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 Value - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By dstan02 - July 16 - 2:00 am

  First mini van for us. Van is fun to drive. I get great gas milage at around 27 mpg.

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  Bang for Buck SUV - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By yvmor - July 16 - 2:00 am

  I have been a GM man for many years and Im glad I took a chance on KIA. I had a GMC Jimmy prior to the Sorento and could not justify paying $10,000cnd more for a new Jimmy. My only complaint with the Sorento is that it is a pig on gas. I have driven trucks and SUVs for the last 10 years so I dont normally complain. But I will spend more on gas if it means having a vehicle with a real frame (NOT UNIBODY) and that has some towing power.

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  From car to minivan... - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By coporateguy - July 14 - 8:40 am

  This is my first minivan & as a 62" 210lb man, I must say, I love this car. Its roomy, user friendly, quick, smooth, nimble (for its size), and very safe. Yes the gas mileage could be better but for a vehicle/engine this size, its not bad.

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  Excellent for the Money - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Aaron - July 12 - 11:33 pm

  I initially thought Kia was a cheap knock off. Then my sister bought one and I drove it and was impressed. I went to the dealer wanting to buy a Spectra but found that the Optima cost not much more, but had so much more to give. I am very impressed with this vehicle. The quality of it is wonderful, I love the interior design, and the ride and quietness of this vehicle is everything you would expect in a luxury car. I am one who likes the manual trans and found one with the four cylinder. All the reviews Ive read give the car poor performance on the highway, but I think its got more power than it needs on the highway. I would recommend this car to my best friend.

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  My new Amanti - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By First-time Kia owner - July 11 - 2:00 am

  I wasnt immidiately considering the Amanti as my next car at first. But then I looked inside the car, and decided right there. The Amantis interior would look right at home in any luxury sedan, and here it was in a $25,000 KIA! Even though the rest of the car wasnt quite as impressive the ride was comfortable, but acceleration and handling were somewhat disappointing) but the interior made me go for it. I have owned the car for about a month now, and have about 1,000 miles on it, and nothing has gone wrong yet. And if it does, KIA will pay for it, so Im not worried.

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  AWASOM!!!! - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By opirus - July 11 - 2:00 am

  I purchased it a week ago...it is beautiful car...i have no doubt about its quality...the interior is soooo nice...it is compotable!!! it is like a one of luxuary car...I love the price...it is worth like Toyota Avalon...but its price is several thousand less than Avalon...

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  HIGH QUALITY RIDE - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By CIEMENS - July 11 - 2:00 am

  EVERY ASPECT OF THE SORENTO HAS BEEN POSTIVE. WE HAVE NOT HAD A SINGLE PROBLEM WITH IT.

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  Best Value for the Money - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By jcarson001 - July 10 - 5:54 pm

  We have owned our Kia Sorento for 3 months now. It has exceeded all of our expectations. The car has been flawless and the dealer support has been great. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone in the market for a cross over vehicle. The Sorento EX was almost $10,000 less than the comparable Honda Pilot and much more vehicle for the money than the Honda CRV.

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  Scion Beater - 2010 Kia Soul
  By bob* - July 9 - 10:30 am

  Had my Soul+ manual tranny for 7 months now. Love it....zero defects. Put 4 people in it and it rides like a Caddy. Great fun to drive, reminds me of a Fiat, as it has its own personality, (unlike Toyota), but with good reliability. Have yet to find a KIA owner that has had problems with their car. Was in traffic today with a Scion. Scion was nice, but looked at the dash...OMG that central speedo...reminded me why I didnt buy an XB.

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  RoadTrip - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Nebraska - July 9 - 10:00 am

  We have had our van since July 27,2001. It has been a great van and we love it. We have made three trips to Arizona with absolutely no problems. We had been looking for a new van for 6 months or so and we were getting frustrated with dealerships. I was getting the oil changed on my 2001 Rio when I saw the Sedona. I called my wife and had her meet me at the dealership. Lake Manawa Kia in Council Bluffs IA was the best to deal with. They gave us exactly what we needed for our trade in(that was the problem with the other dealers) and we also got the 1.9% financing for 5 years. We were out the door for only $23,000 with a full loaded van.