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 Little Car - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Leila - December 11 - 4:53 am

  I bought this car new in 2004. Aside from a CV axle issue starting around 50K miles, I have had no problems. I have bought tires, replaced the front brakes and done routine maintenance and thats it! She just rolled over 140,000 miles this past weekend and were still rocking along. Im looking forward to my next purchase: the 2011 Sorento.

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  My First Kia - 2011 Kia Soul
  By jttheawesome - December 9 - 7:12 am

  I have owned several Hyundai products previously, and I know that Kia is a "kissing cousin" to Hyundai. Therefore, I expected high quality when I got into my 2011 Kia soul, and was not disappointed. I bought it "lightly used" with only 8,500 miles on it, so its essentially a new car. Its much roomier than it appears, and has almost as much interior space as my 2005 Tuscon. Fuel mileage is excellent, getting no less than 30 MPG around town and around 37 on the road. It handles quite nicely, and rides better than my previous car, a 2008 Nissan Sentra. And most importantly, it makes me feel young! (Maybe it makes me look younger, too.....)

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  95% as good as the leaders for less $$$$ - 2007 Kia Optima
  By imacheapsk8 - December 9 - 1:26 am

  Im totally impressed with the 07 Optima! I was only considering the Accord or Camry, but the Optima won me over. It performs just as nicely, and in my opinion has a much nicer interior than the others. The build quality and style are impressive as well, not to mention the 5 star safety rating for all four tests, including the notoriously difficult offset frontal crash test.

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  Best of many vehicles I have owned - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By Ron - December 8 - 12:16 pm

  As a senior citizen who has owned many vehicles, I am hard to please. This vehicle has really impressed me though. Very utilitarian, comfortable, practical, dependable so far and fun to drive to boot. Would buy another in a minute. Only downside is gas mileage of 21 mpg, but we drive mostly in urban areas. Have taken a couple of short trips and the vehicle can hold its own on the interstates too.

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  Amanti vs Cadillac - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Barbara - December 7 - 2:06 pm

  I went from a Cadillac to an Amanti - a HUGE difference. The Amanti has a "fast" car feel when driving, hugging the curves. There are Cadillac comfort features that I miss: Armrest for the driver, side mirrors that stay set, outlets that work when the engine is off, and better available storage for the driver. The plus items for the Amanti would be: nice trunk, comfortable rear passenger sets, individual a/c settings, and the front passenger seat reclines. We did tint the windows and now the car looks 100% like a Jag - just needs the hood emblem. One service center actually thought it was a Jag until he saw the wheel coverings.

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  GREAT BUY ! - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By JCR - December 6 - 10:53 am

  Very nice car, its really fast and powerfull. Comfortable for long drives. Smooth ride. A little thirsty. Great audio system.

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  Great Car - Love driving it - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Puddgomez2 - December 6 - 10:00 am

  I saw an ad online for an 03 spectra for $8995, went just to check it out. This car is great. The sales people at Schaumburg Kia were really great, no pressure at all. I had a 01 Focus, this thing blows the doors off that car. It has pretty nice pick-up, its really not even that bad with the A/C on. I do alot of heavy driving and it keeps up on the Chicago express ways pretty well. Im think after a few years I might just get another kia...

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  my new sorrento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By CharlesK - December 6 - 10:00 am

  Comfortable fun to dive. I love it!!

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  Unbeatable Value - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Derfo - December 5 - 6:33 pm

  The Kia Sedona cant be beat for its combination of value, features, and 10 yr warranty. I compared the Sedona to a fully loaded Honda Odyssey at $32,000. I paid $20,700 for my Sedona EX, including a manufacturers rebate of $3,000. I added a very nice aftermarket 11" DVD/MP3/VCD player, seat heaters and a remote starter for less than $2,000. The $10,000 difference was too much for me to justify. Most people that end up buying Kia are looking for a big warranty and big bang for the buck. I am very happy knowing that my car will be fully warrantied until it is paid off. I think todays Korean cars are right where the Japanese were in the 80s: unbeatable value, performance, and reliability.

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  Great Deal - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Jim - December 4 - 9:40 pm

  What a car for the money. If you are looking for a quality car at a affordable price this is it. Very comfortable ride and the interior design is great; ample leg and head room front and back. With the standard safety features and options this vehicle comes with for the price it is the best on the market and thats not even mentioning the standard warranty you get at no charge. If this vehicle is a consideration I do suggest going with the SX model. Many more options for not a lot more money. The 06 has a much improved sound system and power is plenty, cruises like a dream on the highway.