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 Car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Dorine - February 15 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car 4 yrs ago, with 55K miles on it. I drive over 100 miles a day and it has never gotten stuck in snow, it starts every time and only left me stranded once (needed a torque converter). Its a great car, has been hit by deer, broken into, and hit while parked, its only let me down once. Its time to move on unfortunately as it is needing a lot more attention simply because of the miles I drive, it now has 156,000 miles and keeps on going.

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  Versatile, economical and fun car - 2011 Kia Soul
  By Nick - February 15 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car for someone who wants a compact but doesnt want to be crammed into some small, rickety piece of junk. The Soul is incredibly roomy inside and with the rear seats folded down it has cargo room comparable to any wagon... Ive always been hesitant with Kia but they seem to have hit the mark with this one. For $16,000, this car seems to be put together well and has features like ABS, traction control, Bluetooth, and 4-wheel disc brakes that are missing in other cars. I would prefer the manual transmission model; the automatic is an outdated 4-speed and it feels like it was definitely tuned for economy rather than sporty driving but what can one expect for under $16k?

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  Worse new vehicle I ever owned - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Worse vehice I owned - February 14 - 9:36 pm

  Bought in MD, live in WV, could not get thru inspection 1st week we owned car due to light bulb issue (& we have had numerous bulbs changed / numerous electrical issues). Brakes/tires eaten up regular basis & other mechanical issues. Many problems with getting warranty issues handled correctly. WARNING WARNING **DONT BUY** Worse new vehicle we have ever owned!!

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  Spectra 5 is a nice ride - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By shelbyguy - February 14 - 6:30 am

  This has been a good car so far. I am not thrilled with the gas mileage, I get about 32. Somtimes that dips to 29 mpg. I had a 94 Escort wagon 5 speed that got 36 no matter how you drove it. It would keep up with the KIA too! Otherwise I have really enjoyed the car, runs great and is comfortable even with all the seats full. Stereo is really nice. Insturments and extra features are really nice. Really has the other companies beat on added features I think. No problems mechanically and I am at 20,000 miles today. Some times if it is really low on gas it does not start on the first try. If you turn the key off and try again, it starts everytime, wierd but not a problem.

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  Bad Purchase - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Paul M - February 13 - 10:30 pm

  Traded in a 2008, lx, v6,4x4, real mistake. The 2011 sorento lx 4 cyl. Has loud strut noise, rides rough, loud road noise and the transmission whines on the 4 cyl. The 4 cyl only gets 1 mpg better than my v-6 got. I was told undercoating would help, it didnt. The only solution for the tranny noise was to play the radio louder. This was my fourth Kia in four years. The only good one was the 2008 sorento. Dont take a short test drive on a smooth road like I did.

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  Great Car, Great Price! - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Josh - February 13 - 4:16 pm

  I have owned my Sportage for almost a year, and I love it. It is the best car I have ever owned, and you cant beat the warranty. Drives great and looks like a more expensive SUV. I would definitely buy another Kia, they have really stepped up their U.S. models lately!

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  EYE CATCHING!!!!! ITS INCREDIBLE AWESOME - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Delois Roseboro - February 12 - 6:24 pm

  2017 new color Brunt, no spare tire, rear view camera, blue tooth and much more

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  EYE CATCHING!!!!! ITS INCREDIBLE AWESOME - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Delois Roseboro - February 12 - 6:20 pm

  2017 new color Brunt, no spare tire, rear view camera, blue tooth and much more

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  update* reaching about 13000 on my 2011 SX - 2012 Kia Optima
  By acerava - February 12 - 9:23 am

  so far no problems! I must agree with the road noise though. I never owned a Kia before, but if they just get the wheels/road noise and (my preference, wheel well gap shortened) it would be nearly perfection. On soft pavement its extremly quiet, on rough/normal pavement it really makes me consider buying some better tires and im leasing it :/... Anyway, fuel economy no matter how much i try i cant seem to do 22 city (LA stop go traffic: 15-18 :( but on the dealer paper it states actual milage may be 18 in fine print) but i can definitly do 34+ highway. Overall, not upset everything works well, still get compliments and stares every day Wish the logo changed w the designs! ill update at 25k.

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  Whos a thunk it! - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By apol732 - February 12 - 4:28 am

  I saw the design change for 2011, and waited. 2012, read reviews, test drove it and a few others, and decided to buy. A year and a half, 31000 miles and no issues what so ever. Ive driven it from El Paso, TX to Jacksonville, FL four times. This is my first new car, i absolutely love it. i took alot of heat for buying a KIA, even I had my doubts, but I do not regret it one bit.