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 Car - 2005 Kia Optima
  By James Wi;;iams - December 14 - 2:13 am

  Not one problem..no returns to dealer

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  I love my Amanti - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Bill Howell - December 12 - 3:30 pm

  Ok, so Ive only had my Amanti a month, but I took another one overnight to drive and fell in love with its style and its handling. The doors shut solidly, the handling is unbelievable; rides smooth. I love the leather and dash. Its got 8 speakers, and the arm rest in the backseat has a compartment with drink holders built in. I get so many thumbs up from admirers. I think Hyundi taking over Kia was the best thing to happen to them. The 10 year/100,000 warranty with 5 years/60,000 is the best in the field.

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  Alaska Highway Ready! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By tjimt2000 - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I bought a Kia Sedona EX, leather, sunroof, ABS included, in May 2002. That summer I drove it from Wisconsin to my home in Alaska. The following year I drove it down to Iowa and back to AK again. On both trips I was towing a small cargo trailer and the Kia had plenty of power. My wife and I, along with two teenage girls and a dog made each trip. Believe me the Alaska Highway will test any road vehicle and the Sedona performed great. I have had ZERO PROBLEMS with the vehicle.I would make the same purchase again without hesitation.

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  My new SUV - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By faye - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I to was just going to test drive, but went straight home. I get second looks asking what is that. The only problem is not good on gas. A did not come with floor mats. Love it.

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  An Honest Review - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By FL Sorento Owner - December 9 - 2:46 pm

  This is an excellent value buy for those looking to seat 7 with features galore. Power with the V6 is very good. No rattles and the build quality appears to be very good; only time will tell if it lasts. The ride is fine on smooth surfaces, but rough over bumps and holes. Make sure you test drive it for more than 5 minutes. The backup camera is nice, but it looks warped on the mirror, I would suggest getting the Nav system where the camera is displayed there; much better. Having driven a fully loaded 1999 Jeep GC Limited for 11 years, the Sorento compares favorably in all areas except for ride comfort, driving visibility, and towing. Pretty good for a vehicle that cost $7k less

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  This is really a good car! - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By lv2run - December 9 - 10:00 am

  I just drove it about 600 miles. I had no aches or pains when done- a major achievement on a 9 hour drive. The 5 speed is so responsive and I had no trouble at all with hills- even gained acceleration easily when needed. This is truely a lot of car for very little money.

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  Great Little Car - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Nick at Night - December 8 - 5:53 pm

  After driving LHS, Accords, Regal, Impala for years, I love this high quality minimalist car. The doors clunk nicely, all needed equipment is here (pw, heated p mirrors & r. defrost, remote lock, cruise, auto) and it drives like a dream. I love taking this car out for a cruise, because of its maneuverability, agility, solid brakes, easy steering, and overall high capability. Never would have considered a KIA, except we saw an ad for $12,000 cars and paid a little more for this. New. I always buy ABS. But these 4-W-discs are well dialed in, great feel, strong. So mine is non-ABS. This car reminds me of my 91 Camry and 93 & 94 Proteges: fine-handling, very capable small car.

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  Fits like a Glove! - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Me Carr - December 8 - 11:52 am

  I did my research and test drove almost every mid-size SUV under $50,000. After a year of looking, I kept coming back to the Kia Sorento SX Limited AWD. It fits my needs like a glove made just for me. Its sporty, sexy, luxurious yet still has the power to tow 5,000 lbs and cargo space to help a friend move or bring lumber home from the hardware store. The Sorento has the best turning diameter out of all the SUVs - do a donut (slowly, of course) and feel the difference it makes turning into a parking space! Im a little short and if I had two wishes to make it better - it would be to reduce the height of getting in and out of the vehicle and changing the drivers seat headrest, minor details for such an amazing SUV.

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  Love This Car. Read Why. - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By junglejoe - December 7 - 1:43 am

  I have had the Sorento SX V6 for a year now and I have not done anything but change the oil. I love the front seat adjustability and the Heated and Air Conditioned drivers seat. Fast for its size and handles good. Stereo sounds great, bluetooth works good, the a/c control in the back is very welcomed as is the heated steering wheel. I love this car more than any other I have owned except for maybe my first car as a kid, a 1964 Ford Galaxie LTD. I have had Mercedes 420, VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI, Jeep Grand Cherokee, MIsc vans and sports cars but the KIA is the best value!

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  Bless My Soul+ - 2010 Kia Soul
  By shumbody - December 6 - 8:56 pm

  Moved from a 1987 Grand Wagoneer via CFC into a Molten Red Soul+ manual. Bought it sight unseen after driving an automatic at the dealer, and waited two weeks for delivery. Glad I took the risk - love the pep, the room (Im 63", 265), the visibility and especially love shifting again! Wasnt my first color choice, but was one of only two 5-speeds available - now I really like it. "+" trim level offers best ratio of price to features. Under the hood very easy to see where everything is. Whole family loves the car - Im a "cool dad" at 50! Would love a sixth gear for highway speeds. No issue with wind or road noise at present. "Masking" of headlight beam is odd, especially on a bumpy road.