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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  I wish I wouldnt have - 2013 Kia Soul
  By Livia Marrissa H - February 18 - 11:02 pm

  So I bought my 2013 soul new and have had issues with too many things, mostly it handles terrible the radio had to be replaced, (never got my free Sirius as promised) knock sensor has now gone bad twice, have the same wiper issue as others, when turning the wheel one way or the other out of the driveway and such it clicks, and it rattles when I accelerate under the hood somewhere, acceleration leaves me more likely to hit the brakes and wait my turn when merging ..and the blind spot are awful, not to mention the noise if back window is down.

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  ALOT of bang for the Buck ! - 2013 Kia Rio
  By callmedave1 - February 18 - 12:05 pm

  I was out the door at $15,250 with my new Rio. An exceptional deal . Car has 3,000 miles on it and I love it. Best to use NON-ethanol gasoline as the engine works better and youll pick up a couple more MPG. I get 33 MPG combined driving . Car is very comfortable for my 63" big frame. I swapped out the steering wheel so now I have cruise control which is a must for me. Color is red and it looks clean even when you havent washed it in weeks. Very pleased I got this over the Nissan Versa with the lower warranty.

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  Fun driving but seats are awful - 2013 Kia Sportage
  By latteaddict - February 17 - 4:52 am

  I waited for about a month to pass so I can review it better. We tried Ford Escape, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru CrossTrek - and finally given Sportage a shot since they updated their MPG ratings. (FYI, Kia has been sued and EPA made them update their MPG on the stickers.) Styling is great; its designed by Peter Schreyer, brains behind Audi fame. I owned Audi and I find lot of cosmetic similarities. Performance is acceptable, does well in corners. No interior noise, like in some other 20K cars. Im getting average 26MPG, with mindful driving. Only thing that peeves me so far is the interior seats are SPARTAN!!l i hate bucket seats period, but these are very firm and uncomfortable.

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  Good Truck! - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By sportage1 - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I like my Sportage EX very much. It has proven to be much more reliable than my 94 version.

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  I like it but....... - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Irishgirl - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I do like my Kia, but i have had a few problems, my rear window would not go up or down, every time i shut the trunk door the panel would fall off, a part was missing, both were repaired by dealer. I am hoping i made the right choice in purchasing my kia, time will tell.

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  Cant believe I bought a Kia - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Domestic Engineer - February 16 - 2:00 am

  My hubby is 62" and Im 5. This is to be my vehicle but we needed something my hubby could drive comfortably and also have leg room in the back seat. We were so surprised by the roominess in the cabin. The drive is great and the price was fantastic. Love the exterior also. It drives really smoothly and has plenty of power for both of us. After we purchased it my mocho husband said "I cant believe I bought a Kia". We thought it would be cheaply designed but were very pleasantly surprised by the ammenities included. Sales experience was also great.

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  I love it! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Sargento Sorento - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I love this truck! It is a true truck employing rear-wheel drive with on- demand 4WD. It is much more capable than a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4.

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  The price is right - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By jpm - February 15 - 8:26 pm

  After comparing this to Honda, Toyota and Dodge, the Kia Sedona was a no-brainer. I find the styling of the Kia more attractive and SUV-like. The performance is outstanding for a minivan. The warranty was a big factor in our purchase decision, but I believe the build quality is close to if not equal to Toyota and Honda. What sealed the deal though is that by far and away the Kia gives you the most for your money.

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  Best Mid Size Car - 2009 Kia Optima
  By Bill - February 15 - 7:06 am

  Purchased brand new, but mostly drive it in the city. The fit, finish, quality and ride is amazing. Test drove a Camry, Accord and Malibu. The ride was a good or better then them all. Driving position was easy to find with power seat. Get 28 mpg in city and 34 on the highway. Will buy another in 5 years.

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  Sorento Shocker? - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By nickelhorse221 - February 15 - 2:53 am

  Well love the styling. cant beat all the options for the price. But could there be a downfall to all this value? Ive had my sorento just over 2 weeks. I have rattles and all kinds of noises for one. Now, my transmission is acting up. Has 1000 miles on it. Put it in drive and it acts like it doesnt want to go forward, then JUMPS forward and goes. Floor mats are completely falling apart for no reason, and the ride is very stiff. NOT what I expect from a 30,000.00 SUV.. I thought Kia came a long way, but man, I wish i would have bought something else. Never Never Never will I buy a Kia again. Im sticking to VWs from here on out!