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 looking, functional awd, a few drawbacks though. - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By avidcarguy - September 21 - 3:58 am

  The good: great looking eye catching vehicle. I have heard complaints about the interior hard plastics, but I think its all fine. I never would have thought about it had I not read it. Awd system works exceptionally, I live where it snows a lot and handling is great. The bad: road noise, punishing stiff suspension, at 30k miles dash fan squeaks, radio led flickers, tires wearing poorly, steering is atrocious on long straight stretches seems like a half inch dead spot on center, requiring constant minor correction. Design flaw causes debris kicked up by front tires to ding up lower rear door badly. I like the car a lot, especially for the price, but some design change needed.

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  new owner - 2004 Kia Optima
  By saul hernandez - September 20 - 10:00 am

  love to drive this vehicle so far so good its confortable and smooth

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  Reliable but falling apart - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By jojoberry - September 20 - 9:40 am

  Ive had this car since 2002, and am the original owner. Mechanically wise, this car has run well- especially for a car with over 130K miles now. Only major mechanical problems would be that the AC compressor has been replaced twice now. The major problems Ive had are all small and very annoying things, like the dash warping and the dash vents breaking; the doors will lock and unlock without any prompting; most plastic pieces in the car have broken off (i.e., the mirror covers, the armrest, etc.); the paint faded in under 3 years (BAD fading on the bumpers); the doors wont shut on a cold morning; etc. Overall, the car is a good value for the money, but I dont think Id own another one.

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  Kia Hater - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By khl723 - September 19 - 9:33 pm

  Run; do not walk away from this car. Where to start? Service department are few, far between and unreliable. I now own stock in GE Lamp division for all the lamps I have had to replace. The electrical system, as far as the "Horns and Whistles" are concerned, keep screwing up. Warning bell goes off for no reason when the car is off and you open the door. Door locks decide when they are going to work. Do not get me started on the mpg, my old van did better.

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  Sorento Review - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By LX - September 19 - 3:23 pm

  I just recently purchased my Sorento. It is fun and easy to drive. There is a lot of leg room for the driver and for passengers . My boyfriend is 64 and fits comfortably in the drivers seat as well as the passenger seat. There are a lot of compartments in the back and a lot of space. I am really happy with my purchase.

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  LOVE, love this car! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Birgit White - September 19 - 7:03 am

  Awesome dependability. Great both in the city with a tight turning radius and on the highway with its peppy acceleration. Great in the crappy weather. The only issue I have ever had is that the paint chips easily. Have had the car for over 6 years, 130,000 miles.... Have spent less than $3000 maintenance. And thats including tires, brakes, oil changes, timing belt and transmission flush.

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  My new 3 word car... - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By nursenetty - September 19 - 12:57 am

  I traded in my BMW for a KIA Sorento that I bought from my future brother in law Mike Light. I have purchased many cars over my years and have left feeling anxious. Did I do the right thing etc. I have not felt that feeling at all. I got the same great deal that some of my co-workers have received. The only thing I miss is have the car tell me the temp outside. I bought the 4 cycl. I didnt need all the "bells and whistles" (which would have been awesome btw). This SUV drives smooth, roomy and great on gas!

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  Get a fun car - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By Jill - September 18 - 7:23 pm

  Just bought my first Kia. Usually as a workhorse we go with Hyundai (same company now) Love the Spectra5. The dealer was easy to work with, and after 40 years of buying cars, I had a good experience. I would recommend the buying experience alone, but the car also.

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  Back in Love With It - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Traveling Mom - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Bought this Summer 02. In the first month, it broke down 4 times. We were just about to get going on the Lemon Law thing, but Kia really took care of things. They found the problem (finally -- some wire that was shorting out), sent their national customer service guy and mechanic to inspect it (the guys at the dealership were running around cleaning and acting nervous, so I was impressed), and have been in touch with us since to make sure were happy. Van is running great ever since.

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  Great Fun, Great Price - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By OMALLEY - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I couldnt find a better SUV with in $12,000. PERIOD