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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  I love my Sorento - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By MICHAEL POWELL - February 17 - 9:00 am

  I have owned my Sorento for 1 year. I have nothing but praise for this vehicle. I feel that for the money you could not ask for a better SUV. I did a good amount of research and test driving of many comparable SUVs and feel I made the best choice. I would highly recommend anyone wishing to purchase a midsize SUV to seriously consider this vehicle.

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  Kia Spectra Spectra5 - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By john waugh - February 16 - 9:56 pm

  I am happy I chose to buy my new Spectra5; first Kia l have owned. I have been driving for 53 years so I consider myself as a fair judge of cars. I have had my Kia for a year now and enjoy it. I am in my senior years and this car, with its sporty appearance etc., makes me feel young ... well younger!

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  Good car bad rebates - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By kylet2011 - February 15 - 5:12 pm

  I have had my sportage about 3 weeks with no complaints about the car. Beware of your finance person and the fine print of your rebates. I am in a situation where the finance guy said I was ok with a rebate, and I drove off the lot, only to get a call a week later saying that I didnt qualify for the rebate. The finance guy was a real jerk about it, to the point that I refused to talk to him and would only talk to the sales mgr! Jack Miller Kia in North Kansas City, MO.

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  Not Bad For A Kia!!!! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By tgb2012 - February 14 - 7:41 pm

  Bought the 2010 SX Koupe 6-speed manual used with about 36k on it. Work at a kia dealership and fell in love with the car on my first day. decent fuel economy (22 city 27-29 highway 56 miles roundtrip everyday). Could use a little more pep since its main competitor (civic) has about 200 horse while the sx forte has 174. If you buy the car, do it the right way and get the SX. Better handling, bigger engine and sport tuned suspension make the SX the way to go.

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  We love this crossover! - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By kiafan - February 12 - 8:56 pm

  My husband and I leased our 2012 Sorento in July and it has been the nicest vehicle we have ever owned. We have had no problems whatsover but we have had it only 2 months! Still, it is fun to drive, comfortable, and quiet. The GPS system is easy to use and the Bluetooth works great. We were very fortunate in that we found a 4 cylinder front wheel drive model because we do not need AWD where we live, and we do not need 6 cyl. It doesnt "zip" onto the freeway but I use the manual shift for when I need a little extra power. The backup camera screen is very clear and has proven to be very helpful!

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  Great Van, Great value - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By acher - February 11 - 4:03 pm

  Purchased a new Kia Sedona ex with all the bells and whistles. The more I drive the Sedona the more I love it. Jd power rates the quality better than Honda Odyssey. Ive done a lot of research before I purchased the Kia. You are not going to find a better van which is safer, great value for the dollar than the Sedona. Plus the sports triptronic transmission is a nice feature. The Sedona also puts out 250 horse power, giving it a lot of power for a minivan. Gas mileage is on par with toy/Honda. The interior is very nice in leather with the heated seats, dvd player, sunroof, automatic door opener, abs, ets system, 5 star crash rating and the list goes on. Plus a great 10 yr warranty.

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  So Far So Great - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By basel1120 - February 10 - 11:12 pm

  Replaced a much loved 2004 Saab 9-5 wagon with the Sorento after driving virtually every brand/model available with AWD and a V6 that could be had for less than $40K+. Final two candidates were a Subaru Outback and the Sorento. Though the former is a fine vehicle, the Sorento won out on features, fit and finish, and overall comfort combined with power and handling. Frankly, we didnt need 7 seats. But the combination of other options we did want forced the inclusion of the third row.

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  Great cars, great car co. - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By mark - February 10 - 1:00 pm

  Very pleased with my EX. I drive a lot of highway and needed a car good on gas, safe, comfortable and good looking. I checked out other cars in the same class and found no other car close to offering the same features and safety or dependability as did the Spectra. This is my second Kia,I m sold.

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  Great - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By Zepyher Rhodes - February 10 - 9:20 am

  Why pay 35K for a premium fuel pathfinder (thats a little smaller) when the safety doesnt even compare. Great car for a great price. I never dreamed in a million years I would own a Kia and now I have one and wouldnt trade it for the world

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  8000 Mile Review - 2011 Kia Optima
  By redbruin - February 10 - 6:28 am

  I hit 8000 miles last week and still love this car. I came from a Lexus IS250 to the Optima turbo SX model and prefer driving this over the Lexus. It has more power and is more fun to drive. I get about 18-23 mpg in the city and 30-35 mpg highway. This is a mid $30K for a mid $20K price tag.