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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  112,000+ miles and still going strong! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By mainecoast - October 26 - 10:32 am

  I really love this car. The seating could be a little more comfortable, but my seat has pretty much conformed to me after all these miles. 6 speed manual is a lot of fun, Im a big fan of standard transmissions. Passing on back roads is a breeze, plenty of power, that 200hp 4 cyl provides good power to weight ratio....just pop it down into 3rd step on it, and it goes...fast. Ive hit what seems to be a rev limiter on occasion, and a top speed limiter in 6th because it ran out of steam at about 118 with what should have been plenty of room showing on the tach. Totally reliable. Tires, oil changes, trans. oil change. Thats it. Brakes, plugs, serp. belt, radiator flush in spring.

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  Kia Mini Van - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By streamer54 - October 26 - 10:00 am

  I drove my dodge mini-van for 163,00+ miles. It was time for a new one, but you just could not beat the price of the Kia and I still got all the bells and whistles I wanted.

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  Well they sure did Surprise me ... - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Joe.L - October 26 - 6:23 am

  I love this SUV, Kia really stepped up this time. The 262 Hp really makes her move and gives you that extra passing power when needed. We just got our first big snow for the year and it did very well in 9 Inches of snow. I felt in control and very safe when driving even when I saw much bigger SUVs all over the road. I would tell anyone that is looking for a mid-size SUV this is the one hands down. Plus the auto 4x4 - it knows the road better than you do.

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  Sorento 2012 LX 2.4 Front Wheel Drive - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By frjohn42 - October 23 - 4:17 am

  I have already driven my Sorento 2,000 miles in 6 weeks and I can say that its a very comfortable ride. Being a big person, 6ft 3in with a offensive linemans build I am comfortable. I purchased the 4 cylinder front wheel drive, base model w/ convenience package, i.e. park assist on the mirror and auto dimming, remote start, heated seats, cargo net, cargo cover, sorento floor mats. I have been driving with the ac on most of the time and I have been getting about 21-22 miles per gallon city driving and about 25-26 on the highway.

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  I love my new Sorento!!! - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Little Al - October 21 - 8:32 pm

  After months of searching for a crossover/ midsize SUV, Ive finally found it with the Kia Sorento!! Ive looked at Hyundai Sante Fe Sport, Nissan Murano, Nissan Rogue, Ford Edge and the Lexus RX350. I was on the fence with all of them until I decided to check out the KiA Sorento. I fell immediately in love with the Sorento. The interior is luxurious with a lot of well appointed materials. I got the SXL AWD 2.0LT with the merlot nappa leather interior with glossy black exterior. Its a sexy looking SUV !! Plus that panoramic moonroof...OMG...amazing!!! The drive is smooth, the seats are very very comfy with 14 way adjustable seating along with 4 way adjustable headrest. This is a very reasonably priced car with all the bells and whistles. I wish Sorento had a lever to automatically fold up and down the second row seats though but thats ok. My only regret is that I didnt get the technology package (adaptable cruise control, surround view and a few others...) . Nevertheless, Im very happy with my purchase. I actually look forward to driving to and from work now :-)

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  Five star safety, 10 year warranty!!! - 2008 Kia Optima
  By BOBSKIA - October 21 - 9:46 am

  I traded in my truck because of gas prices. The KIA was ranked high in safety, warranty, and performance. I was given great rebate incentives that brought down the price to around 14,000. The four cylinder has 168 HP, almost as much as the 6 cylinder. They gave me a great price for my trade. The warranty for the first buyer is a great one! The room in the Optima is great since I am 65". The car has a load of standard features: heated mirrors, tire pressure monitoring, 5 speed automatic transmission, 5 star crash rating, air bags all over, large trunk, great handling, and good MPG (I am getting over 30 currently) The KIA dealer was excellent too!!!

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  Outstanding! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By hoyahenry - October 21 - 8:23 am

  When the deal fell through at Honda, I researched and discovered the Kia and an extra $7K discovered my wallet! Std features are: fog lgts, tranny cooler, long wrnty, cd/cass, pwr front seats, rr window controls in the rr front, 4 glove boxes plus cd storage. The missing minivan items are: power rear doors, (magic) seat, entertainment system, traction control. For those who think $10K is better to have than such "features", I unequivocally recommend a test drive.

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  My third Kia - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Garry - October 19 - 11:23 am

  We owned two Sedonas and were pleased with the safety styling and value when the Amanti was introduced. We purchased one with the optional electronic stability control. The performance has improved as it was driven. When new it didnt accelerate very well. It is now "hard to hold down!" We have owned a couple of Lincolns and this auto compares very favorably.

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  KIA-OK - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By Marsha L Edwards - October 19 - 9:10 am

  It rides smoothly and is easy to navigate in and out of traffic. My grown kids really like to drive it. I have had a lot of compliments even a couple who mistook it for a Lexus or Cadillac.

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  Nice Van! - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Richard and Margie - October 18 - 4:20 pm

  We are a retired couple and were planning to purchase a van as a utilitarian vehicle to haul stuff from home improvement stores, pull a trailer, and take our grandkids to various events. We also owned a 1998 Toyota Avalon that we planned to keep for longer trips and as our "going out" car. We spent nearly six months comparing vans on this website and on safecarguide, and then driving them. Safety and value were very important to us. We decided to purchase a new Kia Sedona. Not only did it cost less than some late model used vans at Carmax, but the warranty and roadside assistance gave us assurance that the manufacturer was standing behind the sale.