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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  Whoa!!! - 2009 Kia Optima
  By Big John - July 17 - 6:50 am

  This is a keeper. Rides great, great gas mileage at 34 HW, low initial cost, low insurance premiums, sharp looking, great lines, best color combination (Ruby red, w/charcoal interior), turns heads everywhere I go. Nobody can believe this is an Optima. Ever seen the old styles? Those things were ghastly. This one looks nothing like them from any angle. I intended to buy another Rio, but when I spotted this Optima, it was case closed. MPG is about the same as the Rio, but the car has way more charm. Love it.

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  Frustrating beautiful car - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Tai - July 17 - 6:50 am

  I bought this vehicle brand new! 2 months ago and I was in the dealership service shop within a week or so. KIA customer service has not helped much. I have been in and out of the shop 3 times with the same problem. One time the car was there for 3 weeks waiting for "Techs" who admitted that they dont know whats wrong with the vehicle. I called KIA and they told me there was nothing they could do but "make sure the dealership would commit all their resources to fixing it" which they have failed to do 2 times already. good luck if you get it.

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  Awesomw - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Richard Clark - July 16 - 3:34 am

  Traded a 2013 Sorento 4 cylinder in for the 2016 Sorento V6 Ex premium pkg. Absolutely love the redesign. Extremely quiet, plenty of power, very comfortable. Also own a 2011 Optima EX with the prem/tech pkg and absolutely love it. No problems or complaints with either vehicle. Actually loved the 2013 Sorento but needed the V6 for towing. Plan to continue buying Kias.

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  Im falling in love with this little Kia - 2012 Kia Soul
  By Justin - July 15 - 11:31 pm

  Ive always hated the "boxy" wagons(Scion, Cube, Element, etc), but the only one Ive liked was the Soul. Couldnt really give a reason they just looked cute. So naturally when we needed a 2nd car, I bought a 2012 Exclaim model. Im gonna start with the few things I dont care for. Its kinda harsh NVH when accelerating anything more than softly. Not sure if this is just an unavoidable 4cyl econobox(pun intended) trait, but just saying its more noticeable than other vehicles Ive had. Second gripe, the inside door panel sills are so thin you cant rest your forearm on them when the windows are up. No big deal, just a quirk Im not a fan of. Third, the damn sunroof doesnt tilt up like almost every other car. Fourth, the car has a backup camera but the screen is really small and the lines dont move with the steering wheel. All those small things aside, I still love this car. Its a dream to park, I average 29.6/33.6 mpg city/hwy. It has a great Infinity sound system w Bluetooth, Sat radio, and subwoofer. Its punchy from a stop(but only about average once youre out of 1st gear). Its damn cute and just all around excellent for a small family. Its like the perfect combination of cargo space, fuel economy, passenger space, and just an excellent city car. I highly recommend it if you get a good price(they dont have super resale value).

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  Theres more than what meets the eye - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Guitar Man - July 15 - 6:56 am

  Just bought one of the "Molten Red" Sport models. Its got a real neat interior. Ive never seen anything like it. When driving at night I feel like Im in some sort of high-tech lounge or something. The front speakers light up in different ways and the sound system is great. Im an audiophile and a guitar player/sound engineer and know what sounds good so, rest assured.It does take some tweaking though. The car performs great and handles just the same. Im tickled pink with it. You gotta go easy on the accelerator. Its very sensitive at slow speeds.

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  Something to think about. - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By dbgiles - July 13 - 2:00 am

  Why would I look at a KIA? That was my first reaction when it was suggested. . I started doing some research on the KIA Sorento (of course begining with Edmunds).I couldnt believe all the favorable reviews. I then test drove it and it was very smooth and for the money you pay the features and warranty cant be beat.When the only downside to a vehicle is that its gas mileage is about 10% worse than other models that is not at all much to complain about. if serious about purchasing neg. via the internet and you can usually get your best deal. I got mine that way for $200 over invoice well below even the Edmunds TMV.

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  Best deal on the Market! - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Jack D. Bell - July 12 - 10:36 am

  This van is fully loaded-plus, we added on a combo navigation/rear camera system, expensive, but worth it! Car has plenty of power, and transmission is smooth stock tires are adequate, but I will eventually replace them with ultimate quality tires. Its quiet at all speeds. A great plus is the headlights, which light up the road at night like monster floodlights. An important safety advance, in our opinion. We traded in an Odyssey ex- l, and we do not regret it, although, overall, the Kia is not quite as sumptuous as the Odyssey was. But, the price differential was too great to ignore (about $6000 less, comparably equipped). Ergonomics are first-rate; even the sun-roof works easily!

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  Great Car - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Gerald Sewell - July 10 - 5:30 pm

  It has been a great car for the price.

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  Love Kia - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By Donna Flynn - July 10 - 4:43 pm

  Absolutely love my Kia. Have had several comments about what a sharp vehicle it is. Recommend Kia to anyone. The warranty is fantastic. Drove it to Florida 10 days after buying it. For the first time in 4 years of going to Florida, our backs did not hurt from riding in a vehicle.

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  2 months and already MAJOR issues?? - 2012 Kia Soul
  By rs33983 - July 10 - 11:56 am

  The headrest are EXTREMELY uncomfortable for a 60" person. Less than 2 moths old and in service for 3 different items. A bad vibration on interstate. The power door locks malfunctioning. A rattling noise at warm start up in the engine. Very disappointed.