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:

• 

  Pleasantly Surprised - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By big foot - December 25 - 10:00 am

  THIS CAR REALY SURPRISED ME! PEOPLE STOP ME AND ASK WHAT KIND OF CAR IT IS, AND WHERE CAN THEY GET ONE. ITS EVERY THING I NEED IN A CAR AND MORE.

• 

  Cold blooded comments - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By totief - December 24 - 4:53 pm

  I bought my Sorento in September, 2003. Before that, I owned a Vitara V6. Much less roomy but reliable. Sorento is what it looks: a fine SUV. Plenty of room for five adults, and its drive is very smooth and comfortable. Speaking of room, I travelled in the back seat of a Grand Cherokee Overland (costs 81,000 euros) and Im happy I own the Sorento (costs 40.000 euros in Greece). Cruising even with 100 mph is effortless and reassuring. Enough power to move approx. 2 tons. True off road capability, couldnt ask for more. Lets not forget, its a luxurious SUV, not a "tool". Everybody complains about gas mileage. What other cars with 3,5 L engines have SIGNIFICANTLY better mileage?

• 

  Second One Is Better - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By ggd71 - December 23 - 1:33 pm

  This is our second Sorento -- the first one did not last 1000 miles! The words they used were misbuilt and electrical nightmare! I called the dealer, and 16 hours later I had a brand new Kia! Hats off to the dealership -- the second one is great. No complaints yet. We looked at other SUVs. This one was in our price range and with three kids it is very roomy.

• 

  2002 Kia Rio! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Kevin Zollner - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Runs great, looks good, and I really lke the car.

• 

  Kia got it right ... - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Fish - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Ill have to admit, this vehicle had fit perfectly into what I had wanted in my new vehicle. Its fun and easy to drive. Its quiet on the highway, and the handling, accelleration, and braking are all excellent for a 2+ ton SUV. The ride is just a little stiffer than Id have liked, and the gas mileage leaves a lot to be desired, but bang for your buck, this thing is first rate.

• 

  Kia Sportage - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By Sara - December 22 - 6:56 pm

  I like my 07 Kia very much. It rides smooth and is comfy. The gas of course is a little problem. But it is a crossover suv so.. I got this for the safety.

• 

  so far so good - 2014 Kia Forte
  By loebywon1 - December 21 - 10:12 am

  went in memorial day to trade in my wifes 15 year old BMW328i(tired of sinking money into it) on an Optima because we liked the reviews, etc. She had difficulty judging it for parking, etc(shes tiny). Salesman suggested the 2014 Forte that just came out. She was able to handle it much more confidently with the large windshield. Didnt get a great deal but we bought it and love it so far.

• 

  Two at a Time - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By John Stumpf - December 21 - 4:31 am

  Love the new 2017 Sorento. We now own two Sorentos and have been thoroughly pleases. The 1st ones features and dependability is the reason we purchased the 2nd one. Would recommend this vehicle highly.

• 

  Loving IT! - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Derek - December 17 - 1:37 am

  What a great little car. I got the base model with the 6 speed manual transmission. The shifting is easy and the clutch engages nicely. I love the "hill holder" feature - car doesnt roll on a hill while you get going from a dead stop. There have been a couple of minor recalls on my car which the dealer has taken care of. Other than those, NOTHING has gone wrong with this car in 43,000 miles. The good is the gas mileage, I average about 35 miles per gallon. About half of my driving is under nearly ideal conditions for mileage, but the other half is stop and go. The bad is I have the 1.6 liter engine, just enough to keep up with traffic, but not much power to spare. The other weak point is when backing up, the rear visibility is not that good. The cabin is quiet at all speeds, the seats and ride are firm, but comfortable and the cornering and braking are great. Overall I would buy this car again. The low price, the long warranty (which I have not needed at all) and the quality make this car a winner.

• 

  NEW 08 LX SEDONA $16,900 - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By mark - December 15 - 10:40 pm

  You kidding me? this van rocks. Safety, roomy, has it all, drives like a champ. A new van like this for under 17k? Bought the leftover 08 with 30 miles on it. I cant understand how anyone cannot buy this van for the price. I think its BETTER than the 30k hondas etc.Lokks great, feels great, and you just feel safe and confident.