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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  Sedona EX Gas Monster - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Edgar Torres - December 19 - 10:00 am

  I love this van with the only problem being the horrible gas mileage.

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  A Kia??? - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By rocketpop - December 19 - 10:00 am

  I traded my BMW for a Kia! WHAT? Thats right a Kia. It still hard for me to say but I am very impressed with the Sorento. When my wife first said "Kia", I said NO WAY! but after the test drive I was sold. Just try to find another fully loaded mid-size SUV for what you will pay for you Sorento. If you have any doubts about buying a Kia, just test drive the Sorento. We bought a EX 4x2 loaded! for less then $25k We havent had it very long but so far so good, We love it! You cant beat 10/100000 warranty.

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  review - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By misty g - December 19 - 10:00 am

  Are overall experience has been awesome. We are first time buyers and are satisfied with are final choice in vehicle.

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  Cant believe the quality for the price - 2014 Kia Optima
  By admiralrich - December 17 - 10:08 pm

  Going on one month now for the 2014 LX. The car is half the price of the Lexus I used to own and the ride is better, its quieter, the 4 cyl gives me all the power I can use not to mention the gas mileage, warranty, all in a beautiful car. I cannot believe they build this great car for the low price.

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  Great All-purpose hatchback - 2010 Kia Soul
  By SuperAce - December 15 - 8:20 am

  I really love my 2010 Kia Soul. It has enough passenger room to carpool with four adults and I can fit all my music gear in the back for band practice. The interior is great - especially the stereo and easy-to-use steering wheel controls. I choose the Kia over the Scion xB or xD, and am happy with my choice. I think the Soul hits the size sweet spot between the original and redesigned xB.

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  No issues after 3.5 years and 74k miles - 2012 Kia Optima
  By Tracy Payne - December 14 - 12:05 pm

  This has been an excellent car. There have been no repairs required and fuel economy is 32-34 mpg for highway. OEM tires were poor, but replaced with Michelins and car drives and handles well.

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  KIA not ready for prime time - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Rickj - December 14 - 12:03 pm

  While we DO like our Sorento, we have had nothing but bad luck with the Kia dealership. Every time something goes wrong it has to be ordered from Korea! They didnt even have brake pads at the dealership and had to check at Kragen. The following things have failed already: Front differential leaked, CD player, front struts, cruise control. Rear springs are shot, but they claim vehicle abuse and wont replace. We have only had the truck out to desert for very light off-roading once, but we do have a 270 foot rough dirt driveway. (The 3 Series BMW seems to be able to handle it though). The truck is a nice for grocery shopping, but suspension not suitable for real 4X4 activity.

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  Had my troubles - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Can not complain too - December 13 - 6:50 pm

  I bought my Kia used and immediately, (I do mean immediately) I had catalytic converter issues. Dealer fixed it. I then experienced the "check engine" light coming on when it had rained torrentially. Since this little mystery, I have had NO problems with my van. I do heartily recommend buying an extended warranty. I do not love this van but it does get me to work and hauls my dogs.

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  Fun little SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Lori - December 13 - 4:30 pm

  This is a fun SUV to drive. It turns tightly and maneuvers easily. Gas mileage is ok but much better than the Suburban I used to drive. The seats are comfortable and roomy as well as lots of head room. The Sorento has a quick acceleration and does well in the mountains. At times it rides like a truck when you go over bumps. The interior is noisy. Overall, I could not have gotten a better quality SUV with all the bells and whistles at such a reasonable price.

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  good - 2003 Kia Rio
  By erndew1 - December 13 - 10:00 am

  fun to drive economical - little more power and bigger gas tank would be pluses - but fairly well satisfied after six months