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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  GM killer - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By fedsales - November 13 - 2:00 am

  buick build quality without the inflated GM price....will remind you of the buick park aves of old without gouging your wallet..the most comfortable car i have owned in many years..why buy GM anymore?

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  Go buy it! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Art Morris - November 13 - 2:00 am

  Just completed a 3000 mi road trip & this vehicle exceeded our expectations. Good ride/handling & plenty of power. Add all the extras & the warranty,& KIA has a real winner here!Lots of "bang for the buck".

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  Toy car - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By kia_sux - November 12 - 10:23 pm

  What a piece of junk. Poorly made in EVERY sense of the word. Cheap paint, cheap interior, cheap everything. Youd be better off buying a pony. Dashboard warps severely on driver and passenger side. Although it has been a problem for several years Kia REFUSES to do anything about it.

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  This thing has 4 wheels and an engine! - 2015 Kia Optima Hybrid
  By Tesh - November 11 - 2:04 pm

  I dont think KIA knows what the term hybrid means!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can get a 6 cylinder Honda sedan that will give me the same mileage as this junk! Passenger seat feels like your liteally sitting on the floor! you see jack from the seat! The rear view from the drivers seat is a joke as well!

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  Love this van!! - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By josephina1000 - November 10 - 3:10 pm

  We bought this van brand new back in January 2005. We had it for 6 whole years now. Never had 1 problems w/ it. We drove it all the way from Calif to Florida and back. Dragged a tent trailer and regular trailer w/ it quite often. It has totally held up really well. We maintained it and took care of it. It was the best van we ever had. We are now looking into trading it in for a newer model. We highly recommend this mini van.

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  safety issues - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By eileen - November 10 - 11:26 am

  Ive had my Kia Spectra for 2 1/2 years and was very happy with it until recently. While avoiding an accident on the highway, my Kia lost complete control. My car spun out of control, and did 360s across 3 lanes of traffic narrowly missing hitting a guardrail and several cars. It was very scary, and I was very lucky. There was no way to control my car, I was totally helpless. Im a very good driver who has been driving a very long time and was never in an accident before. Im actually considering getting rid of the car due to this, and look for a car with ABS brakes and electronic stability control which I now know from experience is very important. Not a very safe car in desperate measures.

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  From Suzuki to KIA great move - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Mark - November 8 - 12:43 pm

  I got the EX with the sunroof and the alloy wheels. This car has truly surprised me the way it drives and handles is excellent. I have only had it about a month but have already taken it on to lengthy road trips and it was very comfortable and easy to drive. The satellite radio and bluetooth are awesome too. The stereo in this car rocks!! I traded in a Suzuku SX4 that rode terrible when I got in this car and drove it I felt like I was in a cadillac but for a much cheaper price. I would highly recommend buying the KIA and the warranty cant be beat. I am very happy that I purchased this car. It looks great and is fun to drive. I look forward to driving it every time I get it in it.

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  2000 miles and I like it - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By robert - November 8 - 10:13 am

  My clock just turned and I am happy with my new car.I did not want to spend a lot of $ but was in desperate need of a new car and this filled my needs. this being kind of a low end car I did not hold high expectations for the sportage, but I am surprised at how much I like the little suv. sure I have the same complaints as other owners, blind spots, arm rest to low not great millage, but overall I am very happy. Only regret is I should have got the EX. I miss the remote unlock and the ability to plug in iPod the ride has seemed to improve and I think the millage is getting a little better with a little break in.

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  Great family car on a budget - 2007 Kia Optima
  By ps13_99 - November 7 - 1:10 pm

  Bought New in 2007 since standard safety features like curtain airbags, stability control etc were unavailable on other more pricey sedans. No problems at all with the car, just with the driver. Very roomy. Im 64 and am very impressed with the leg, and knee room. Steering wheel audio controls are great, intuitive. Very smooth transmission. Great headlights, halogen etc. I should have gotten the sunroof. Would definetily look for a used one if this one gets wrecked. Cant beat Kia or Hyundai for the money. Easily competes with camry. Highly recommended.

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  Interesting differences - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Wozza - November 7 - 10:00 am

  I am in UK, and have a 12/03 registered ex Dealer demonstrator 2004 model Sedona L. Unlike the US a 2.9 diesel engine is available and the fuel consumption on this is 30-34 UK gall per mile. Engine is not speedy but does have grunt. From what I can see from sites/reviews the main issue is quality control in Korea, also possibly does not like certain driving styles (heavy braking rather than anticipation..etc.) We wait to see how it goes over the years. A lot of vehicle for the money but the jury is out over longevity.