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 Kia - 2004 Kia Rio
  By RGreene - January 17 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Kia, both the same model. The first was in an accident with an 18 wheel tractor trailer and a guard rail. The car was totaled... demolished and I walked away without a scratch. The divers cage never collapsed even after it flipped over after hitting the guard rail and being hit by the tractor trailer doing at least 65 miles an hour. One heck of a safe vehicle.

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  Awesome vehicle!!!! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By kaaos01 - January 17 - 10:00 am

  The Sorento has it all as far as Im concerned. For the money, you will never find another vehicle with the amount of equipment that this has. Combined with the warranty, you would be absolutely insane to consider another SUV in this class.

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  Excellent - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By Don Arsenault - January 17 - 1:03 am

  Great looking, handles well. Mileage could be a little better for a 6 cylinder. Overdrive could use a little improvement. Overall rating best bang for the buck and excellent warranty. Would recommend to everyone looking for a beautiful car with a reasonable price.

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  Excellent Value - 2005 Kia Optima
  By jheathlaw - January 16 - 5:46 am

  We just recently purchased this car. We are pleased to receive so much value for a car priced under $20,000. I am a professional and my colleagues like this car every bit as much as their pricier models.

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  Gave up Dodge for KIA - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Slvrshark - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Optima: Great price, package, and jaw drops our friends who have paid so much for their cars! It redefined the future path of KIA where it is an accepted name for a more mature owner tired of paying the big bucks for the same package Optima EX offers: We are a family that purchased new vehciles such as a loaded Chrystler Town N Country, loaded Dodge Durango, and Ford King Ranch.

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  Best value for sports sedan - 2013 Kia Optima
  By darfer19 - January 12 - 5:58 am

  I spent months researching every car on the internet , taking test drives , checking out pricing ... and the Optima SXL was the absolute bext car I could find for me. It gave me exactly what I was looking for which was nice power, decent ga milage , attractive out side packaging, a lot of extra features, and an easy to use touch screen.. all for a low $30s. I drove a BMW 3 series, an Audi A4, a mazda 6, honda accord and none had a perfect blend like the Optima. The Mazda not enough HP , the Accord lacked styling in the back, the BMW nice but 40 plus grand with basic features, and the closest was the Audi which drove nice but the tech and styling also a bit dated. The Opimta SXL is great!!

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  Great SUV for the $$$ - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By CPhil1919 - January 9 - 2:00 am

  I love it. Its great to drive. Both my wife and I love to just ride around in it. All the extra storage is great. The built in garage door opener is great.

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  Great New Car! - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Pink Panda - January 7 - 6:03 am

  My husband and I just bought our new Kia Spectra 5 and love it. We didnt really want a Kia, but when we test drove the Spectra 5, we changed out minds. I love the look of it and the extras we got like sunroof and cruise control. It drives really well - smooth and quiet. And best of all, its fun to drive! And lets not forget the warranty we have on it, we dont have to worry about costly repairs. We also purchased the gap insurance which is great in case the car gets totaled. Whatever the insurance wont pay, the gap insurance will cover the rest. Great piece of mind!

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  Best Mini on the market - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By adowd1 - January 3 - 2:00 am

  Personally, I believe this is the best minivan on the market.. After reviewing the features on this mini for almost 8 months, I finally decided to purchase the Ex Model with all of the bells and whistles except for the tow hitch. For $350, I could use this extra cash for the Valueguard paint protection plan.. For $19,300, you cant pass this deal up as other mid-size minivans usually costs around $27,500-$38,900 for the same features found on the Sedona. MY RECOMMENDATION: SAVE THE EXTRA $10,000!

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  great small SUV for the price - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Will Heater - January 3 - 12:07 am

  this vehicle has FWD, but with good snow tires it was the best winter auto ever. MPG not great. Having a 2.7 L engine worth getting less milage. I would buy another Sportage. Only been in the shop twice in 8 years other than routine brakes , oil and filter,etc.