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:

• 

  Kia will NOT fix the problem with our car. - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By bridget_allen - March 24 - 11:09 am

  At first everything was going fine, but then we started having trouble with our transmission. The SUV would stall and get stuck in 3rd gear. I took it to Kia several times and they could not find anything wrong, however, other places machines was showing a problem with the transmission. After several times of taking it to Kia..they finally found the problem and so called fixed it. They did not fix it...it is still doing the same thing and NOW they can not find ANYTHING wrong......

• 

  good all around hauling vehicle-likatruc - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By stace2005 - March 23 - 12:50 pm

  I love my KIA. I had a 2001 YUKON DENALI for 4 years before I had to give it up for this car. It made the transition easier because the Yukon was very luxurious and had plenty of room. The issue with the fuel regulator cutting off when the tank was full was the only issue I have had. I have performed the maintenance early and replaced all tires. The a/c is frosty even in the rear rows and in the winter that heater burns us up!

• 

  An Excellent Value! - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By OmahaOwner - March 22 - 11:50 pm

  If buying a car is about value, then this car will satisfy. Good handling, extremely quiet interior, great looks and good gas mileage. Not a lot of power but more than adequate for highway cruising and plenty of torque for around-town driving. Ive put 15,000 miles on it and still appreciate the excellent value I received for the cost of ownership!

• 

  They Got It Right This Time - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By link955 - March 22 - 5:23 pm

  This vehicle is a huge improvement over the original Sportage. Fit and finish is superb, and the suspension is tight as a drum. The highway ride is smoother than many of the larger so- called "luxury" cars Ive tried. Cornering is effortless, with none of the "about to roll-over" feeling from the bigger SUVs. Interior room is astonishing; even big folks are comfortable in the back seat. The 6 Cyl engine is peppy, if a little less than economical (so far I am getting 19 MPG combined, but its still a new engine). The 6-speaker CD sound system is worth the price of admission, with amazing bass response.

• 

  My love Affair with Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By ladyvet - March 20 - 10:53 am

  I love my Sorento. I will never buy any thing else!

• 

  not happy - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By thomas89 - March 19 - 8:08 pm

  I have a 2006 KIA Sportage 2.7 v6 4x4. I like the car but lately it has not been good. I only have 19000 mile on it and keep it in a garage. At 18000 miles the engine started to miss and the check engine light came on. I took it to the KIA dealer and after 5 visits and changing parts that did not fix it and paying for them, they finally fixed it by changing the plugs and the ignition wires. I was charged 5 times the price I would have paid at Auto Barn or Pep Boys. For what KIA charges for the plugs and wires they should last a lot, lot longer then 18000 miles and they should have changed them first. These parts should have been changed under the warranty.

• 

  Killed In Action - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By petralyn - March 19 - 10:00 am

  Dealership cant repair clutch properly. The floor mats have worn through in less than 20K miles. Gas Mileage is good but the rest is just a CHEAP car.

• 

  Amazing ... Love this car - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By calhmmr - March 19 - 10:00 am

  I first saw and drove this car in Seoul Korea as a rental and fell in love with it as well as Korea. It felt like a safe and quality concious place and so did the vehicle. I absolutely love it. They have a really kool grille badge for the Korean Market. I am surprised it did not make it to the US with that badge. Mercedes and BMW watch out for this one...

• 

  Stopped Looking! - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By drew - March 19 - 7:00 am

  This is our new vehicle, "our" I mean my wifes. The test drive sold me. I have owned mostly ford products but owned enough other vehicles to know what is quality and what isnt. Borrego is no Mountaineer, the sheet metal could be a little thicker but the horsepower is OK. Anyways, Borrego is tough enough and fun enough for this Northern Minnesota resident.

• 

  I AM IMPRESSED - 2010 Kia Soul
  By DOUGLAS LOWER - March 19 - 3:30 am

  I bought this vehicle in August.I just turned 4000 miles.I traded in a 09 Honda Fit for the Soul.I was very unsatisfied with the Fit,it was cheaply made.The Soul grabbed me with its style.It also felt safer,I was accurate with that impression,it just passed the all new 2010 safety IIHS tests with the best ratings in all four categories.The handling is fantastic and safe.There is always a trade off with great handling,a firmer ride.If you do not like a firm ride get the Plus model.It does not have the Sport suspension and 18in low profile tires.I love the red ext and red and black int.I love all the features.I turned on the rear defrost and realized I had heated mirrors also.Stereo rocks.