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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  Kia Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Sorento Owner - August 2 - 2:00 am

  I was in the market for an SUV. After looking for a while at the more expensive brands with what I thought was a better name at the time I kept finding myself drawn back to the Kia Sorento and the Hundai Santa Fe. You can not beat the prices and the warranties that come with the vehicles. The finance manager at Atlantic Auto Mall almost cost himself a sale because he was completely nasty and arrogant when we said no to the extended waranty. Edmunds.com was a huge help in our purchase. I made four thousand more on my trade in after researching with edmunds after my first shopping trip for this vehicle at the same dealer.

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  Like a Timex, Keeps on running ! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Carl Leason - August 1 - 5:16 am

  From day one, (bought this car new ), it just always runs and have had no problems, NONE, of any kind ! Ave. fuel mileage about 30 and already have 42,000 miles on it. The dealer is great, This is my second Kia and I always am treated as if they like me. The only reasons for going to dealer is for oil changes.Tire rotation, best car I ever owned !

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  Much more than expected! - 2006 Kia Optima
  By mark - July 31 - 3:46 pm

  I never thought that I would like a Kia, but this car was too good to pass up. After a Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Explorer, I needed something that was dependable and good on gas. Ive had two Nissan cars that were excellent and looked in that direction, but two friends have Kias (one car and one suv) and swear by them, not at them. Three months have passed and I like my Optima a lot. It has a smooth ride and handles well on any road surface and around corners. Very stable drive. The 2.4L 4cyl engine delivers a lot more power than I expected. The cabin is pretty quiet and Ive heard no rattles or noises in the car so far. Im VERY satisfied.

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  Recently Purchased - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By Zebulund - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I recently purchased a Kia Spectra 2000 yr. model, and so far Im impressed with the car for the price. Not too many people could tell me about them, but so far everything Ive found on the Internet is far from negative. I think that Kia will continue to catch on in the States. Its affordable and a basic little car, but its been great for the gas mileage. Im going to college, and I drive back and forth. Its perfect for what I needed.

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  Surprisingly Good Car - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By jabhiji - July 29 - 7:23 pm

  I have owned a LX for about a month now and have been pleasantly surprised at the gas economy and reliability so far. Most of the miles so far are on the highway (with the A/C on) and I have consistently obtained 34+ MPG, with the maximum so far being 37.8 MPG. The vehicle handles very well on the highway, but can be a bit awkward at low speeds. Does not handle turns very well, even at low speeds. Feels like the car is going to rollover if you take those curved exit ramps at more than 30 to 35 mph. But overall, considering the price, I am a very satisfied owner.

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  Yuck - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By Kitch - July 29 - 9:43 am

  Really DO NOT Like it. Have returned it to the dealer for brakeing issues. Manual seat does not go up as high as the power seats, engine (3.3) is slow to respond. Have to remove the rear seat headrests in order to put the back seat down, with all of the rear seat headrests & seat belts crossing in my view in the rearview mirror you do not get a clear view out the back, nice storage under the rear floor, but you have to remove EVERYTHING from the back of the vehicle to access it. The cover for the rear area cuts down on the amount of stuff you can put in there unless you remove it & you have to remove it to put the rear seats down. REALLY WISH I had returned it & gotten my old vehicle back.

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  Great Buy! - 2000 Kia Spectra
  By kerri12377 - July 28 - 10:00 am

  After 4 years of owning my purple Kia, I still love it! The warranty cant be beat! Its cheap to maintain. Being a hatchback makes it roommy inside. Oh, and the trunk release works since theyve gotten a fix for it! Its reliable, convenient, and safe. Even nice for a Mommy with 2 small boys!

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  Consider carefully - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Brian Macy - July 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought the Sedona because it is cheap and safe. In this case you get less than you pay for. It isnt user friendly, the vehicle is made out of poor quality materials, and the vehicle is noisey. So far it has overheated because of a fan relay failing and the dashboard lights have gone out. The internal fuse box cover is constantly falling off while driving. The vehicle is simply not quite there and though other vehicles may cost $5-6k more they are more than twice the car. So spend if it you can afford it.

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  Uses a lot of gas - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By stephen - July 27 - 11:53 am

  Uses a lot of gas Says its supposed to get 14 miles local and 22 highway on ticket, however that is not true; its a lot LOWER.

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  Big Mistake - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By justman - July 26 - 11:05 pm

  I bought a 2012 Sorento and only had the car for two months when things started to go really bad with it. Broken axles, motor mounts, transfer case, and the side panel was coming off. Kia fixed these issues because it was covered under warranty. On top of that the SUV did not handle well especially in the rain. I drove it home to DC from Charlotte and we were so thankful we made it safe. I fought with Kia wanting to get another one because that one was a lemon for sure, but they did Nothing! So, I got rid of it and bought another make and model. I do NOT recommend Kia at all. To top it all off, I thought I was saving money, but it wasnt that much cheaper than my new car.