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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  my Kia - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By ilovemykia - August 30 - 12:06 am

  I LOVE my Kia Spectra 5. It has cut my fuel consumption and costs in half; it has more room inside than one would think it has; it operates well; and SO many people have stopped me to ask about it! I LOVE MY KIA.

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  Great New Design - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Diana - August 29 - 3:46 pm

  Great new style, easy handling, economical and more added safety features.

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  Optimum Optima - 2011 Kia Optima
  By optimasx - August 29 - 5:51 am

  Traded a G8 GXP, for this car. I thought I loved that car, And would miss it, but this one is a whole new experience (even without 415 hp). Features, cost, fit and finish, options, this baby is loaded, very nicely styled, and still has 274hp, and gets 37 hwy mpg....and its a KIA!

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  Best Kept Secret! - 2011 Kia Soul
  By smack1963 - August 28 - 9:42 am

  I bought a Kia Soul + to replace my Jeep Wrangler gas hawg. I didnt want to part with my Jeep, I loved it. Im glad I did. The Soul has so many standard features for thousands less than the competition. It has more power that other little puddle jumpers I tried. Its not a race car, but enough to pass 2 pokey cars at once. Im 6, 230#, it is super easy to get in and out of and plenty of head & leg room both front and back. Had to convert my .m4p files to .mp3 files to play in the usb port, but it works flawlessly. A friend has a Chevy Malibu with a usb port that doesnt work. Gas MPG is between 28 - 31 mixed driving. I added the euro-style racing stripe a few days later, LOVE IT!

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  Love the Car!! - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By mazkds - August 26 - 10:56 pm

  We bought our Spectra brand new with 28 miles on it. We have not had to put hardly any money into it (besides normal maintenance). We have almost 104,000 miles on it and have taken it on a number of long trips over the eastern half of the US. Our only complaint is that the front bumper is completely faded and the dashboard is warping. So I think the quality could have been a little higher. For $11,000 (brand new) I cant really say that I am disappointed. I think we have a great car and look forward to driving it for many more years. GO KIA!!!

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  Good Cheap Car - 2001 Kia Rio
  By bassist_guy - August 24 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my rio for 2 years and I drive a lot of miles. The car has been reliable. For the most part it is comfortable on long drives because of the manual seat controls. However I do wish I could have had cruise control. I get anywhere from 35-38 miles to the gallon on average, but I mostly drive on the freeway. My only complaint would be a whistling sound from the front when traveling over 80mph or when there are strong winds. I did have an engine problem around 50,000 miles, but it was taken care of right away and I was really impressed with the service and concern that was extended to me.

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  What a surprise - 2003 Kia Rio
  By DWJ - August 24 - 10:00 am

  Wasnt expecting such a nice little car as the cheapest car in America. Theyve come a long way since the Ford Aspires and Yugos of years past. Havent had any problems with my Rio, driven it hard the whole time Ive had it. While it is an adjustment switching between driving my Expedition and the Rio, the nimbleness and trunk space is appreciated in this car.

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  Worth the price ! - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Phil533 - August 24 - 6:40 am

  We now own two 2008 Kia Sedonas and you cant beat them for the price and value. My relatives own Honda Odysseys and while they are slightly better mini vans, I dont feel they are worth the price difference. The Sedonas are fun to drive, are loaded with safety features and a great value for the money. My only question will be long term reliability.

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  It Keeps Going - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By A Great Family Car 2 - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I doing a follow up review on our Rondo, we have owned it for 1-1/2 years and still love it. We replace our Ford Windstar mini van and never looked back. This has been a reliable vehicle, we have over 22,000 miles on it now, been to CA from WA Twice, we got over 27 miles to the gallon fully loaded with a car topper on it. Great power over the mountains! Things we had done to vehicle: Tinted windows, Mud flaps & Cross bars for roof rack. Future Items: Trailer hitch. We have the 7 passenger version had every seat filled, still great power! We Would still buy this vehicle if we were looking again!

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  Great car, so far: SAFE - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Jose - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I wanted to get a safer, more reliable car for my kids. Got a great deal, and the car still has 3 years/30,000 miles on original warranty, then a lifetime dealership kicks in. Rated safest car I could find, next to Subaru Legacy, which would have cost $10,000 more. Happy so far; Ill check back in 6 months.