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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  Spectra review - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Tracy Lewis - May 9 - 2:00 am

  I have been extremely pleased with the KIA vehicles... I purchased a Sedona Mini Van 8 months ago and LOVE it...I appreciate alot of the standards that come with the KIA vehicles (air conditioning, CD player, etc..) I just purchased the Spectra and love it... there is plenty of interior room for myself and my son (who sits in a car seat in the back)... its a very smooth ride on the highway... and much more pick-up than i expected. There is also alot of trunk space (which is surprising b/c the vehicle looks so small from the outside...)

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  LOVING MY NEW KIA SORENTO - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By SCORPIO07 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Just got my Sorento 5 spd lx with the sport pkg on 02/19/2004. So far so good I love it.

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  Affordable, Fun and Roomy - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By SR46 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Sorento (top of the line EX)for 6 months now. In all my personal driving test on real road and off road, the Sorento has come through excellent every time. True there are a few bumps in the road and not completly flawless as with a top of the line car. But then again it is a real truck with a cross ladder frame, as compared to the other truck on car frame wanna bes. Power is also there when you want or need it. I wouldnt trade this truck for anything in the same or even higher price range. I have driven the Lexus 300RX and found it to be a big disapointment for the hype and money.

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  love my sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By busterman - May 9 - 2:00 am

  My wife has a soft top Kia Sportage. When I was ready to trade my Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited I went back to the salesmen I bought hers from. I had been looking at the Sorento and a couple other SUVs. Once Velton called me and said he had gotten one in I went by to test drive it. That was all it took. I fell in love with it and really have enjoyed driving it.

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  sorento beats them all - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By karole2020 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  i just love my new car as a young mother kids, i find it very suitable for transporting the kids to and from activites with room to spare.

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  Eye Candy - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By rgibson711 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  For a first time suv owner I got my bang for the buck. Extreamly stylish, and a useful sports utility. Great handling. With a lot of power under the hood. The quality of 35,000 dollar vehicle.

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  Kia Built This? - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Alley Cat - May 9 - 2:00 am

  I would not have expected Kia to be able to design and build a suv this well. It is truly enjoyable to drive and look at this black and pewter gem. Gas milage is not great, but considering price, warranty, features and price, who can complain.

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  Best Buy - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By mmuller - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Before purchasing our first SUV I did about 4 months of research. Based on recommendations from a couple of auto analysts and various internet sites I stopped looking at domestic SUVs. Looked at the Toyotas and Hondas which are great but a person is not getting that much more for the added 8- 10K. After driving the Sorento for the first time I was sold. Great looks, good performance, spacious interior, and real 4X4 capability were the major selling points. The price is where alot of the other SUVs should be also.

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  A Very Nice Car with Loads of Room - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Lynn in Oklahoma - May 7 - 6:33 pm

  I have now had my Kia Rondo for 4 months, and I am truly glad I purchased it. It has so much room, is very comfortable even on long distance trips, and truly feels like you are driving a much larger car. You sit up high in the Rondo and visibility is great. The console is jutted forward, so all buttons for the radio, CD player, heat/air are right there at arms length. The car is so quiet when idling, I sometimes forget that it is on while sitting at a drive-thru. Acceleration is also good when trying to get on the highway. I dont regret my purchase one bit. Take a test drive - thats all it took for me!

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  03 Sedona - Reliable - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Brian - May 7 - 10:40 am

  Owned since September 2003 and have put 42,000 miles on it. The only time its been back to the dealership is for the 2 recalls. We dont baby our Sedona either. We regularly take trips of 400 miles (each way) towing a 2500 lb trailer, with a cargo carrier mounted to the roof rack. Its a little sluggish going up mountain passes fully loaded and towing, but that is to be expected. Swapped oil in engine and tranny to full synthetic after 15,000 miles and picked up 3-5 mpg on the highway. This van has never failed us, even in -30 degree weather. The only thing I dislike is that it has too much low end power when driving on ice, even with studded tires. Very easy to spin the tires on ice!