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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  Major value / minor problems - 2013 Kia Optima
  By Joseph - July 26 - 4:50 am

  Great car, but very poor on snow.

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  Now fixed and so far ok - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By regy65 - July 22 - 7:00 pm

  Bought vehicle at 200 miles on it misfire in engine, and needed new intake manifold, so far so good, Stiff ride across country compared to other suv., noisy front end suspension over rough roads or bumps this should be addressed by kia since a little to loud for a brand new suv. down hill assist works good on a steep steep hill. the 4x4 lock in option is great but yet left in just standard awd works well that way also. Head lights are a little to dim for me and my wife at night. So I hope that Kia does some TSP,s on the items that I have suggested, would help me to buy Kia again, we will see and keep you posted

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  I have to admit, I like this car - 2011 Kia Soul
  By kaz411 - July 22 - 11:14 am

  This is my first Kia, kind of bought it on a whim and had some buyers remorse initially but it has worn off. Miles were very low, and the car still runs and looks new. I drive for UBER on the weekends and live in AZ, so this car has had some wear and tear on it and has done very well so far. My passengers like the car, they say a lot its roomier than it looks and it is a fairly comfortable ride, even at higher freeway speeds. I do agree the shocks and struts should be a little stronger but most passengers say its a smooth ride. Ice cold a/c, large console area and glove box to keep my goodies in, pockets behind seats hold water, etc.

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  Great for a minivan - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By acs938 - July 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought the Sedona because we needed the practical family vehicle. It came fully loaded with leather seats for under $23,000. It fits the five us nicely, but is lacking in the trunk space dept. like all other minivans. It has a very smooth ride and I like the pickup and handling. Sleek style too! Used it to go on a road trip, and logged in 1200 miles within the first week, nice and comfortable.

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  The good and bad - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Marvin Graff - July 19 - 4:33 am

  I own a 2006.5 EX fully loaded Optima with 1400 miles on the odometer.The vehicle meets all my expectations for quality, and comfort except for one glaring problem. When traveling over a rough road, I feel like Im inside a loud drum. The front end noise is pronounced and, unfortunately, that condition is unacceptable to me. My query to a Kia phone representative was met with an unresponsive answer. I believe a sound deadening application of some sort, would alleviate the condition. Then and only then would I consider the car on a par or even superior to the competition.

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  Perfect BUY - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Daniel R. - July 18 - 2:30 am

  We purchased this vehicle so that we could pull our two pwcs. The Sorento not only pulls the pwcs really well, but it has been a great vehicle. We are so happy to have purchased this vehicle and we will definitely look at Hyundai and Kia again.

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  optima reiview - 2004 Kia Optima
  By kia opt - July 17 - 9:53 am

  A good car overall and bang for you buck. I had some minor issues which the dealer took care and did not had to pay. The car has been very reliable however do notice a jurk from trans once in a while if I dont change the trans oil every year. Expensive to maintian the car because of parts and labour is costly. The handling is decent but the tires could have been bigger. Ride quality is excellent and comfy. The v6 engine is outstanding when exceling. Interior built quality could be more durable. But I am not complaining as I have 125K miles and the car is going strong.

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  2004 Kia Sedonna Review - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By P Kucharski - July 16 - 5:20 pm

  I currently have 13,000 miles on this vehicle and have had virtually no problems with it. I love the ride and functionality of this van. It is on par with any other van on the market and at a much better price.

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  2007 Sorento EX 4wd - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Sorentoville - July 16 - 4:56 pm

  7500 miles with this Sorento - feels comfortable to drive and has good visibility. In town mpg average is 15- 16 and best on the road at 65 MPH is 25. (accurately measured - not guessing). Most annoying though is the transmission. At 10-15 mph it stays locked in 5th gear and the vehicle will actually start to jump a little as this is too slow for this gear. Step on the gas and you arent going anywhere in a hurry. The trans should shift itself down to match road speed. This is my biggest disappointment with this vehicle and the dealer says that is just the way it is.

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  Happy so far - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By bay4side - July 16 - 12:35 am

  I have my 2013 Sorento V6 FWD EX for over a month now with almost 29,000 miles on it. Its a beautiful bright silver and looks so nice