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 2008 KIA - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Love My Kia - August 3 - 11:13 am

  Bought new at end of Dec 2008. First brand new car. This car is great, interior room, style, gas is good. Gets about 25 mpg. Not having the problems some are having. Guess they got the defective models. This is the most comfortable vehicle I have driven. I am very pleased with my car. No major complaints

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  2011 Kia Optima - 2011 Kia Optima
  By vatili1 - August 3 - 3:43 am

  I have driven the new Kia Optima for about 10 days now and it is a very nice car with many good features however it has excessive road noise - Kia pls fix this issue ASAP and you have a excellent car that can compete with the best in its class.

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  Lots of car without hurting your wallet! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Stephan from Jersey - August 2 - 6:33 pm

  Have owned a 2007 Rondo since Labor Day 2007. Never considered a Kia. We looked at the Vue, Mazda 5, HHR, and Dodge Caravan before stumbling on the Rondo. Surprising to see so few on the road! Nice comfortable vehicle to drive. Lots of storage areas in car, and easy to configure car to store larger items. Our goal was a fuel efficient vehicle with lots of safety equipment, and this care fits that bill. Excellent vision out of the front windshield (minivan-like). Definitely recommend this car for families on a budget, but whom dont want to sacrifice safety of you & your kids!! Give this vehicle a try - glad we did.

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  Great MPG ffrom automatic... - 2012 Kia Forte
  By waltchan - August 2 - 6:18 pm

  I rented one, and this Forte gets up to 50-55 MPG on highway if cruising only up to 50 mph speed (no higher) at the magic, low 1,500 RPM mark, A/C off, cruise control on, and windows closed. Accelerate this Forte very carefullly by not letting it run higher than 1,500 RPM for each and all transmission gears it shifts from stop to go in city driving, regardless if other drivers behind you find you too slow. Shift to neutral for all downhill driving as much as possible to receive up to 100 MPG. Shift back to drive if neutral driving reaches below 50 mph. Anyone can do it. Happy traveling...

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  I Love My Kia Sportage! - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By Jerry - August 2 - 11:36 am

  My aging Blazer needed replacement. I did a lot of research before buying a small SUV. Initially, Kia was not on my list. My perceptions were based on the 90s cheap built Kia that mechanics discouraged buying. A happenstance visit to a Kia dealer changed all that. One week later I returned to purchase my Silver EX Luxury Edition Sportage. Why? Styling, bang for my $$, fuel economy and standard features found only as options on similar vehicles. Im not disappointed. The interior is plush and the exterior is eye-catching. The engine/transmission is what I expected and want - a nice balance between power and fuel economy. Summary - you wont be sorry. Believe me, Im particular!

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  They did this one right - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By bbigno - July 31 - 10:00 am

  In the past 3 months I have put over 8000 miles on my KIA, and every one was smooth. This vehicale was much more than I had expected. If the future continues like the past three months have, I will be a happy KIA owner.

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  Im in Love - 2016 Kia Forte
  By Jalee Finley - July 31 - 5:54 am

  I just purchased this car and I love everything about it!! There are three cons -(1) You cannot see the hood or front bumper despite how much you sit up or how close you sit to the steering wheel, and (2) you cannot see the back bumper, and (3) there is a small blind spot in the rear side views. That said, I love everything else about this car. I especially like the 6th gear and ability to downshift when needed. The audio could have been better, but I wont complain. The back seat is pretty spacious, and comfortable. The cup holders for the backseat are nice as well. If you have kids you will appreciate the plastic (instead of cloth or leather) on the backs of the front seats where their feet often touch/rest. This car has reinforced doors and PLENTY of airbags in case of collision.

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  Best Kept Secret in Imports - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By mechanic80 - July 30 - 2:23 am

  Finishing up seven months of ownership on this vehicle and I can honestly say that the Q45 Infinity that I traded is a distant memory. The build quality, fit and finish, ride and performance are everything that I expected and more! Still a head-turning style (a big part of the decision to buy) and now more recognized as the quality vehicle it is, this has got to be the bargain of the decade. Luxury AND affordability in the same package. Im gonna make sure I own some KIA stock.

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  Happy owner - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Rich Surface - July 29 - 12:10 pm

  Great car , bought 1 st one sold by Hurst Tx dealer on Friday and love car .

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  Good deal in the long run - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By J - July 26 - 11:16 pm

  I have owned my Amanti for less than one year and less than 2k miles. But so far the car has surpassed my expectations. This might be because I understand it is not of Lexus/Infinity level. Even Kia admits this. However it does rival my previous 02 Lincoln Town Car. I purchased this car because I was looking for a long term car to drive for many years. After researching Consumer Reports I found newer Kia/Hyundia models to be comparable, if not more reliable than domestic brands (still no threat to to Japan). Kias worst flaw is its resale value, thats why I would not recommend one if you plan to sell it in 1-3 yrs. But w/ a long warranty and near-luxury design and standard options, Im more than happy.