple of big dogs and tons of stuff. With the seats up it is not a bad place to be for big people. The Rondo EX looks are... ah, it has a nice "personality". OK, it looks better than the LX. Overall I really like it. The manual-matic even makes it fun to drive. Tons of space.

• 

  KIA, who would have known Id buy one? - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Tess - February 18 - 2:30 pm

  The only thing getting me kinda mad is; when I grab to open the door, there is no grip on the handle and its kinda made for small hands I guess. So if I dont think about it, the door handle always slip out of my grip.. For the rest, this car is full equipped + it has a 5 yrs bumper to bumper warranty, so I say, let it break. But Im sure it wont since its 5 yrs B-to-B.

• 

  Love this car! - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By CircleGirl - February 18 - 10:46 am

  After owning a Honda, a Toyota and a Mazda, I gave Kia a gry this time. So far, I love everything about this car! The ride is smooth and quiet. The interior is impeccable. The external styling is sporty and attractive. The car handles very well on all types of road conditions and Im sure the 4WD has saved me from spinning out into a ditch several times already. I love being higher up off the road, and I think this car is a great buy.