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 deal! - 2002 Kia Optima
  By Happy Owner 2 - March 17 - 2:00 am

  I got a GREAT deal on a new loaded 2002. Couldnt beat the price, the warrranty, and the dealer is like a small hometown dealer(everyone there remembers your name over a month later). The small problem(lot damage to the bumper paint) was taken care of pronto. My daughter is buying one at the end of the month. I did alot of checking before I decided and Ive only found one person who was really unhappy with his KIA and he admits there is such a thing as a LEMON. Time will tell...........

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  Gotta get a Kia - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By 4wheelr - March 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought my new Kia EX loaded with leather package, moonroof, rear spoiler, ABS and Cargo tray after one test drive. My Nissan Pathfinder lease was up and I didnt want to lease again, but I wanted a reliable and fun SUV. The Kia has it all. I test drove a Saturn VUE and was not impressed at all. The Kia is an outstanding value for the money. I think we are going to see alot of Sorentos on the road very soon!

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  Fun Car - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Soul Transportation - March 16 - 12:53 pm

  I was not planning on replacing my car. I came across a Soul during some random window shopping. I have had it about three weeks and I like everything about it. It is comfortable. It drives well. It has enough cargo space for my favorite toys.

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  The best small car - 2010 Kia Soul
  By star - March 15 - 9:06 am

  The hottest car in the world. I love the exterior and interior and everything in it. The best car I have driven.

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  Update on Infinity Sound quality - 2012 Kia Optima
  By fixer199 - March 13 - 2:32 am

  I posted in early January about the center dash speakers overpowering the rest. Turns out it was a bad amplifier. Got it replaced today under warranty. Now the Infinity system sounds like something Harmon Kardon can be proud of! We now have 1600 miles on the car and like it more all the time. That amplifier is the only defect weve found. We carefully log our gas use & got 25.06 mpg for the first 1,066 miles of 100% city driving. Only one trip out of town & got 31.9 mpg with lots of hills and slow downs for small towns.

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  Best car Ive owned - 2014 Kia Forte
  By R. Collis - March 12 - 6:44 pm

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  155,000 miles and still running - 2004 Kia Rio
  By midwest - March 12 - 2:26 pm

  I commute appox 120 (highway) miles each day in the Midwest (extreme weather, including snow, 100 degree and below zero degree weather days) using this car. I currently have 155K miles on the car. I regularly change the oil (synthetic blend after 100K) and get the belts (timing) replaced every 60K miles. Just this year I have experienced some looseness in using 1st gear (manual transmission). My goal is to get 200K miles out of the car.

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  Affordable luxury and Elegance - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Bill - March 12 - 12:50 pm

  No problems, smooooth ride, heads turn, people ask what it is. Cant believe that KIA has a car like this. Cant believe that I am saying this - KIA has a customer for life. Too bad domestics cant have this quality for this price.

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  Big SUV feel - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By MattH - March 12 - 11:40 am

  We were looking for a used SUV, when we stumbled upon this one. It had just come out, but it immediately caught our attention. Most of the suvs we had driven in the small segment, felt just that, small. But this surprised us with its solid feel, and impressive craftsmanship. We are somewhat brand conscious people, so this SUV really had to win us over to get past the KIA name. But we have had it well over a year, and it still performs wonderfully. I fully expect it to out live its 10 year warranty.

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  Just cant beat it! - 2003 Kia Rio
  By RSmith - March 12 - 10:00 am

  I had to have a car that I could depend on. Although Kias have had a bad rep, I went with it anyway. The price of the car is so great, and this car has been so dependable so far. I hope by saying this, it doesnt come back to haunt me. The car rides smooth and when on the interstate its not very noisy, which I love. No problems thus far. Plus the warranty!