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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  What a fun car - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Shannon - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I got my Ghost the end of May and I love it! I have never owned an import before but was impressed by the 100/10 year. I travel for work so I rack up the miles. It is not the smoothest or quietest ride (what do you expect for the price and low profile tires) but still wouldnt trade it for the world. The options are great and the car just screams FUN.

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  A real Value - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By jnmip - August 21 - 3:20 pm

  I bought the Sorento to replace a Subaru Forrester and it beats it in every way. More power, better seating position (very Comfortable), better build quality, better handling and a much more handsome vehicle. The Subaru seemed tinny and cheap by comparison. The Sorento is packed with standard features making it a great buy for the buck.

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  So glad I listened to mom!! I love it! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By jennjan68 - August 21 - 7:23 am

  So glad I listened to my mom!! I love it! I am the second owner of this KIA. I just bought it 5 days ago from a local dealership here in AZ. with 32,500 miles on it...And it looks, drives and handles like its brand new. I AM IMPRESSED! I know that Ive only my KIA for under a week, but I feel very confident in saying that I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a mid size SUV. I work in the rental car industry, so Im able to drive all sorts of vehicles. And with our fleet changing every few months, Ive gotten the full experience of each and every SUV out there sm. to lg. & affordable to expensive. The KIA Sorento gets an A+ in my opinion!

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  nice - 2013 Kia Optima
  By bhooks - August 20 - 12:14 am

  Best investment I have4 made in a long time.

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  Update - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By Greg from Omaha - August 19 - 7:53 am

  Update six month in. No mechanical issues to date, love it more now than when I purchased. I recently rode in a Lincoln Town Car - the Lincoln was not as quite, not as smooth, and was not as nice as the Kia. If you are looking for a Lexus or Cadillac at firesale prices, this is the one!

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  Pretty good for a first new car! - 2012 Kia Soul
  By letzgostate - August 19 - 12:16 am

  Got my 2012 base manual soul the first day they had them on the lot. I chose the manual base and love the 6-speed. The car is amazingly peppy. Since getting mine I have had to have a new rear axle put on the car (I had the swaying road problem too), a new gauge cluster installed, I have had a flat that was not fixable with the fix-a-flat system in the car, and I had a pebble nick the windshield, create a small pit, and quickly had a crack over a foot spread across the windshield, and I have had the battery die for no apparent reason. Aside from those problems, the car has been awesome! Take advantage of roadside assistance, I have 3x already and always quick and free! Oh, and 38 mpg mixed!

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  new car - 2012 Kia Forte
  By crunchyed - August 18 - 9:51 am

  I traded my 2009 Nissan Versa Hatchback for the 2012 Kia Forte Ex. So far I love it. It had all the bells and whistles that I wanted without the extra cost. Its a lot more fun to drive than the versa.

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  Great mini suv - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By Frank G. - August 17 - 9:43 am

  Vehicle handles very well, great acceleration for 173hp, very nice looking suv, idles quiet, comfortable seating, impressive inside room front and rear. Storage is adequate, especially when rear seats are folded flat.

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  Just got it today - 2010 Kia Soul
  By impressed - August 13 - 5:46 pm

  After seeing it at the autoshow this car is awesome! I got the only one in the city gad milage is GREAT SO FAR.

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  The best we have owned - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By mary - August 13 - 10:46 am

  We love our stylish new car. We have received many compliments on the style. It is very comfortable with a nice zip to it. We are very happy with it.