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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  LOVED THIS LITTLE CAR! - 2008 Kia Rio
  By joy_bell - May 25 - 7:48 pm

  PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN TO ALL OF THE HORRIBLE REVIEWS ON THIS CAR! Every type of car can have these issues. Honestly, I had my little kia for 3 years, and it never failed me. Even with all of the bad weather that we have up in Wisconsin, it kept going strong for my kids and I. The only issue that I ever had was that the headlights are supposed to be automatic, but if I didnt manually turn them off, sometimes the batter would drain. but that only happened a few times in all the years that I had it. besides that, never had a single issue. I have several friends and family members who also have these cars, and they never have major issues either. great car for a small family.

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  love it - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By sandi - May 25 - 1:56 am

  Even though we have just purchased this model of kia we have had a sportage for years. I really love this car it is fun,responsive and extremely comfortable. We are getting about 24 mpg, but that is the only drawback. We managed to get everything we wanted in a good sized SUV without spending a fortune. Good value and the headroom and legroom are terrific. My husband and I are both over 6 feet and we have no problem with either. I enjoy this car and would say you cant go wrong buying a Kia they stand behind their vehicles.

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  The Engine Fine, the Rest..... - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Jenns - May 23 - 3:26 pm

  This Car Runs great, only downer for my car was all the electric when out on it, and repairing it was not fun. Right now I have no Speedier, the mileage is wrong, and I have no idea how much gas I have. My heater/ac stop working about 2 year ago. It a great starter car, had a good monthly price when I bought it, and keeps it value, but now my entire repairs are worth more than the car. Their now warping on the dash board and the arm rest was just crap, I had it replace once and it fell apart on its own.

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  Passed up Highlander and Pilot for KIA - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By lazy t - May 23 - 7:43 am

  A leather/luxury Pilot or Highlander with lot-o-options would run you 30k plus. I paid 23,800 and love it. Go see/drive one before you buy anything else. Better gas mileage is becoming an issue now though.

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  Love It - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Lisa - May 22 - 6:20 pm

  Ive had my Kia Soul since April and absolutely love it. Ive driven from Toronto to Nfld eastern U.S. and back not one issue. So far has been as reliable as my last Kia (05 Spectra) Ive also discovered that the rear stow and go (being made of hard foam) makes a perfect cooler when traveling. Just throw in some ice packs,drinks and your set or a couple of days!! Very versatile car great in the city and long drives. Hae not experienced any issues with highway noise. Lots of great extras for the price. My only 1 bug is with the Front seatbelts. They release quickly & if not carful will cause small scratches to the plastic on the doors. I know Ill enjoy this car for many years to come.

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  SIMPLY WOW - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Jeffrey N - May 21 - 4:36 pm

  I had my heart set on a Mini, and let me just say this car completely surpassed my expectation. Its a Mini on Steroids... I drive 100 miles a day back and forth to work, everyday I find something new about the car that wows me. I was at a light and a Scion xB stopped at the light next to me, the driver looked at the Soul, put his car in reverse to backed up to see what kind of car I was driving. Every where I go, people stop me to ask what kind of car it is and ask what they call the color (Alien). This car is an amazing buy... it is amazing what is in it for the money. Love it, Love it, Love it...

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  Cheap Imitation - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By tony11220 - May 21 - 10:00 am

  I selected the kia Sedona for price, shortness (for city parking), and the 10 year warranty. The service department is awful and the dealership didnt keep its word on the deal. I cant drive with visor down, it was poorly designed. Also, the body was poorly designed, a kid leaned against the front fender and it "popped" in creating a dent! On the plus side - it has great pick-up, looks good (even if its a cheap knock-off of American cars). My greatest dissatisfaction is with the service shop and the lies of the dealership (like free loaner car when my kia is in the shop overnight).

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  Luxury on a budget - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By xVRM - May 21 - 10:00 am

  LX trim has all the features I wanted, none that I didnt want. Sage Green is a nice color you dont see every day. Price unbeatable. Design is so clean and ride is luxurious. Comfortable and fun-to-drive. Im SO sold on this vehicle!

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  Moms minivan - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By kateguin - May 21 - 10:00 am

  Kids love the multiple power connections in the rear (one at third seat, one in trunk). Kids love having "picnics" on the back of the 2nd row captains chairs. 2nd row seats are easy to remove. Temp reading for outside temp is not reliable. Gas reading (distance to empty) is a nice feature.

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  2004 Kia Sedona - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By floridamcmarion1 - May 21 - 10:00 am

  We are very happy with our Sedona. The value is great, and its an overall awesome minivan.