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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  my new kia has bad wiring - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By DIXIE BELLVILLE - December 31 - 2:00 am

  when ibought my car the clock did not work, after fighting for 1 1/2 mo i am told the wiring is bad . then i have to take a full day off work because they cant work with me for repair. i dont feel i should have to pay a deposit on a rental car when its not my fault the wiring is bad. i lose $100 because i have to take aday off work. i would not recomend this dealership to my worst enemy,also i will tell anyone who ask me what ithink of it

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  Great Vehicle for the $$$ - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Happy camper - December 31 - 2:00 am

  When I started looking into the SUV market I had never considered KIA. Korean made....how good can it be? A visit a to a local dealership and a test drive soon convinced me. I was very impressed with the overall quality of the vehicle. It is very well made, offers a great ride, comfortable, 5 star crash test rating, awesome sound system. The performance in snow is outstanding. It is not the best vehicle on the road for fuel economy however. Then again you are lugging around slightly over 4300 lbs so it is about as good as you can expect from a SUV of this size. It is not a Lexus but then again it is not 40K plus. Simply put it is a Great Vehicle for the $$$.

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  AWSOME - 2005 Kia Optima
  By Azmale - December 30 - 1:13 am

  I just recently bought this vehicle and it has been the most fun to drive being a valet by day i drive many high end vehicles and this is so much bang for the buck the V6 is powerful the ride is wonderful ive already put many miles on it and i plan to put alot more on it!!!

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  Excellent SUV - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By bevro - December 28 - 1:36 pm

  Just bought this car the end of August. I have now reached my first 1000 miles. I have had no problems with this vehicle in any way. Great on gas. I do mostly highway averaging 35 miles per day. 1 full tank of gas has lasted me all 7 days, and even have enough fuel to get me through the rest of my week. No problems with interior and exterior. So far, this is the best car i have owned for some time. I get huge compliments from family, friends and co-workers, even the big boss. No regrets yet.

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  Shaken, not stirred - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Taken4ride - December 28 - 11:53 am

  Car steering wheel shakes bad from 68mph and up; the dealership had car for a total of 19 days. They have replaced tires, wheels, had factor rep test drove my car, and now they are saying this is the way the car drives. When I bought the car they knew about shake and told me it would be fixed under factory warranty, not to worry. They kept the car and tried to fix the shaking problem, but now they are saying that it is just the way the car is designed. The service manager is now stating that they are no longer allowed to make anymore attempts to work on this problem as per the factory rep. They stated that it was only me who has complained about this shaking problem. The paint stinks, bumper too.

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  Update after 10k miles and 7 mos. - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By rocknronnie - December 27 - 11:30 pm

  Update on my Sorento. The Sorento has lost a little luster since new. I have yet to experience the common strut noise, however if anyone has a rattle noise coming from driver side roof area, remove the left rear grab handle on roof and see if it goes away. Worked for me. HVAC blower fan bearing is making noise now. Just installed a trailer hitch. With only four bolts, twenty minutes later I was done. Mileage continues to impress as engine breaks in. So far so good, I am starting to wonder if the Borrego would have been a better choice.

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  Not an American Car - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Driver61 - December 27 - 10:13 am

  2.0L with 5 speed, keep it in 2nd and 3rd to 5500 rpm to get on interstate. Too busy at 70mph/3200 rpm, but runs all day. Gets 25-26 mpg with air on. Once in a while 27 mpg. Runs & drives OK with full load (800#). Warranty service exceptional. No problems out of warranty except vacuum lines for 4WD hubs - a cheap fix, but a bother. Nothing but scheduled maintenance. Not a great car for the Interstate, but excellent for 55 mph rural highway. Will climb a goat trail in 4WD. This is a little truck, but excellent suspension and brakes. It deserves good tires, dont skimp. I use Michelin Harmony passenger car tires. Good in rain and snow. AC works OK, but with all the glass it gets hot fast, takes awhile to cool down.

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  3rd update - 2011 Kia Optima
  By donnie71281 - December 26 - 2:56 am

  Ive now had my EX-Turbo for 13 months. Just hit 8,000 miles. I still love the car as much as I did the day I got it. Not had a single problem with the car. I have no complaints with the fuel economy at all. Yes, the Nexen tires are noisy, but once those are changed the car is extremely quiet. Makes our Accord sound like a wind tunnel. I would buy this car all over again. No regrets.

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  Best for the money - 2005 Kia Optima
  By jne7690 - December 25 - 9:46 am

  I love this car i used to own a avalon and i feel like i have stepped up! I love the v6 engine and the sportronic transmission. and most importantly i feel better because of the free 10 year warranty!

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  Fun SUV! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Becca - December 24 - 11:40 pm

  We downsized from a minivan to this and I have loved everything about it since the minute I sat in it. It looks and drives great. It was a mothers day gift for me, but my husband loves to drive it! He has compared it to other suvs in the same class, and there is no comparison. It drives like a sports car. I get so many comments about it by everyone. Only problems we have encountered is we cant have one window down at a time or it sounds like were in a helicopter. Its also a tight squeeze for a family with 3 kids in car seats, but are able to make it work. Oh another thing - buy the 4 wheel drive. This cutie (we purchased the base model) does not like to drive in snow or ice!