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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  Great Fuel Economy, and Fun! - 2012 Kia Soul
  By kamiller1991 - August 30 - 8:06 pm

  I fell in love with this car when I saw it on the commercials, and to actual find out that its fun to drive and gets great gas mileage when I actual went to look at it was AWESOME! It has plenty of room in the trunk for my two dogs (Labrador and a Pug) so I dont have to worry about fur on the seats. It also has plenty of room to load of the baby and the husband! I have been able to get up to 41mpg on the highway (going 55mph, not really highway, high speed back roads) and anywhere from 32mpg-35mpg city. The only thing I do not like about the car is the clutch stick when youre on a hill, I tend to gun it because I forget it kicks in. Other than that, GREAT car!

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  Pretty good minivan - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By ccfire - August 30 - 8:36 am

  Ive driven this vehicle on several long trips and have had no problems. Other that routine maintenance, its been trouble free. The mpg is a little better than advertised. Overall, Ive averaged 21 mpg. It could be better. Acceleration is very good for such a heavy vehicle. The interior is comfortable in cold or hot weather. There are several interior features that make this minivan very people/kid friendly.

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  Two words: Fun and Practical - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Lucas - August 30 - 2:43 am

  I love my Kia Spectra5! The Kia is sporty to drive and responsive in its handling. No complaints. The 5 speed manual is smooth, and the engine is surprisingly powerful. I like that the look is understated and not so in your face. It grows on you after while and I look forward getting in the car and drive to my next destination. Fit and finish and attention to detail is first rate. Very roomy for a car this size. Lots of storage and handy appointments, even "secret" compartments. Last but not least is value for money. This car costs considerably less than similarly appointed cars, like the Mazda3, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, VW Golf. Highly recommended! 5 Stars *****. :)

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  Lived a crazy life in SoCal - 2011 Kia Soul
  By Harry - August 29 - 3:19 pm

  I used to own a 2011 Soul + in Shadow Black with grey/black cloth interior. I purchased in 1/2011 and sold it on 2/2016 so I owned it for 5 years. It was probably one of the most fun cars Ive ever driven. Despite having a 4-Speed automatic while everyone else was putting in 6-Speed in the newer models. In the coarse of 5 years Its had LED fog lights, full sound system, lowering springs, 3 sets of tires, plastidip on the factory 16 and other LED interior lighting. Ive used it to drive on the canyons and beat on my buddies with sports cars proving that a box on wheels and keep up with a fr-s or bmw. But like all cars Ive driven the poor thing very hard. Tons of scratches and door dings by the time I sold it but I made sure it had the proper service taken care of at the Kia dealer. Switched to 5W-30 synthetic blend at 80K and replaced the timing belt and other belts during that time. Replaced the front rotors and pads ONCE for the front axle and the rears were still on the stock rotors since there was quite of life left in them. I guess that sad thing is that all 103,8xx miles. It has never left the state of California. 100% orange county driven. I eventually sold it carmax for $5k at that mileage and I bought a new car. Overall I recommend this car for anyone learning how to drive or just a basic city car. Its not the fastest but it will get the job done.

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  Worst car ever - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By jazzmine3 - August 29 - 2:14 am

  I got this car brand new for around $11k. I have had to replace the starter twice in the 10 yrs Ive had it. It also KILLS brakes. Ive had to have the rear brakes completely redone twice. The front brakes always squeek. The EBrake needs constant adjusting and interferes with the function of the rear brakes. The door handle drive side busted off after I tried to get out when it was freezing outside. The door wont shut when its freezing out even after running the defrost for 20 mins. Its extremely thin body allows a ton of air and road noise, especially on the freeway.. it is really scary driving at high speeds. It doesnt handle very well and constantly needs alignment.

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  My thoughts on Kia Rio - 2004 Kia Rio
  By Sonstream - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Its fun to drive, but seems to use more fuel than I expected.

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  The Kia - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Bucar - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle performs well. I have two concerns with it. There is a noise in the air conditioner compressor(replaced once and still has noise) and the brakes are rough when decending hills.

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  So Far So Good! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By raggedyluver - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Being a new Kia Sorento owner (2months), I can only state what I know now and so far, so Good! The car is comfortable to ride in and to drive & very smooth ride/ My test drive was on the roughest road around here and it was excellent. The seats are plushy and everything I need is right at hand, the only complaint so far is how close the front seats are to the gearshift and stoarge box. I love my new car and weve noticed how close the front hood looks like the very expensive Lexus around! It is top of the line for safety and the warranty cant be beat.I highly suggest you check this one out.We need to see more Kias on the road! Dgh

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  Love It - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By llvdrivers - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Very sporty looking vehicle. It has a strong engine, although it is a little noisy. The workmanship seems to be high quality, and the vehicle has an awful lot of great features for a reasonable price.

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  LEXUS OF KOREA - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By headstix - August 29 - 2:00 am

  After reading reviews and shopping around alot I settled on the Sorento EX with the AWD luxury package. When I pulled into my daughters driveway her husband came out and gasped " Lexus 300 ". I said look at the grill. "KIA,oh my god". That was the first of many. This is a solid truck. The controls are intuitive. The sound system is the bomb. The interior makes me feel like I stole the bosses Escalade. My wife leaves her Liberty in the driveway. Nice.