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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  Will never buy again! - 2008 Kia Rio
  By lindseyh26 - June 1 - 8:03 pm

  I bought this car back in 2008. I have had to replace things i shouldnt have had to replace already. Replaced bearings, rotars, i go through tires like no ones business, and timing belt has to be replaced about ever 30,000 miles. (rios are known for that) other than that the car is pretty good, but i would never purchase one again. They will last forever, but you have to always be replacing something.

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  horrible - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By e4evergone4everu - May 30 - 9:00 am

  i have owned my 2001 kia sportage for about a year. and its my 1st car. i have had the worst experience with it. it has now been in the shop for 3 months. first it was the alternator and battery. then a fuse and still isnt fixed. I have taken it to more then one shop and no one can find the problem! not to mention the visor broke off and the cup holder broke. which is really sad because i love this car its fun to drive good on gas. but overall has been a horrible car to have.

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  Problem child - 2001 Kia Rio
  By Cinda - May 10 - 9:46 am

  I inherited my Rio and have had problems with the motor mounts (heavy shaking). The engine light continued to come on and when I had taken it for a diagnostic they couldnt find the problem. Then we started replacing everything coil, wires, plugs etc. The engine light still came on of course they charged me for another diagnostic! Replaced the #1 fuel injector less than a year ago, seemed to fix the problem. Guess what! The engine light is on again and its misfiring again due to the #1 fuel injector. This car has been nothing but a HUGE MONEY PIT! My mother is probably rolling over in her grave and very sorry she left me this trash car.

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  Nothing but Problems - 2007 Kia Rio
  By Mel - May 9 - 10:30 pm

  The check engine light has always turned on intermittently. The AC had to be fixed twice within the first 2 years. The brake switch went out at about 2 years so no brake lights worked. Had to drive about 40 mins to get to the closest dealership and Kia would not offer a rental car during all of the warranty work. They insisted that the 30,000 service be done at 28,000 miles or they would stop providing warranty work. Now engine wont start half the time and it just reached 30,000 miles.

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  Please Be Careful! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By seaojoy - April 29 - 10:00 am

  I traded in my Hyundai Santa Fe for the Kia Sorrento LX, BIG MISTAKE!!! Poor gas mileage, over-steering, and by far the most DANGEROUS aspect to this SUV are the BLIND SPOTS that the Sorrento is plagued with. The front hood slope makes parking w/o hitting a curb or stall barricade impossible. Complete driver and passenger side blind spots. Finally, because the rear cargo hatch window is situated so high, you really cant see smaller cars directly behind you. Ive been driving for 34-years, and this SUV terrifies me.

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  Great Car Until the Engine Goes - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Jen - April 5 - 9:43 pm

  I recently purchased a Kia Rondo in April. Just this month they replaced the engine - the entire short block. It was making noise for a while and took some time to diagnose, but now my new car had to have a new engine put in. I am very nervous about this car for the future.

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  My Second KIA - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Nomadict - February 16 - 9:26 am

  Great van until problems start, lost power @40K replace 6 spark plugs and fuel filter, total $555.62. Not Warranty. 28 days later, NO Power. Parts replaced as follows, Transmission, Alternator, Fan Belt, Upper Motor Mount, Both O2 sensors (twice), Catalytic Converter, and Battery. All warranty except battery. This only took from Feb 26 till April 6. I called about the Recall on Throttle Cable, I was told to call back in a month or so. Went in this past Mon with AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT and NO HORN. The earliest appointment to have it looked io 8 days later, yes EIGHT DAYS. I LOVE MY SEDONA.

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  Dont buy the 4 Cylinder - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By barbieharley - February 7 - 9:26 am

  Just bought a 2012 Sorento LX with the 2.4L 4 cylinder engine. Took it home and it drove great. It was a little sluggish compared to my 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe with the 3.5L V6 but I thought it would save on gas. I took it to work the next day and didnt even get 20 miles and it wouldnt shift out of first gear. I will be returning it within the 5 day period. Will never buy another 4 Cylinder car.

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  2011 Sorento LX - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By srj1265 - February 3 - 5:36 pm

  I have owned my Sorento for about a month. Didnt notice a real rough ride on test drive (test model had different wheels/ tires), but the ride is horrible!!! This isnt as some describe as a stiff ride, think more like a vehicle having about 120,000 miles on it right out of the gate. Actually that may be better. The DFD shocks that are fitted in the SX (now on all models?) may help a little. I will be complaining to my dealer and Kia regarding this and if unresolved I guess I will take a "bath" and trade it in for a non Kia vehicle. This may have been my worse purchase I have ever made, depending on how kia handles the situation.

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  Gas Mileage only 21 mpg!! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By west209 - January 31 - 8:34 am

  When looking for a new car my wife and I were first looking at gas mileage. We like the Optima EXs panoramic sunroof, heated seats, and other aestitics. However, we were disappointed that the gas mileage was between 19-23 mpg, and we commute 40 miles RT. We do not travel fast and mostly drive freeway! After 1000 miles the dealer said it takes longer to break it in "6,000 miles". At just over 6,000 miles we scheduled a full service complaint: they found nothing and directed us to the "KIA Consumer Affairs Dept.". We have NEVER been treated so rude! "Angel" said, "Sorry! Too bad! Dont pay attention to EPA estimated MPG!!" We are stuck with a lemon! The WORSE customer service. Lawsuit!