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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  Love the car after a year! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By DesertBum - January 18 - 2:00 am

  I have owned the car for more than a year now. I got it when the car had 10k on it. So far, I had the dealer replace the shocks (front) under warranty and a rear seat belt, under warranty. I also just replaced the tires (all four) with Pirelli tires "P3000" 185/60/14 w/85,000 mile warranty (Great tire) and that it, oh, I got tires, cause I wanted a better tire! I get 28city/33highway. I also did the exhaust (2"catback) which improved performance 100%, a must. Might even buy another one or wife!! I would say if your looking or thinking, go buy one. PS. My other car is a Suburban (Big Block) and I enjoy driving Kia more =)

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  ANDREA - 2004 Kia Rio
  By ANDREA WHEELER - January 18 - 2:00 am

  MY SEALT HAS BROKE NOW 3 TIMES WITHIN THE TWO YEARS. I NEEDED A NEW STARTER. MY BRAKES WENT OUT AND THERE WAS NO WARNING IT WENT STRAIGHT TO GRINDING. MY FLUID WAS LEAKING THE FIST 5 MONTHS. MY WINDOW HAD AIR BLOWING IN IT. MY TIME IS SLOW

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  oh no! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By shugar - January 18 - 2:00 am

  i have had stalling problems from start. to meet requirements for lemon law, i had to wait. won case, but was awarded another kia, to cost me an additional $7,000.00. even thou i cant afford this, it is being imposed on me or i need to go thru other channels. dealership lied and manipulated and manufacturer is not fair to deal with either. would not buy another, even thou i actually like the van!

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  2004 EX 4WD - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Mac9902 - January 18 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased a 2004 Sorento EX 4WD with luxury package, ABS, and spoiler. The car was for my wife who had fallen in love with the Sorento. I must say that for the 48 hours Ive had it Im very pleased. The build quality seems excellent. We have the EX with luxury package so it has all the bells and whistles. Pretty fun to drive, but I havent taken it off road yet. Ill update my reviews after Ive got some more miles on her. I rated reliability as a 5 because of the short time I owned the car.

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  Best buy - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Andi Lynn - January 18 - 2:00 am

  I love my Serento. I looked at other SUVs and there wasnt enough room or power. This is classy and tough to handle my life and well worth it.

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  Best Lil SUV in America - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Delta Don - January 18 - 1:33 am

  We test drove the Kia after driving the Highlander, Pilot, Acadia, Outlook, Veracruz and 4Runner. In terms of the features we were looking for, overall performance and value, the Sorento beat the others hands down. My wife especially likes the turning radius which allows her to make a full U-turn on our neighborhood street when she forgets her cell phone in the morning.

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  Best of the rest - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Jack - January 17 - 6:40 am

  We shopped several SUVs, crossovers and vans. Was a big fan of Toyota. This vehicle has us "converted". I am a big man and I have plenty of room behind the wheel/passenger. We opted for the 4 cyl as this gives us plenty of pep and decent mileage for our driving style. Just roamed the WV mountains and had no lack of power up & down hills. Is a treat to drive esp when compared with our Sienna. Plenty of storage space and room for our dogs to roam. Comfortable! Keep up the good work Kia, we will be back!!

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  Careful: The Bear Wants Christmas Money! - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Jake - January 16 - 6:03 pm

  The compact hatchback is styled "right". The day I purchased my Spectra I had the check engine light reset. It has been back to the dealership two other times for the same thing, but I have been out in less than an hour each time. As a former line mechanic, I have reset the computer twice myself: once at high altitude above Sante Fe and the other on a foggy morning. It has a dash rattle which I may not get fixed unless it gets louder. I change my own oil and keep all receipts, but I really dont expect problems with the warranty. It is a great second generation vehicle which I rate behind a Corolla or Civic, but I paid an exceptional price-$3600 below MSRP-they met my earned interest rate!

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  Sorento Review 2005 - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Skaggs - January 14 - 5:03 pm

  This suv is a very good value and the ride is a bit hard, more truck like and the radio is poor and could use an up grade. With the gas price the way it is now, Iwould like to see the next years model get something better than 20-22 mpg

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  Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By ric - January 13 - 11:03 pm

  I am on my 4th Kia and have never been happier with a car, My Sorento is the best SUV I have ever owned. All my friends comment on how little I paid for it and how well it is built and the standard features are the best on the market.