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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  base model - 2008 Kia Rio
  By j.q.t. - December 24 - 10:00 pm

  Started driving the base model and it is really easy to manuver. The steering is hard, but got use to having to hold onto the steering wheel at all times. Sporty, nice interior, gasoline mileage doesnt look to promising at the moment, but may get better. Some models they advertise on lot, 44 mpg, but window sticker shows much lower, very much lower. Overall, for the price, you may do better, but the warranty is really the good part.

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  A fun car at a steal price - 2007 Kia Rio
  By Sam - December 24 - 4:30 pm

  As I was comparing around, my 1st test drive immediately told me I got to have this baby. It was smooth and fun to drive. PLUS very quiet with low noise. It is really a great car to own without burning a big hole in my wallet. The fuel consumption is great too. I get 15km/l with 50% city and 50% highway driving.

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  My Lady Pearl - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By sonya - December 23 - 10:16 pm

  Luv this car, I traded my 1999 Bruick Regal for her. She has give me only one problem, the tires. She rides comfortable around the city, I am about to make 2 road trips this summer. It is the only car I have owned that I have not yet have to put in the shop for any mechanical problems.

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  Great value, overacheving car - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By pmfarmer - December 23 - 4:30 pm

  Purchased a 2012 Kia Sorento. I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. I currently have 8,000 miles on it. Drives great in any weather, has all the extras(heated seats, auto dimming mirror, back up camera) without paying the luxury car prices. Don’t waste your time with the 4-cylinder. I have the v6 AWD, it has excellent power when you need it, even when weighed down with luggage ect, for a week long trip for 4 adults. I have expierienced 23-24 mpg for the city and 25-26 mpg on the highway. Our times at the kia service center for oil changes has been great. I’ve had great luck with asian vehicles and the 2012 kia sorento has only set my standards higher.

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  2000 sephia 5speed - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By anniek1 - December 21 - 9:34 pm

  I purchased my sephia used in 2005 with 86k, it is now at 195,000 and i have loved it. i had a timing change about 2 years ago at 135k and a new starter, alternator which was expected b/c the car is 10 years old. And im lucky these are the only problems b/c i dont get the oil changed like I should. I have had 2 tune-ups so im averaging about once every two years for a tune up. I like this car it was cheap and convient and im a single parent of two so it helps. i have driven this car all over at least 300 miles round trip at the most. I am having a lot of problems with the ac belt squealing thats my only negative problem with the car.

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  Solid vehicle, good value - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By flipb - December 21 - 5:50 pm

  Kia hit the nail on the head by creating a vehicle thats got the footprint of a compact but can handle 7 passengers, or 5 and a bunch of stuff. I chose the Rondo over a fwd RAV4, and saved about $5K. Very well put-together and drives well, but feels somewhat like an appliance. Not a lot of soul in the driving experience. But performs better than average where it counts: space, safety, economy, value, features.

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  The Perfect Minivan? - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Gabriel - December 20 - 2:23 pm

  After spending 2 months researching and test driving minivans, we bought the 2006 LX Sedona. It is far superior to the outgoing model. It has everything you could need in a modern minivan. The excellent standard safety equipment was a major factor in our decision. The engine is strong and fuel efficient. The minivan has a firm, but not harsh, ride that makes it feel nimble and handles like a much smaller vehicle. The interior materials are very good and only slightly less than Toyota or Honda. Great value at $23,665, that is $3K-5K less than Toyota/Honda. Ill put the $3K-5K into my kids college fund instead. Simply a must for anyone shopping for a minivan.

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  Whole Lotta Soul - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Soul Sista - December 19 - 11:00 am

  I absolutely LOVE my new Soul Sport! I fell in love with the interior color of the sport and had to have it. You truly get more bang for your buck with the Kia Soul compared to anything else on the market. Its roomy and comfortable and unique. Its way better looking than the Cube or the XB and has more bells and whistles. I love the bluetooth and steering wheel controls. I could do without the sport suspension, as the ride is much bumpier than Im used to, but the pros outweigh the cons for sure. I am coming from a mid sized SUV and a minivan, so I needed something larger than a sedan but less expensive than an SUV. The Soul has everything I want!

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  Great Car - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Frances Powell - December 19 - 10:50 am

  I noticed the description said "odd proportion" but I think the Amanti has the style of 3 cars in one: Jaguar, Mercedes, Lincoln. It has CLASS. I have owned the car for only 4 months and in that 4 months I have received the most compliments on my car. People stop and look, go get their spouses, ask what kind, and simply admire my car which makes me really proud. I have the Pearl color. The Amanti is a Classy car for a great price! Thanks Kia.

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  Love IT. - 2003 Kia Optima
  By l24k2g - December 19 - 10:00 am

  I went to kia not expecting much. I spend 80% of my day in my car and I have found that I enjoy driving in my kia more that I did my mazda 626. the 2.4L engine with the auto trans. is kind of week off the line but picks up pretty quickly. I so far think that it has been worth the money and more.