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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  KIMS KIA - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By KIM - February 8 - 10:20 pm

  The drive and passenger doors power lock freeze up in the winter making it impossible to get in or out of. The car is very light which makes it hard to handle in the snow or ice little to no traction even with winter tires. The fuel economy is great though. This car runs the best in the summer. The car heats up and cools down very quickly never had a problem with the a/c or the heat.

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  I did not want it - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By His Car - February 8 - 2:53 pm

  When my husband was in the market to purchase a KIA, I had a fit. Now that I have it, no problem. Love the fact you get so much as standard equipment. Gas mileage could be better for the size of the SUV.

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  Good Deal - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Funkhouser - February 8 - 11:33 am

  I love my Sportage. She is beautiful to look at, a great comfortable ride and has quite alot of get up and go. The price was right and I like the new size. Alot of room. Just perfect for me.

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  Best Value Ive Had - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Papapat - February 8 - 12:56 am

  Im in real estate and use my car a lot! Besides my own driving comfort, etc., its important to me that my clients are comfortable. They are. Its very easy to get in and out of, including the back, which is a big factor. Ive received many positive comments from clients about my car. For the money I paid, about $26,000 with everything I could get on/in it, I think its one of the best car values Ive ever got. Ill bet Ive helped sell a bunch of them to others.

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  Fire - 2003 Kia Rio
  By jjszabo - February 5 - 10:00 am

  I bought my RIO new. Just after 3400 miles, it caught fire. The alternator shorted out (the car is stock with no equipment added by me)and melted two wiring harnesses and some vacuum hoses. The dealership made me jump through many hoops to get the thing repaired. I hade to call KIA customer relations to have a district manager sent to the dealership to approve the repairs. I finally had the car repaired under the warrenty program. Everything seems fine now, Knock on wood! The handling and braking are great. The car is fun to drive. But after the fire, I am paranoid about its reliability.

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  EXTREMELY HAPPY SO FAR !!!!!! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Dolfan - February 5 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely LOVE my new Sorrento. I have a base EX model and had it a month now (1,000 miles) and I love more and more each day. The sound system is amazing for a factory system. The ride is superior for an SUV you almost feel like your gliding on some road surfaces. To get all those features for that price is unbelievable. I compared allot of vehicles and to get everything packed into the Sorrento you would pay 5 to 10 grand more. I am really looking forward to testing it out on the snowy roads this winter ! I am sure it will pass that test with flying colors also.

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  Great Start for SUV - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Wrigley - February 5 - 10:00 am

  Car only has 2500 miles but so far so good. Small defects found in fit and finish of interior - minor fixes to be done during first service. Ride excellent on 1 long trip. Gas mileage better than sticker - 22 - 23 mpg highway on silver grade fuel at 75 to 80 mph. City mileage 19 - 20. Love the EX luxury package for the price. Looked at Suzuki XL-7, Ford Escape, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Suburu Outback, Honda CR-V,and Land Rover Discovery. Based on price dependence we chose the KIA. Price independent choice was the Land Rover. Dealership experience was very good.

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  Shes snarky, but a good friend. - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Aenari - February 4 - 8:36 am

  It was my first car, and I was pleased. It worked, and the warranty is phenomenal. My power window motors were constantly iffy, but thats small potatoes - it drove, and drove consistently. The dash and what have you are fairly boring. The CD player developed an interesting quirk where it sucks the cd back in when you eject it before you can grab it. That was fun. But it was a dang good value with cruise control to boot. Keep up on the maintenance and shell behave. She is snarky; it never let me get too attached emotionally. But it was there for me.

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  Dont But a Kia - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By karen dowds - February 3 - 4:06 pm

  Experienced what felt like a transmission slipping problem before warranty was up - dealer test drove car with me and felt problem but wouldnt svc it without check engine light being on. Light came on finally and fun began. Murray, dealer, monkeyed with car 6 times and light kept coming back on - problem grew worse till car would stop. Had to go to Eastern Regional Office to open a case. After 6 more trips to dealer and a special kia tech having to come out to look at car (tech had to come out for other cars that Murray couldnt fix too) and replacement of wire harness ($900 part which did not correct problem), another tech FINALLY found o2 sensor problem, light off for 5 days.

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  Kia Sportage 2008 - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By The realdeal - February 3 - 1:30 pm

  The Sportage offers a great deal for the right price. Purchased through the "Same as Kia employee program" offered by the dealership. Sticker at 22100 and paid 16400. The truck rides very well for a SUV. The braking is excellant and the steering is very responsive. Noise is limited, but rear tire noise from buzzing down the road could be annoying at times. The heat and air con work very well, has a airflow filter and the fan has great airflow if desired. I dont think the seats would be very comfortable on long trips. The back seats especially. The seats seem very stiff but are ok on the back. The warranty is unsurpassed. See if your Ford or honda offer that! Needs higher center armrest.