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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  What can I say about the 2011 KIA Sorento SX..."WOW!" - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By heyofficer - December 10 - 12:51 pm

  My Husband and I were looking for a new SUV, and were sick of seeing all the "cookie cutter" and common Honda Pilots, Toyota Highlanders, RAV4s and CRVs that it seemed were everywhere. Boring and tired looking, and their owners were looking equally boring and tired! So we shopped and shopped. Test drove and researched. Then after all the info was collected, we bought a new 2011 KIA Sorento SX in February. I drive it daily, and my husband and I have been on some longish trips to Las Vegas, too. We sold our Mazda, but this new KIA actually beats the rest when compared feature to feature, overall quality, looks and reliability. KIAs 100,000 warranty is icing on the cake!

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  Thanks went back to American companies - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By David - December 9 - 9:53 pm

  Driving this van felt like I was driving a bus. Fit and finish was fine no complaints there. Seating was made for smaller people. I am 61" and 300 lbs Wife like the seating and she only 52". Gas mileage was in line with a heavy vehicle s powered by underpower unit. What made the final draw for me was Kia dealership not backing the product. Had bad front rotors after 25,000 miles and it was not covered under warranty. Was told rotors and pads are my cost. Pads I could see, rotor no way. Brakes where not made for the weight of this van. Drove it across to Ford and trade it in. Good new the trade in value was 12,000. See my review on Sport Trac on what warranty is all about.

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  would buy again - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By two time kia owner - December 9 - 3:30 pm

  this is a good buy for anybody the price more than makes up for the missing features of the higher priced vehicles and you cant beat the warranty cause heaven knows if you need a minivan you cant afford emergency repairs easily.

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  Excellent - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Jon - December 8 - 6:53 am

  I have been delighted with this SUV. Comfortable ride, solid construction, all the amenities of a more expensive SUV, e.g., Lexus, BMW. Gas mileage could be better, however, this SUV meets all my needs.

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  Good basic car - 2002 Kia Rio
  By skishopgirl - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car because of the great price. I soon realized what I gave up. "Top of the line" means CD player, "power locks" (push down on driver lock), spoiler and I believe alloy wheels. I was misadvised at the dealership that the rear seats folded down. This caused a huge problem when I accidentally locked my keys in the trunk on a Fri. night - had to wait until Mon. for dealer who could only rekey my locks, not get into the trunk. Car was in the shop 4 x b/c service engine light constantly came on. Replacing gas tank cap didnt fix that. I soon upgraded to a fully loaded Chevy & have only vague memories of my dissapointments in this car.

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  Great car for the $$$ - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Jake Dailey - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I cant say anything bad about this car. Ive owned it for 9 months and for basic reliable transportation, you cant go wrong. I wouldnt buy it new, since it depreciates so fast, but as a used car, its not bad! Its fun to drive with the manual tranny, I took a 1st and a 2nd in the local autocrosses with only upgraded 17" wheels and kuhmo tires:) I also added a CD player.

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  Rethinking Kia - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Sonnyrocker - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I looked at a Honda CR-V at first. However, the price does not meet our budget and weve heard a lot of good things about Kia Sorento, so we decided to take a quick look before we come back and buy the CR-V. Little did we know, we fell in love with the Sorento. Well built, loaded with features for an unbeatable price!! We got a brand new 2003 model with $2,000 rebate! $2,000 cheaper than a CR-V but compare to a Lexus. Man, thats a no brainer! We love our new Sorento and completely rethink the Kia brand as a major competitor for Toyota and Honda!! The way it is priced, it competes with Acura and Lexus too!!! Well done, Kia!

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  Not worth it - 2001 Kia Rio
  By Becca - December 6 - 7:26 pm

  I got this car 2 years ago, and honestly I would have bought something else if I had known what I know now. The check engine light comes on when there is nothing wrong. The parking brake light stays on constantly. It is not a comfortable ride. The vibration is terrible and the car often "jumps" when accelerating. Its not very safe. I was in a minor collision and the other drivers car was not damaged at all, but my bumper fell off and the seatbelt didnt even hold me in place as I bumped my chest into the steering wheel. Its great on gas, but there are much better cars out there for the price.

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  Love my Kia - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By cbpete - December 6 - 7:16 pm

  I was a little hesitant at first to buy a Kia, but once I drove it I knew their quality had improved dramatically over the years. Its a little rough over bumps, but it is a "truck" and otherwise an excellent ride. Long trips are more comfortable than any other car Ive owned. I am in love with it inside and out. I am very pleased and proud of my choice. I test drove an Equinox and thought that the seats were awful. Kia did not skimp on interior comfort. The turning radius is amazing for the size of the vehicle.

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  Satisfied New Owner - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By KP - December 6 - 9:40 am

  Satisfied new owner. Would like better gas milage. Like all of the options and safety ratings.