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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  one month - 2008 Kia Rio
  By rioowner - January 18 - 1:40 am

  The basic Rio is pleasantly surprising. All is well with it, except filling the gas tank today, I got 30.1 mpg. On the lot where I bought my Rio were signs on some of the Rios stating 44 mpg. Now, I know that is highway miles, and the sticker only said 27 city, 34 highway, but something is amiss here. I am thinking, if I get 44 highway, then I think I should get at least 35 city. And driving it slower than two thirds of other vehicles, I think that should have been accomplished. I am disappointed in the mileage I got for 9.98 gallons, traveling 301 miles. The reason I bought it was for the mileage. But.....

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  Great family SUV for a great price! - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By jenguinn - January 18 - 12:32 am

  We bought our Sorento new in 2011 and have been driving it for 3 1/2 years now. We have been very happy with our purchase! We bought the Sorento instead of a Toyota Highlander due to the significant difference in price. The SX has all of the bells and whistles we wanted and we have not had any major problems with it in the 3 1/2 years that we have been driving it. Our vehicle has almost 40K miles on it now and we have driven it mostly in town and short highway trips of 2-4 hours. I still love the exterior design (even more than the newer Sorentos). And our local Kia dealership has been great for service. I would highly recommend this car.

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  Kia evaluation - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By ron thibodeau - January 17 - 10:53 pm

  I find the Kia Sedona a good riding car with a good comfortable interior. One negative is that the gas mileage is poor - maybe 17 mpg local, 21 mpg on trips

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  You cant find me cause Im out riding in my new car. - 2011 Kia Optima
  By johntork - January 17 - 2:01 pm

  So much value and fun. The car is beyond quick. Sporty ride and I have no issues with the steering. Im 6 5" and I dont have the seat all the way back. The interior is gorgeous and comfortable. All the gadgets are useful and fun. I get all sorts of comments on the look and style. Cant recommend enough.

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  Very nice but needs improvement - 2009 Kia Optima
  By herbie - January 17 - 8:26 am

  I have only had the car for 4 days now, but I wish it had a few more features. It should come standard with the fog lites. It should come standard with a powered drivers seat for better comfort. It also should come standard with alloy wheels. Also a leather steering wheel would be very nice.

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  Fun Family Car - 2013 Kia Sportage
  By busyvegetarian - January 16 - 5:44 pm

  All in all, a fun family car. Looks very cool for a mom lots of room for the family safe handles well smooth ride reliable and economical

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  Not what I expected!!! - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By Shawn - January 16 - 4:16 pm

  I went looking for an SUV and thought Id try the full size Kia. I was almost ready to buy it so I brought my wife to the dealership to look at it. First thing she noticed was the Amanti. Why dont you buy this instead she asked. So we took it for a spin and I loved it! We have owned Caddys,Vettes,Hondas, VWs, you name it. My last car was a Dodge Magnum Hemi. I cant believe I have a Kia but I know that if people tried this car they would buy it. This Amanti has it all. Reg. gas with awesome power and after 2200 miles Ive averaged 23.9 MPG.

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  What else did KIA decide to go cheap on?? - 2012 Kia Optima
  By robs777 - January 16 - 11:13 am

  We leased this car in 2012 and as of 2014 we find out that KIA decided to make OE tires that are only 30k tires! So now we have a leased car that we are having to replace the tires on before we return the lease. What are your thoughts America? Would you buy a car from a company that has no more concern for their customers than that? Also I am wondering what else KIA decided to cut corners on??

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  Stop Bashing the MPG Numbers! - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By kenjill - January 16 - 7:15 am

  People, please stop bashing the MPG numbers with this vehicle. Our Sorento vehicle gets the MPG figures, as advertised. I bet there is a direct corrolation between those who get "poor" MPG and bad driving habits ("jack-rabbit" acceleration, braking too hard, using AC or heat too much, and yes, texting while driving, etc). I also own a Kia Optima SX Turbo and I average 30-32 MPG per tank...let me repeat that - over 30 MPG with a Turbo! If you improve your driving habits, then your "real world" MPG numbers will go up considerably. Otherwise, the vehicle is fine so far...a great value for the money.

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  good - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By darchey - January 15 - 10:00 am

  : o) Solid, reliable car for a good price.