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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  A very good car - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Clark A. Nichols - December 30 - 2:00 am

  Last year I bought a new 2002 Rio and I found that I loved the car, only I wanted something that had a automatic shift. I turned in the Rio and bought a 2003 Spectra. I have been very pleased with the cars ability to keep up with other cars twice the price. My Spectra is fully loaded with just about everything a person could ask for. I like the fast response I get from a four cylender, as good as any car on the road. I have driven the car to Tucson, Arizona which is only a six hundred mile trip each way, but the car didnt disappoint me in its preformance. I love the car as well if not more than The Rio that I first had.

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  moms sedona - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By dan - December 30 - 2:00 am

  My mom loves the van to death, first she had a chrysler town and country that was a 1999 she paid more for that van than she did for the sedona. The ride, performance and also the longgevity of the vehicle is going to be much greater. The reason I say that because My mom had the chrysler van for 1 year and the trans went out. Then again about 30,000 miles later thats when she decided to trade that thing in on a sedona van. No problems what so ever and she is 100% satisfied about the van. Knowing that the van is 5 Star rated even makes it more fun to drive.

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  2003 Sedona Lx - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Mike2222 - December 30 - 2:00 am

  Only had it a few weeks, but so far its a great vehicle and its fun to drive. Great price, nice rebate, good looks, crash test leader...Only negative is the poor gas mileage, when the sticker says 15 town 18 highway thats what it means! No more no less!

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  I Love this S.U.V. - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By rcirig - December 30 - 2:00 am

  Very happy with the Sorento and would recomend to everyone!!Great options for a great value.

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  My First SUV - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By ktoken - December 30 - 2:00 am

  I just bought my Sorento EX a couple of days ago but I am already very familar with the vehicle. It is very "user friendly". This is my first SUV so I am rather enjoying the view from up high. I went from a car with 260 hp to my Kia and I dont really miss the power. The Kias engine is very responsive. It rides like a good sturdy car. You dont get beat to death going over bumps, etc. The turning radius is excellent. Very easy to turn, park, etc.

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  Great Commuter Car for the Money - 2008 Kia Rio
  By kyatty - December 29 - 2:56 pm

  I was in the market to get to and from work everyday and wanted to keep my costs down. I had only owned Japanese cars, with one exception of a GMC pickup that was a big mistake. I was a little unsure about the KIA, but after nearly 2 years Im glad I took the plunge. This little car is just what I needed. The fuel economy is quite good, but could be improved. Its surprisingly fun to drive. Its far roomier than you would expect from its dimesions. Ive never had a single problem with this car --just regularly scheduled maintenance. Sure, I get the occasional odd look from other attorneys when they see me in my little Rio5, but I could care less.

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  I love it! - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By lovemykia - December 29 - 10:30 am

  My husband and I just recently purchased our 2007 Kia Sorento and we love it. The ride is smooth and you cant beat all that vehicle for a great low price. The warranty that Kia provides also gives us peace of mind should anything happen. I highly recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a great mid-sized SUV!

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  No way, no how - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By jayjay - December 28 - 6:46 am

  Window motor replace, cruise control replace, transmission rebuild by 10,000 miles. Second transmission rebuild (the day after 5 yr warranty was up) gear shaft replaced incorrectly by dealership(and almost killed us) and a new starter by 40,000 miles. KIA would not help us, they were very rude and when our gear shaft fell out, we waited at the side of the road for 5 hrs waiting for them to send a tow. HORRIBLE customer service. And everything is high priced to replace. Im talking about a bolt costing $270. Before labor. It seemed like a good deal, but we have spent the buying price in repairs. Spend the extra $ for a different car. I have been broke ever since we got it. no way no how.

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  Dont be afraid, this car is a winner - 2008 Kia Optima
  By steve - December 26 - 4:03 pm

  Im a ASE mechanic. My son drives a Camry and my wife drives an Accord. I am very familiar with these cars. When it was time for me to sell my Honda Element, I test drove the 2008 Accord, Camry, Sonata, Sebring. Then I rented a 08 optima with 7 miles on it for vacation and drove it 1000 miles. I was shocked. Right out of the box, it averaged 30 mpg on an engine that wasnt broken in yet. I was completely taken away with the build quality of this car. Tight panel seams, interior quality outstanding and very quiet. The accord handling and engine is better but this is a close 2nd. I bought this car $7000 less than a Camry and $6500 less than accord. Read Car and Drivers 2007 comparison.

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  KIA SPORTAGE LX-V6 4x4 - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Bob Kinman - December 25 - 5:06 pm

  This vehicle replaces our 2002 ford focus se 4door the sportage is a very nice car like suv to drive feels tight and sporty and drives nothing like any of the suvs in this class that i have test driven ford escape,honda crv, toyota rav4 and has many standard features that the others offered as options such as electronic stability control,traction control and V6 4x4