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:

• 

  My other car is a Camaro SS - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By LuvMyKia - May 23 - 11:33 am

  My other cars are a 1999 Camaro SS and a 1996 Impala SS, so I am used to vehicles with power and good handling. Within its limits (it is a minvan) the Kias handling is excellent and the engine makes good power under all conditions. Amazing for a 4500 lbs minivan. My whole family loves this vehicle.

• 

  SMART MONEY - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By MOOCH - May 21 - 10:00 am

  I had no intention of purchasing a Kia Sedona, when visited my local dealership to trade in my 93 Villager. I had test drove many minivans and was not impressed with them including the much acclaimed Chrysler mini-vans. My Kia dealership is also a Honda dealership. They always have a good selection low mileage used vehicles. I tested a 2000 Dodge Caravan for 24 hours, I was not in the least bit impressed. The vehicle was cheap and bland. The dealership offered me a 2000 Kia Sedona demo, my wife and I were impressed with the vehicle. I could not believe that a vehicle could cost thousands of dollars less than its competitors and be superior in many ways.

• 

  Great SUV for the money - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By justme - May 21 - 10:00 am

  Narrowed search to Mazda Tribute, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, KIA Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe. After driving, narrowed to 2 SUVs. Mazda/Ford rode rough and bad wind/road noise, also couple thousand $ more than rest. After drive Santa Fe and Sorento are best. Wouldnt you know? The choices basically from same company. After looking closely you see they shared some of same components. But, clincher was Santa Fe almost $4000 less than Sorento and that made diffeerence to us this time. However, both great and have reasons for choosing one over other. Bigger engine/flat-folding seats not worth extra 4 Gs so Santa Fe won.

• 

  2001 Spectra GS - 2001 Kia Spectra
  By Ricky - May 18 - 4:56 pm

  Other than normal wear parts like brake pads, Ive had problems with the motor mounts (4 of them) and the upper power steering hose. It has good fuel economy, about 22 mpg city and very good handling, especially when you upgrade the wheels to 15" and sport tires.

• 

  Nice Vechicle - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Sgt Ard - May 17 - 10:13 pm

  Drove Sportage EX V-6 with out leather lux pkg rode very hard, Then drove EXV- 6 with leather pkg big difference in ride very smooth, So try both before you buy I bought my sportage for 21,226.00 MSRP was 28990.00 lux pkg.

• 

  Love the Sorento - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Paul - May 17 - 11:46 am

  Weve had our Sorento for a month. Never thought Id buy a Kia. Great look. Great value. Great features. Best unexpected car buy weve ever made. Going for the loaded package worth it to get the sunroof, it really opens up the interior. The navigation/voice commands still hard to learn. Bluetooth doesnt always pull in the whole address book.

• 

  new car - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By bill m - May 17 - 10:00 am

  my girlfreind and i seen an ad for kia with 2500 rebate and decided to check it out and to my surprise came away impressed love the body style but most of all what really convinced me was the warranty

• 

  Good but no cigar - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Scotlad - May 11 - 10:13 pm

  Overall love the Kia but transmission issues and poor gas mileage are spoiling the experience. We keep hoping for some long term improvements.

• 

  Get the facts and give it a shot!! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Bob_Hog - May 10 - 10:00 am

  We compared other midsize SUVs but found the Sorento to have all the same features as the more commonly known brand SUVs in the USA, but for about $5,000 less.

• 

  Great Family Vehicle - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Dan - May 9 - 8:43 am

  We purchased this minivan in August 2006 to accommodate our expected second child. Minivans arent cool, but for functionality and practicality for families, they really cant be beat. We purchased this van due to the value, warranty, and exceptional safety ratings, even for the base model. The van drives very well and is very comfortable on long trips. I am 6 4" and dont get fatigued during long trips. The engine is smooth and very adequate. Handling is wobbly, but it is a van not a sports car. Stereo very good for the base model. Fuel economy a little worse than expected. This thing will swallow a Volkswagen, yet is as easy to park and maneuver as my old honda civic.