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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  Unhappy - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By firerep1 - April 27 - 12:46 am

  Driving is great, purchased because of the factory warranty. When engine failed Kia failed to honor the warranty.

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  So disappointed! - 2016 Kia Sportage
  By Sorry Gal - April 26 - 7:15 pm

  I owned a 2009 Kia Sportage and was happy with it so I decided to get a 2016 model. I thought I upgraded by getting th EX with lots of bells and whistles. Little did I know that they design was changed and made to be less versitable than my 2009 because the rear window of the hatch does not open. Why the manufacturer would change this is beyond me. Never imagining that they would make a good car worse, I didnt realize ituntilI triedto open the hatch window and found that couldnt. So disappointed.

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  Happy - 2003 Kia Optima
  By Inflight - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Two months and two major trips, Phila. to Boston and Phila. to Richmond. Some tough driving conditions heavy rain and high heat all handled with confidence. Car rides great at speed. Best mileage 28.6. Ive had no problems at all.

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  unhappy 2003 rio cinco owner - 2003 Kia Rio
  By abrenner - April 25 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my car in after totaling a regular rio which I loved. I hate this car it is a gas hog with about 21 miles to the gallon. What I hate more then anything is the exterior quality. You can dent this car by blowing on it. The paint is terrible quality. Please shop carefully, I got ripped off. I payed for what I got.

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  my kia - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By cindy medlin - April 25 - 10:00 am

  I got my first NEW car last week. I hadnt planned on getting one but due to the wonderful price and style of the car I couldnt say no. The salesperson was so helpful and was able to answer all of my questions. I plan on my next car being a kia also.

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  Fun SUV - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By 01traildriver - April 25 - 9:39 am

  I have driven my Sorento for 80,000 miles and the only things that have been repaired or replaced are the brake rotors and a wheel bearing. The power of the engine is sweet, and I average 18mpg in the city and 21-24 on the highway. The ride is smooth and the vehicle feels very solid. I chose it because of its off-road ability also. I have driven it on numerous 4wd trails and forest service roads with no problems. I just wish that there were more off-road modifications available for them.

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  Major paint issues - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By princessmeliss - April 24 - 11:00 pm

  My Kia Spec5 was awesome for the first 8 months until the paint started chipping off. Kia refuses to take responsibility for it and Ive seen 2 others with the same problem. Kias rep told me that his is doing the same thing, but its not a quality issue. Have since found other Spec5s with the same thing and found feedback on the web from owners experiencing the exact same issue. Kia isnt interested in hearing about it and has lost a customer as a result.

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  i love my sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By amber rose - April 23 - 10:53 pm

  I have not had my suv very long, but so far I LOVE IT! I get so many compliments on it, how well it handles, looks etc.. For the money it is a really GREAT buy! I would reccomend Kia to anyone!

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  Chose it over a Honda CR-V - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Rupert - April 23 - 11:23 am

  Traded my 2008 Honda S2000 for KIA Ex V6 with Navigation, leather and sunroof. We also own a 2007 KIA V6 Sportage. In 2.5 years this car has never had maintenance issues. The 2011 Kia Sorento drives REALLY good, nice pep, corners well, and a really good sound system. The Navigation works well, better then the portable ones. The blue-tooth I dont know how I have lived without it. 3rd row seats I can do without. Nice leather on the seats but the quality of the plastics on the Interior could get better but is better then the CR_V. Dont know much about the gas mileage yet, I have only put 120 miles on it. My only complaints is that it tends to turn when the road is not level.

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  So far so good - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By skiir - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Kia on Valentines Day of 2008. It will be paid off in Feb of Next year (2011). When I bought it it had 30,000 miles on it and the dealer said I would thank him in a year after buying this car. So far I have had to replace the battery like 3 times (no big deal), the belts because the AC belt broke so I just replaced them all. I have put in new spark plugs and they say that I need to re-gasket the tranny and engine. So I just have to watch the oil levels and I will get the tranmission reconditioned as soon as I can afford it. I also need to replace the timing belt so far from what I have read about the car. It gets great mileage, it has been very reliable, and the sound system rocks