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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  Happy Amanti Owner - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By Ed - February 1 - 5:16 pm

  Best car I have ever owned. Very happy with this car. Unbelievable quality and features. It is as good or better than a Benz, BMW, Jag, etc.

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  Great midsize SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Dan - February 1 - 3:53 am

  We bought our 2005 Sorento two months ago and love it. Short of a brake lamp going out, we have had no problems whatsoever. The interior space is ample and we absolutely love the styling. More than once people have commented, "Wow, I cant believe thats a Kia." Wed highly recommend this SUV for anyone with a small family.

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  Wonderful!!! - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By asiel1 - January 31 - 6:00 pm

  This is my first SUV. I purchased it last November after my car was totaled. We have driven this car home to Louisiana (8 hours) Jacksonville Fl (13) and Colorado Springs(13).-- one way trips. The car drove beautifully and was comfortable for my three kids. - 18,13, and 10. The only complaint I have had is shifiting into gear in the mountains, it drags a bit. -- and occasionally the downhill and traction control button comes on, but other than that nothing. The hankook tires are okay, but wear out quickly--41,000 for me and will be replaced with Michelins. All in all, I love this car. buy one and never look back. I plan on driving mine for years!

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  Lyft Driver: Im on the road 24/7 - 2016 Kia Optima
  By Kamran. S - January 31 - 1:51 pm

  So I traded in my baby a 14 Chevy Camaro for this 16 Optima EX ( New Horizon Blue color) 2.4 liter 4-cyl. I simply needed 4 doors to drive for Lyft Full time. So far I have had this car for about 3 weeks I purchased the car with 150 miles on it and now have around 2500 miles on it already :/ This was my first "Brand new" car. What I like about this car is the styling Im 28 years old and I dont feel like grandpa pulling up to an event or to someones house. I get daily compliments on the car from the ladies they love the sporty high-end look and the light colored leather interior feels like a benz/beamer on the inside. I spend alot of time in this car Gas mileage is ok I get right about what the car is rated to get. I was not getting as great gas mileage and power until I switched from 87 to 89 octane gas... I know every one says it doesnt make a difference well that may be true for you. I am a Car guy and I can definitely tell the difference, and trust me its not placebo. The 2.4 at first drive did seem a bit sluggish compared to the Accord and the Legacy the other 2 cars I was comparing. But throw it in sport mode but keep in in Drive dont use the sport shift/manual mode it really doesnt help actually makes the car slower from gears 1-3. The only time I felt a benefit was when I drove up Mount Lemmon in Arizona (steep hills/Winding roads) Thats when having control of my shifts really helped but other than that stick to Full Auto/ Drive. I picked the optima because of the obvious Warranty benefit. Also they have some really good service I called to set up my road side which I recommend you do when you buy the car to prepair incase of assistance you dont have to spend 30 mins giving your personal info as your stranded. My only hope or Con was that I wish Kia gave this optima some more hp and low end torque without having to drop 30+ grand to go with a SX-L. And also after driving lirterally all day the seats feel very uncomfortable. And im an average body type I am 511 Athletic and about 180 pounds.

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  WOW - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Scotty409 - January 31 - 10:00 am

  Friend suggested looking at Kias. The wife and I went out on a Saturday to test drive only. We were so impressed, we bought. It was my first time to buy a new vehicle. I am very skeptical and was totally against buying a "new" vehicle (to much to pay). But I could not believe the bang for the buck with the Sedona. I was impressed with the feel of the drive, very solid yet comfortable. Dealer said Kia is trying to get into the market. Well - Im sold.

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  Give Kia a go - 2010 Kia Forte
  By truth1107 - January 29 - 3:41 pm

  Any negative impressions I had previously about Kia have changed dramatically. I bought a 2010 Forte Koup recently and have enjoyed it more and more every day. Exterior styling is best in class. Great features like Bluetooth, satellite radio, ipod inputs. Car is very smooth especially at high speeds on the interstate. Drove the civic, the corolla, and found the kia to be more stylish. The Forte Koup could use a little more pep on the lower end and sometimes there are severe downshifts with the automatic transmission when you gas it hard. Feels great seeing the ECO light come on when cruising at 75mph.

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  yours forever - 2011 Kia Soul
  By doug - January 29 - 6:27 am

  Car has no resale value. Dont buy it unless you plan on keeping it or taking a big hit on resale / trade in value.

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  Nice ride so far - 2007 Kia Optima
  By 4 door sedan - January 28 - 6:43 pm

  Just bought this car new a week ago. Not many miles driven yet but so far the car has met/exceeded expectations. Its quiet in town and on the highway, even at 70/80 mph with only minor wind noise from the outside mirrors, a big improvement over my last car. Transmission is very smooth and the powertrain combination gives excellent performance on hills. Ride is comfortable but the driver seat needs an extra inch or two of seat cushion to give better thigh support for longer trips. I looked at the Civic and Nissan Sentra and Versa but dollar for dollar, the Optima was a no brainer, lots of bang for the buck. Ill give another rating after I put more miles on the car.

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  My Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By kfought - January 28 - 2:43 am

  I purchased my Sorento in March of this year and I love it! Its comfortable, rides great and has enough space for the family.

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  Great car and soon to be very popular - 2008 Kia Rio
  By Kay C. Johnson - January 27 - 11:00 pm

  This car has great get up and go! The gas mileage is a wonderful improvement over what I was driving. Ive been told it will improve after the first 5000 miles, but already Im getting 32 mpg around town, so I am quite happy with it. My mom drove it and she is used to bigger cars liked its handling, but said she couldnt ride in it on a long trip. She bought an Optima and loves it. She and I both have more leg room than you could ever want, its very surprising. My dad is 64 and he couldnt believe it. I got Automatic with power pkg and I couldnt ask for more for the price just under 15,000.