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 Kia Sorento - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Ann - August 15 - 10:00 am

  I have owned SUVs for nearly 20 years; my last was a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which had nice amenities. Though my Sorento lacks some of those things, it makes up for it with the back-up camera and the remote start. Two very nice features. My Sorento is awesome; the interior is nice, it rides well and is beautiful. It gets far better gas mileage than my Jeep. The dealership, Carolina Kia, was absolutely the best to deal with in the triad. I would buy another Kia, but only from them. Whenever I am asked about my Sorento; I say I love it!

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  2016 Sedona SX - Cruiser - 2016 Kia Sedona
  By Michael - August 14 - 11:06 pm

  We just purchased the 2016 Sedona SX with the entertainment package and some other options. Wow, first off this minivan has the most quiet ride of all minivans we drove, period!! And it doesnt look like a minivan, it has a bolder stance and just down right cooler looking! Tons of features! Love the cooled seats.. Navigation system is one of the best we have had in any of our cars! Easy to get in and out of with three Children. Memory driver seat is great because my wife is 5 and Im 5 10".... This minivan has too many awesome features to list. We purchased this mainly for an extra vehicle and it will used mostly for vacation road trips. The only downside and its really not a negative is that you may need some time to figure out all the technology that it has. I can predict this will be the number 1 minivan on the market once people give Kia the opportunity. We also have a Kia Optima SXL and its been perfect in all ways. Will follow up in a few months. Update: after 6 months and only 2995 miles it has been amazing! Two road trips and the highway mpg is great at 25-26. Our three kids watch the built DVD with wireless headsets and then play on xbox 360 while my wife and I can listen to music and talk! Kia did an awesome job with designing this minivan for families!!! Very pleased with this purchase, my wife needed a very safe minivan with technology and this was by far the best on the market! She doesnt drive much, just the kids to school and around our area for shopping. At first she thought it was a little too big, but with the cameras she just loves it. I like it so much that I may sell my Optima SXL and buy another for me. Update after 1 year: This has been an incredible minivan from day one. It is super quiet while driving with very little road noise if any. We have taken it on several road trips and Im amazed that it gets 26 mpg on the highway! Still enjoy all of the technology and most of all the safety features. We feel very safe while driving this minivan. I really dont have anything negative to report. Go buy one and its nice to stand out from all on the Honday Odysseys in the car pool lane!!!

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  My wife and I love this car - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By corkya - August 12 - 6:59 am

  We checked 6 different vehicles in this class before we purchased in April of 2013. Sorento had the best features for the price. Great ride. Little or no road noise. Acceleration is all we need. Handling is good. I am impressed with the breaking ability. The 6-speed trans sometimes downshifts more often than we are used to. We have the 7 pass and have not sat in the way back but mid seat is comfortable and roomy. Engine noise is a bit much on heavy acceleration as were all vehicles we tested. Cargo space with third seat down was good. Just took a trip with three adults w/luggage and a 50 qt(?) cooler. No problems and plenty of space. Exterior looks like many other brands. Ho hum.

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  The Sorento. - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By luvtoyota10 - August 11 - 9:19 pm

  I Inherited this car from My Aunt who Died in October, she got it new and she loved it and I love it now. It is very fun to drive for a crossover and handles great in the snow even with the factory tires. Gas mileage isnt that good but its winter, I am averaging 20 mpg. I like the Dark Cherry exterior as well. The Heated seats are a great value from the convenience package. The ride may be harsh but its not terrible. The interior is pretty quiet too, almost like my 2013 Toyota Highlander. The steering is better than the Highlanders too.

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  2005instyle - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By bankrchik - August 11 - 8:40 am

  I just purchased my Kia Sportage, I absolutely love it. Of course I have not had the vehicle long enough to encounter any problems, but I feel confident with the warranty attached to this vehicle I should be driving in style for many years to come.

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  sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By fran - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Im very pleased with my 2003 sorento, I wish Kia had come along 2 years ago in the united states

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  best car Ive owned - 2010 Kia Soul
  By huser20 - August 10 - 6:38 am

  I bought my car with 5 miles on it and Ive owned it for 3.5 years now...42,000 miles on it now and Ive never had one thing wrong with it. Best car Ive owned and I truly dont have one complaint. Just do regular maintenance youre good to go!!

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  Great Ride - 2003 Kia Optima
  By bozpop - August 9 - 8:53 pm

  At 190000 miles has been a great reliable car. Standard maintenance and very regular oil changes. Today will buy 4th set of tires. Get 25-26 MPG mainly freeway driving.

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  Spectra 2009 EX Sedan - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By Tony Salvatore - August 8 - 9:33 pm

  Car was bought used on lease return to dealer. Low mileage and "like new." Used primarily to commute to work and local/light out-of-town job travel. So far averages about 28 MPG. Vehicle handles well, very responsive, and perky. No problem merging into fast freway traffic or running 2-3 hours at turnpike speeds. Havent tried it in snow but it is okay in torrential rains. Looked at same year Civics, Sentras, and Focuses (I like sub- compacts). Spectra offered best balance of price, features, and low mileage.

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  smooth sportage - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By clive480 - August 8 - 8:38 pm

  go for the auto, super smooth changes and you get the ECO mode. got rid of the jeep liberty (20 mpg)and now average just under 40. good interior space. im 6 and can easily fit behind the drivers seat when its in its position for me. wider than the previous model and so quiet. would recommend a test drive to anyone