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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  Excellent - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Anita - July 13 - 1:16 pm

  Its a great car and has a lot of pep for a mid size car. Love the color ice blue. Looks grey sometimes and blue sometimes. Gets really good gas mileage and the very first new car Ive ever had.

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  Forte SX hatch vs. Mazda 3 or Elantra Touring - 2011 Kia Forte
  By rb7385899 - July 13 - 4:06 am

  We already have an 09 elantra touring. The Kia is a step up (173 hp, 6 speed auto) and better styled. We cross shopped it against the Mazda 3 (too little rear seat room) and Subaru Forrester (noisy, handles worse). After about 1,000 miles im pretty satisifed with the Kia. Returning about 26 mpg on my commute, and is fully loaded (leather, sunroof, power everything for $21K and change). Much peppier than the elantra, which I still love anyway.

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  super bang for the buc!!! - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By firstshirt - July 12 - 3:23 pm

  Outstanding fit and finish. Looked at SUVs for 6 mo and finally settled on the Sorento. Boy what a joy to drive. The looks alone make it a neat vehicle. The warranty and the dealer support is great. we love the way you sit up and the turning radius. The 262 HP is nice also. The 4 wheel dive is excellent and gets me to all my favorite fishing spots in Colorado. Buy one and you wont be disappointed.

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  Always had excellent Hondas Kia is smoother. - 2017 Kia Optima
  By Tony Consolo - July 11 - 3:23 am

  Be sure to drive it first. Smoooth

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  Worst Mistake Ever Made - 2006 Kia Optima
  By iAmDizzie - July 10 - 7:26 pm

  Bought in Feb. 2007 to replace 2000 Kia Sephia. Biggest mistake we couldve made. Less than two months after purchasing it, we had to have the compressor for the AC replaced and that was just the first in a line of major issues we had over the 3 years we had this piece of junk. The crank shaft pulley broke, which in turn caused the timing belt to have to be replaced, too. Then, we started having to replace at least one low-beam headlight every month because they kept blowing. The final straw was that the passenger door started having some kind of issue where it wouldnt unlock and stay unlocked - you unlock, pull handle, then it re-locks itself. FINALLY got rid of this car last week!

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  We plan on keeping this car - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By deercreek - July 9 - 8:58 pm

  The Kia SUV has been more than we expected, I traded in a SRX Cad. and didnt think it would hold up to such a nice riding car, but it has made us happy about our investment. We are pleased the car is made in the USA what a bonus.

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  Buy the Amanti - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Dina Farinaro - July 9 - 6:56 am

  I love this car. Never in my life would I have bought a Kia until I rented the Amanti. I returned the rented car on a Monday and Tuesday I drove off the lot with the Amanti. For those of you who can not afford a Full Size Luxury Vehicle, run, dont walk to your nearest Kia Dealer because now you can afford one and you wont be disappointed

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  Amazing options for the price - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Jim - July 9 - 2:33 am

  The new Sedona has an amazing ride, and you get so much more for your buck than with any other van on the market. The extended room in the back makes all of the difference in the world (compared to my 2004 model). Not to mention the gas mileage is amazing for a minivan.

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  Crash Test - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Chris Chappell - July 9 - 1:16 am

  My wife and I bought a 2005 Sedona that has 16,500 miles on May 21. Three days later while driving home from work I had an accident. A lady in a Lexus pulled in front of me and I slammed into her going approximately 50mph. After recovering from the initial shock of it all, I got out and found, to my surprise, very little damage to our van. The lexus was totaled. The van sustained damage to the front end and radiator, but had no intrusion into the engine. I was also very pleased with my lack of any serious injury, an air bag burn to my hand was all that happened. And now I have become a believer in the Sedona and its high crash rating.

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  Great Car for the $$ - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Leslie - July 8 - 11:03 am

  I bought the Sorento for my company car and 227,000 miles later am amazed at how its held up. No its not a Lexus, but with only minor problems in 5 years I am looking to buy another one. I have owned GM, Ford and Toyota cars and this Korean one has been by far the least trouble and the overall best ride. I have recommended it to many who were skeptical when I purchased it!