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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  Great vehicle - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By erikheiker - June 9 - 3:10 pm

  Ive had my Sorento for eight months and have put on 7300 miles. It handles very nicely and provides a smooth comfortable ride.

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  Kia - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By diphy - June 7 - 10:40 pm

  Only problems have been with the tires -- everything else has been fine. The interior is roomy, and the car drives like a dream.

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  Wagon or Micro-van? - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By D. Photo - June 7 - 2:50 pm

  Purchased April 2007. Current mileage 4100. This Rondo had big shoes to fill as it was to replace a 2004 Honda Odyssey, the sport car of mini-vans. Well, Rondo did a great job, in a smaller package. Smooth and quiet drivetrain performance. Huge interior room for the size vehicle. Fantastic all-around visibility when driving. Great standard safety (air bags, ABS, ESC, 4-wheel disc brakes, etc) features. Quiet ride at any speed. Firm, well proportioned seating. Fit and finish every bit as good as Honda (have owned five). V6 has more than adequate power, and a silent smoothy. No problems to date.

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  Six Month Review - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Lee Martines - June 7 - 2:00 pm

  This is a follow-up to my Four Week Review. It has now been six months and I am very much satisfied with my Sorento EX. Still no problems, and its still fun to drive. It has become apparent however that at 6 3" it is a chore to enter the vehicle, as I must lower my head considerably to keep from hitting it on the upper door frame. Once inside, there is plenty of head room, even with the sunroof. For initial comments, see my review of 7/13/2005.

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  Lots of SUV for the money - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Smiths - June 6 - 5:06 pm

  Only 2500mi so far. We love the feeling of safety and visibility with airbags everywhere. At 61", 180lb the fitÂ’s roomy without any discomfort, even in the fairly roomy back seat. Nicely outfitted, well laid out but we added leather for an upscale feel. Firm ride with good feedback at speed, pulls our 2-moto trailer 70-80mph no problem. Good power, very smooth shifting 5 speed tranny, generous undercoating, quality alum wheels and Michelin treads. Sharp curb appeal for Saturday nite and capable offroad for sunday fun. Great value at 20k$ otd. Hope the long warranty is a seldom needed plus.

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  excellent - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Debra D. Anderson - June 6 - 3:06 pm

  This was one of the most important decisons I had to make since moving to the Virginia area. This turned out to be the best thing I did. The ride is comfortable, the gas mileage is great and I am recommending the vehicle to others.

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  Nice Small Car for Experienced Drivers - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By ConcernedConsumer - June 5 - 11:36 pm

  I bought my Kia in 2006 and loved it. Got good gas mileage and ease of maneuvering in parking lots and streets. Never thought much about it until my teenager hit a culvert (under a driveway) to avoid another car partially in her lane unexpectedly. The front end smashed in and both of her legs had compound fractures and she was hospitalized for 11 days. Maybe it was the way the car hit, or not enough decrease in speed before impact, but I believe more front end would have offered more protection. Bottom line is, I would recommend these for experienced drivers and put a little more car in front of the inexperienced and teenage driver for their own safety. Hindsight is always 20/20.

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  Rondo: Redefining the crossover - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By dxtc - June 5 - 10:53 pm

  After checking out the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V, which were too SUV-ish for my tastes, I looked at the Rondo. I wanted the seating and cargo of a minivan, and the Rondo has it in spades, without the bulk or low MPG of a full minivan. The Rondo is the least expensive V6-powered 7-seater on the market, but its build quality is on par with the costlier CR-V. The second row floor has no noticeable transaxle hump! The 3rd row is not as cramped as most reviews say, when the 2nd row is moved forward a little. Ive only had it 4 months, and Ive already had several compliments!

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  KIA???? - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By knownalien - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Yes, I ended up getting the gas guzzler Sorento because it looks beautiful. Hell, I look outside at my driveway where it is parked at least 10 times a day because it looks so beautiful. I find myself driving down the highway saying "thats an ugly SUV compared to ours." I know . . horrible. But when you see this car and its elevation (clearance), huge tires, standard features, and warranty you just cant walk away. Hell, it could drive like crap and I would forgive it, but as a matter a fact it rides very smooth all things considered.

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  Economical & Enjoyable! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Snicker_Butt - June 5 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely LOVE my new Kia Sorento! I bought it back in mid-March of 2003 & IÂ’ve already put 4,880 miles on it! This was my very first brand-new car and the day I test-drove it for the first time, I knew I just had to have it! I was looking at other sporty- sedans for $5K+ more than the Sorento and I couldnÂ’t justify purchasing a smaller car for more money! The gas mileage isnt too horrible. Ive been getting 18-20mpg on average which suits me just fine. Overall, I feel like I got a great deal for mine (EX 2WD) and am very pleased with my decision!