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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  Never expected to love this car... - 2014 Kia Soul
  By daisyp - May 5 - 5:35 pm

  I have had my Kia soul for a week and I love everything about it. I spent months researching and at the end of my search I ended up disappointed because all the cars in the price range I was looking (under 25k) seemed boring and missing that certain something. I fell in love with the Range Rover Evoque (70k) because it comes with a completely black interior and a huge panoramic sunroof but I cant afford that and as I decided to settle, I heard about the new Soul with all its goodies, panoramic sunroof and complete black interior, this car was not even on my list and after hearing so many awesome reviews I went to the Kia dealer and bought it that same day.

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  Crazy about my KIA - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Love my KIA in Wisc. - May 3 - 10:33 am

  I wanted a midsize SUV after always having sedans, but wanted something good on gas, and a good warranty. I am SO HAPPY with this car! We cant believe how much we can fit in it, and will never have to ask friends to pick up large items for us that we cant fit in our car. My husband who drives a Cougar, says he doesnt like sitting up so high, but I can see better over snowpiles. Yet anytime we both go anywhere, he wants to drive my KIA! I must say, I am really impressed with this vehicle. I average about 19-20mpg city, 23-24Hwy. So far, not one problem with anything. I drove a Ford Escape, Jeep Patriot, Saturn Vue; all felt like riding in a truck! My KIA has a nice soft ride.

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  my first kia - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By kimne - May 2 - 3:03 pm

  After having my first accident with another type of car, I was particularly interested in a safe vehicle while still trying not to go over budget. I finally decided on a Kia Sportage and I think I made one of the best choices in a car that I have ever made. It has a 5 star rating, and it was not bad on my budget while I feel that I got a decent small SUV with a good warranty for my money. It has averaged about 22-23 mpg overall, but that is not bad compared to other SUVs on the market at the moment. I have three other family members who are buying Kias now, although they all opted for the Amanti. My little SUV handles great and I drive an avg of 700 miles per week.

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  Love It! - 2004 Kia Rio
  By Old-Chick - April 30 - 10:00 am

  I purchase a 2004 Rio Cinco wagon and absolutely love it!! It is comfortable to drive, responds well, gets good gas mileage (better when A/C is off), the instrument panel is well- placed. It could be a little faster on take-off, but I can live with that. I absolutely love my Cinco - and I have always driven larger cars. Id definitely recommend this one!

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  NICE CAR WITH A NICE PRICE - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Frank_ur - April 30 - 10:00 am

  THE CAR IS COOL AND COMFORTABLE

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  So far, so good - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By artgpo - April 30 - 6:33 am

  My wife has an 05 Sportage. The car has been driven almost 2,000 mile during the first month. There are no negatives except the gas mileage could be better. We saw the EPS rating before purchase so there are no suprises. It averages 21 in mixed driving. The Sportage is quiet comfortable and very well assembled. It looks as though the Korean manufaturers are now a serious force for the Japanese and American manufaturers. If you are looking for a small SUV I would recommend test driving the Sportage before making your decision. We compared the CRV side by side with the Sportage (dealer loaned us a new CRV). The CRV is longer. End of advantages for Honda.

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  An Awesome Buy - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By heavenlyvalvkc - April 28 - 2:03 pm

  Bought this on Saturday and went off roading on Sunday. It did great over the different dirt and rock roads. The seats could use a little more padding for me, but over all we were very happy with this purchase. This was a great purchase for Arizona and we look forward to taking it out again for more adventures. I only wish this was a 7 person vehicle so that we could take all 5 boys out offroading.

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  love my Kia - 2010 Kia Soul
  By over 40 and love it! - April 28 - 8:40 am

  I just bought my Kia sport yesterday in the Molten. I bought the automatic, it seems to have plenty of pick up and go. It has plenty of head and leg room..even in the back seat. It is so cute! It is a head turner. I have the only one in my town so far. The ride is good and smooth, I dont hear road noise at any speed. I traded my 2007 focus ses in, The Focus had more road noise for sure. The stereo is very nice, excellent sound. The interior is awesome..love the red and the mood lights. The sales lady said this car was geared toward 40 and under, I told her I am 45 and proud to be a new Kia Soul owner!!!!

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  Great Mini Van - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By RSK - April 27 - 2:00 am

  We were thinking of buying a new van and on the first day out we drove the Kia and signed the papers that evening. I had already gone out on the web and investicated the different vans and prices. The ride and comfort of the Sedona was great and made our decision for us. It was also nice that it had a five star crash rating. Also the factory warranty of 10 years or 100,000 miles was a great incentive.

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  Great so far. - 2010 Kia Soul
  By McDaddy - April 26 - 5:20 pm

  I am 6 2" and was very surprised by the room inside. We bought the ! Soul with the 2.0 auto and it has plenty of power. The Soul fits it the garage right next to my Nissan Sentra and is just a bit shorter, but has much more room inside. I really think the styling of the Soul is just right. The rear hatch styling alone really helped make the decision. It is unique and fun without being goofy.