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:

• 

  Fun car to drive! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Liz - February 26 - 7:13 pm

  I just bought this car a couple of days ago and its so much fun to drive. I love it! Its comfortable inside and stylish outside. It drives really smooth and has great gas mileage. Plus the dealership has been great to me and they are super friendly. I am very satisfied with my purchase.

• 

  5k mile update - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By nor cal kia convert - February 26 - 11:56 am

  Zero reliability problems after 5k miles and mileage slowly improving. Only complaint is occasional loss of satellite signal. Re: mileage, if you actually set cruise control at 65 mph and inflate tires to spec, it really does get 28-29 mpg. Of course, i usually drive 75 mph, then its 24.5. Some minor suspension noise on uneven roads, mostly from right front side - but maybe other Sorentos have it worse b/c mine really isnt bad, and still quieter than any Honda. Nice firm ride and great handling is a trade-off Ill accept over floaty ride of RAV4. Road noise on good roads VERY low. No rattles in this car whatsoever and size is just right - easy to park in town, big enough for stuff/people

• 

  Sedona a Satisfying Drive - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Geo - February 25 - 8:36 am

  Have owned 5 Chrysler Grand Caravans, mid-level and last one loaded with options. The Kia is a big step up in most every regard. Comfort, power, and handling are very good. Active and passive safety features equal and exceed the Honda and Toyota vans. Memory seats, mirrors and pedals help keep the Mrs. from cursing my bigger frame every time she drives after I do. Power pedals keep her back from the steering wheel airbag, a major problem in the Chrysler vans. Ride is just soft enough for comfortable cruising and stiff enough to ensure good feel and cornering. Quiet and responsive until you put your foot into the throttle and hear a satisfying effort. Kia has a winner in the Sedona.

• 

  Never buying gas again...Kia Soul ev 2016 - 2016 Kia Soul EV
  By Gillian - February 25 - 2:31 am

  Love this car. Very roomy for a small car - and versatile with the split seats. We charge up overnight and do not have a problem with range anxiety. Much easier to plug in that having to stop at gas station. electricity bills have not increased significantly either.

• 

  my new optima - 2003 Kia Optima
  By new car buyer - February 24 - 10:00 am

  We purchased the kia optima 2003 and could not believe all you get for the price.Our car has everything in it except heated seats.When living in Texas that is not really necessary.The car drives great,is comfortable,gets good gas mileage,and was afordable.I had never heard of a optima before and never drove a kia.I do admit that I was looking for information on the car myself.After driving the car myself it did not really matter what anyone else said because I loved it.The warrenty that kia carries made me fill secure in my decision and to just enjoy my car and I do.I bought my car 8 weeks ago and have already put 4,200 miles on it.It is great!

• 

  I Dream of Kia... - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Eric F. - February 24 - 10:00 am

  I really enjoy my Kia Sedona, its fun to drive and handles well. The fuel economy is fairly poor, however, the inexpensive price of the vehicle makes up for this fact.

• 

  great cars! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Two Souls - February 20 - 5:36 pm

  Bought a special edition Ignition in Dec. 2009 . Really like the car! So far everything works great & 30+ mpg ! Other car with 184k started having problems in Feb. 2010 . Traded it in on another Soul special edition , the Shadow Dragon version! Like it better than the Ignition because of the heated leather seats! Drive 200 miles a day to-from work . So far Great !

• 

  Happy With Car - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Desiree - February 19 - 4:43 am

  Im very happy with this car. Affordable, fun, reliable. What more can you ask for.

• 

  Would not wish this thing on my worst enemies - 2016 Kia Forte
  By Nick F - February 18 - 9:07 am

  I would advise anyone looking to get a 2016 Kia Forte Ex steer clear. The transmission is very hesitant, especially on the freeway. The car rattled until on the fourth repair attempt they finally fixed the issue. The car is a nightmare for anyone who has an interest in cars. The engine makes pretty good power but it does not start to really get moving until around 5000 RPM. The transmission is always in the wrong gear. Eco mode just means the throttle will not respond almost at all. When cornering the traction control system tries to intervene and does a horrible job at that (even when the system is turned off it still tries to work.) The brakes overheat and fade pretty quickly in a stop and go higher speed situations. The drivers seat is extremely uncomfortable and lacks support. The plastics look cheap and feel the same way. I have had two bad tires because the stock tires went bad when in both cases a small rock on the road hit the sidewall of the tires. I am very upset and honestly will never own another car from Kia. I would suggest anyone to look at other upscale CPO cars instead of this one. I am not going to bother trying to fix anymore of these issue because at the end of the day it is not worth wasting my time. I honestly have stopped caring about my car. I used to wax it and wash it all the time but with all the problems I have had it doesnt seem like it is worth the care I would normally give to a car.

• 

  Overall pretty disappointed - 2011 Kia Soul
  By addriiannaa - February 18 - 4:25 am

  I bought my 11 kia soul plus in a manual trans in june-11 At first it was a nice car, loved it..until driving it everyday it began to annoy me. The door panels were easily scratched, and stained by water which you had to SCRUB to get the marks off..opened the door in the rain and theres now water marks on the seat from RAIN.But my biggest bother is how noisy the car is, road noise and mostly ENGINE noise, it WHINES VERY LOUDLY on the highway or anything over 40mph and makes it difficult to enjoy the drive. Not a zippy car at all, boring to drive. Trading it in for an 11 optima or something a little more worth its value for what ide like, comfort, style, and fun to drive..