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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  Love my KIA Optima!! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By sabz - August 17 - 11:57 am

  It is a great looking car. I get tons of compliments!!! People are always stopping me in parking lots and telling me how nice of a car it is. I love to drive it. However, the other day it would not start. Turns out it had a problem with the brake switch. KIA had it fixed and back to me the same day. Also about 3 months of owning the car, I noticed that the radio screen was scrambled. KIA replaced it under warranty. I would still recommend it!

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  Best Ever - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By Patrick - August 15 - 5:23 pm

  We recently purchased this vehicle because of the value. However, having owned the SUV for almost a month and 2000 miles. I can tell you this is very comparable to past higher value SUVs we owned (Volvo,Mercedes & Ford) This is the second KIA we have owned and the service and reliabilty has been wonderful. I would recommend KIA to anyone, and encourage them to shop KIA, regardless of budget

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  The Best Surprise - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Stan - August 15 - 9:10 am

  My wife and started looking for cars at the end of 2004. We looked at the Avalon, LeSabre, Marquis and Chrysler 300. The KIA Amanti was in the same showroom as the 300 and we fell in love with the car and the price was the best surprise. We got EVERY extra the car comes with and they added a $3,000 rebate to boot. This is the most incredibly luxurious car for $23,500 that we ever saw. I cant say enough good things about it. Would but another in a heartbeat.

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  My little bug - 2004 Kia Rio
  By donald roberts - August 15 - 5:33 am

  I think my Kia Rio is a pretty neat, reliable car. If I had a son or daughter Id feel safe in giving it to either of them for a 19th birthday. It has never given me any mechanical problems to deal with and the gas mileage is pretty good too. However, I think I will trade it in on a Toyota Prius at the end of this year, if I dont buy a new home.

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  Love it! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Heather - August 15 - 1:03 am

  I traded in a 2002 Chev Tracker for the Rondo and I love it. There is so much more leg room. My baby has plenty of extra room for her kicking feet in her carseat. I shopped around for a while and as soon as I test drove the Rondo I decided right then that it was the vehicle for me!

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  Satisfied overall - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By mholly99 - August 14 - 5:53 pm

  I waited 5 months to write this review because I wanted time to adjust to the car. Overall, its a good value for the money. I also test drove the Corolla and Civic, but the low price and excellent warranty is the reason I chose the Spectra. Handling is responsive and the car meets my needs very well.

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  Have had Forte Sedan EX for about one month. - 2012 Kia Forte
  By martin2013 - August 14 - 12:50 pm

  Ive only had this car for about a month and have really liked it so far. The ease that the majority of functions in this car is nice compared to my previous car. Even though the majority of my driving has been shorter in-city distances, its gas milage has been pretty close to estimated mileage. I will soon see how well the gas mileage does with a long trip.

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  The Totally Redesigned Kia Spectra !!!! - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By BaboonKikLore - August 14 - 10:00 am

  The new cars that Kia is releasing are the best, like the All-New Spectra, Amanti and Sorento. The Spectra has more power than the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. I recommend it to the people who want a peace of mind, comfort and best of all great gas mileage.

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  Outstanding SUV Five Stars The Best - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By johnnysmith1 - August 14 - 10:00 am

  Great value for the money, the best SUV in my opinion, the interior is a Mercedes-Benz.

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  Applause! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By MLReno - August 14 - 10:00 am

  LOVE the interior. VERY comfortable and excellent on long trips. Easy for kids or guests to get in and out of. Will definately purchase another KIA