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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  The real deal! - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By carlos27 - January 7 - 11:07 am

  Had my Kia Sorento EX V6 for 1 month. Engine is great, very quick! The suspension is the problem. If you are considering it, please take a spin in one, go over some bumps, even the reflectors in the road, you will not like it. The suspension is too tight! It is an SUV and not a Corvette. I hate the suspension. I called Kia to try to deal with it and they say that is the design of the car, no other SUV handles rougher road as bad. REALLY look into it before buying the car!! If I had to do it all over, I would not buy it again!

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  Gas Mileage SUCKS! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By westca - January 3 - 5:38 am

  I purchased the EX Premium package and love the panoramic dual sunroof, heated steering wheel, colled and heated seats and the rest. The car does sound like a go-kart (as others have posted) and I am very upset with the 21 mpg (mostly hwy) gas mileage after 2000 miles. Dealer said I need to break it in more, yet I do not read that in the owners manual and wish that was disclosed to me before my purchase! Reading reviews it seems this low gas mileage is a common issue, and hopefully KIA or EPA will do something about it! False advertising and a lemon!

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  Good Car - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By afp98823 - January 3 - 4:06 am

  Out of all the horror stories of previous reviews. I must be a lucky one. My Kia has 88,000 miles. It runs great. No interior accessories broken. Everything electrical works. 4WD work. Heater works great. A/C works great. Everything works great. The only thing I am disappointed of is Gas Mileage. (Whoever heard of a 2.0L 4cyl getting 17mpg city?)

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  Overall ride - 2010 Kia Forte
  By tj200466025 - December 31 - 10:00 am

  I enjoy driving the car. It suspension is very rough on bumps on road. I also own a Camry and it rides a lot better. The car has good power and the shift is easy in the 6 speed. It was supposed to come with a mirror that dims and it did not I pay for it and it did not have it and they told me I was not going to get one. I was upset about that.

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  A little bit of shake - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Jeffrey - December 31 - 10:00 am

  We purchased my 2011 kia the last day in Feb. March 2nd I had to drive to Ohio for a family emergency. What a nice drive. Thank goodness for cruise control as before you know it youre going way over the speed limit. As of this date there are a few things that I would change or do differently. Third row seat is a waste for us.

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  Interior Needs Do Over - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Kia Mom - December 30 - 6:23 pm

  My new Sedona is a great car for the money. So far, much more reliable than my 2000 AWD Caravan. But the interior needs a little more thought in the layout. It is a great handling car and much more fuel efficient.

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  Great for the price! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By chris271 - December 27 - 7:10 pm

  I purchased my 2010 kia forte LX (with the 5 speed manual) late last year as a brand new car. I was looking at it as well as the honda fit and ford fiesta and liked it because it was much bigger than the others for the price. While mine doesnt have power windows or locks, it still has the bluetooth, ipod connect, etc. It rides ok but you can feel all the bumps. The build quality is ok, ive had some issues with the mirrors needing replacement for noise. with the 5 speed it has plenty of power. the seats are very comfortable, but the interior materials do feel a bit cheap.Its a very aggressive, nice looking car. For the price you cant beat it, for just under 13 grand it was a great buy

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  You get a lot of bag for the buck. - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Ron Harris - December 27 - 2:00 am

  We looked at the economy Chevy minivan and the LX Honda Odyssey and we still could not afford to buy them (even with a GM family discount). We needed a vehicle that could carry two children and ALL the stuff that goes with them. Once I read about the Sedonas crash testing and that it was affordable we decided to test drive one. It was perfect for what we needed. Finally, a company out there realized that there is a market for a affordable minivan for budget minded families. Thank you KIA.

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  Bought new in 02 and now have 96k miles - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By tomerikac - December 26 - 10:14 pm

  Needed a mini-van with 2nd baby on the way so traded in my old "00 Sportage, found a great deal, and after 8 years only problems were the alternator (replaced under warranty) and air conditioner, repaired for about $400. Unfortunately, we have continually had problems with the air bag light. One Kia mechanic even told me "Dont worry about the light, it works fine!" Overall theough, we are pleased. Average about 20mpg highway/city driving. Lately Ive noticed a "rough" shift between 3 and 4 gear and am thinking Id better get it in before the warranty expires.

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  Kia Rio - 2001 Kia Rio
  By greygeo - December 25 - 2:00 am

  Reliable, fiesty, economical, great short drive vehicle. Interior is a little tight for long trips but its great handling and above assets make it an ideal choice for two or three people to transport