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:

• 

  Not too bad! - 2010 Kia Sportage
  By Aydesire - December 5 - 7:03 am

  The 2010 Kia Sportage is not too bad only for its fuel economy! You drive and see your fuel going down as you accelerate. It gulps fuel!

• 

  MY First Kia - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Rita - December 5 - 6:33 am

  We are very excited to be the proud owners of a new 2005 Kia Sorento!!! We got a great deal on a great vehicle. We have the luxury package on our Sorento (nice leather and several extras). We have not been able to use the "snow" option yet as the weather has been mild this year. Everything works perfectly and we love the sun/moon roof. This is the first vehicle we have every owned with a sunroof. We look forward to several years of dependable service from our Sorento. Kia has strict maintenance policies to follow to insure the 10 year warranty and we plan to abide by their policy. A great luxury vehicle at a modest price.

• 

  Our kia experience - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By spradley0121 - December 4 - 9:56 pm

  We just bought our 2011 Kia Sorento and it is wonderful. It has been a joy to drive. It is very smooth and comfortable. Also it is very economical on fuel which helps during this day and time.

• 

  Great Value in a 4WD SUV - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By gdr - December 4 - 3:16 pm

  I have had my Sorento 4WD for more than a year, and it has been a complete surprise. I never expected to obtain this kind of quality, comfort and driving fun out of an "off brand" Korean manufacturer. I never tire of folks asking me what I am driving after telling me how great it looks (I replaced the grill with a stainless billet model, and removed all exterior Kia emblems and replaced with Korean "K" script ones. My only complaint is the quality of the paint since it chips easily. I compensated by installing a 3M invisible shield on the front end, hood and mirrors and have had no paint chips since. A great value!

• 

  Great bargain!! - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Ed - December 4 - 1:33 pm

  We compared the CRV, RAV4, and the Sportage, and for the price, the Kia is hard to beat. The CRV and RAV4 might have better reliability but the Kia is not far behind and their warranty is otstanding. We got a fully loaded Sportage for less than a mid- level CRV LX.

• 

  I Really Love my Kia Soul - 2013 Kia Soul
  By brittneycj - December 4 - 1:38 am

  I bought my Kia Soul ! in March 2013 and absolutely love it. I think it fits my personality and lifestyle perfectly. I have a yellow lab and can easily throw her in the back.

• 

  Great vehicle for the price - 2016 Kia Soul
  By Gary - December 3 - 2:34 pm

  The 2016 Kia Soul performs better than expected . Interior space is better than expected for a vehicle of this size. Despite the reviews in regards to performance, the 2.0 power plant does a very good job for the normal everyday driver. I have managed to get 29 miles per gallon in town with light foot driving practices. The steering is very responsive and the four wheel disc brakes are much better than average. The ride comfort is a bit stiff on rough roads but acceptable. I would recommend the base+ if you dont need every bell and whistle available. The cost for additional packages is a bit costly in my view. The plus has the back up camera feature and touch screen on the dash. It also has fog lights and automatic headlight feature. I will comment on two areas for change in my view. The fact that the Soul does not have a spare tire is very important to me. The spare tire kit will cost you an additional $200.00. It is possible you could be setting for some time if you depend on roadside assistance. The spare tire will get you on the road in less time by far. The additional area I would comment on is the rear wheel well. The material that is used in the rear wheel well area is almost carpet like. It holds the mud and salt in our area and is hard to clean even with high pressure spray. I am concerned about this materials ability to hold up under mud, snow and gravel situations. It should be a heavy duty plastic like the front wheel well area. Overall it is a great vehicle for the money invested. The 2016 Kia Soul should be considered for the budget minded consumer or anyone that would like to have fun in a new vehicle.

• 

  Rio review - 2004 Kia Rio
  By daveworgan - December 2 - 10:00 am

  The exterior styling is more appealing than most small cars in this class - the interior is nicely appointed for a budget-priced vehicle. The ride is quite controlled and overall is comfortable to drive. Its not a luxury performance car, but then I didnt expect it to be. Ive driven mine (2003) 13,000 miles and have been very satisfied. No problems.

• 

  Zero Problems in 50,000 miles of driving! - 2012 Kia Optima
  By heyguy - December 2 - 12:09 am

  My wife and I both drive Optima Hybrids and we both traded in Lexus for these cars. While not luxury laden like our old cars (and we do miss the wood, quality leather, and quieter drive, our cars have almost all the bells and whistles and have performed flawlessly for 2+ years and combined 50,000+ miles of driving. Love the 6 speed shiftable transmission, great radio, and heated and cooled seats. Love to the 35-40 mpg we get on long drives!

• 

  Love her when shes not being serviced - 2014 Kia Forte
  By Corey - December 1 - 4:16 pm

  Has been to dealer for several minor repairs. At 44k miles started having over heating issues. Cooling fan stopped working. Been at dealer a week. Not a major repair and the dealer is being very helpful but concerning that it needs these repairs at 44k miles!