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:

• 

  Kia Junk - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By m17921 - October 4 - 3:46 pm

  I have a 2011 Kia Sorento. It is getting the transmission replaced for the second time. It has less than 10,000 miles on it. Think twice before buying a Kia. The selling dealership fixed it the first and second time. It still wasnt right so I found another dealer to take over the warranty work. They are putting another transmission in right now. This dealer is wonderful since I didnt buy the car there. They have been better that the dealer that sold me the car. Kia looks good but, pay a little more and buy a Nissan or Toyota. Kia calls with a survey after you get an oil change to see how the service was. Once there is a bigger problem they stop calling because they dont want to hear that

• 

  Diappointed! - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By wgoforth - September 28 - 12:57 am

  Wanting a small SUV and considering the great reviews of the KIA Sportage, we purchased a new 2017 model in September 2016. Immediately after purchase, we realized the front head rest were extremely uncomfortable, pushing our heads into a position where we look down if we keep our eyes in a normal position. A few months later, we began having a lot of pain in our left hip joint. Thought it was just old age until a much younger person took a trip with us and began to mention having pain in left hip joint. There was not a lot of hot weather after our purchase, so we cant say the cooling problems were there initially. As warm Spring days arrived, we realized the air conditioning was cycling from cooling to no cooling every few minutes and on "recirculate" wasnt cooling at all. Later, we realized a problem with the front and rear wiper switches--the wipers dont always turn off when the switch is placed in the "off" position. After leaving the vehicle with the dealership for the 3rd time we are again without the use of the vehicle. The !st time the evaporator box was replaced and the system recharged; the 2nd time they said a system fault was "causing the AC control head to not allow full system operation" so they performed control head reset; The 3rd time, no corrective measure has been performed on the AC since a tool needed has to be ordered, and they dont have an answer for the wiper switch problem because the wiper switches didnt malfunction when checked at the dealership.

• 

  So overwhelmingly bland. - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By murraybs - September 20 - 2:40 am

  This car is absolutely perfect for someone who does not want to stand out from the crowd, and revels in mediocrity. Though Id imagine, with its fuel economy, it would also be fantastic for college students, single mothers, environmentalists and those who are interested in saving money regardless of what the cost to style and performance is.

• 

  Not so happy with that - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Melissa - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Blinker does not turn off after turning, overdrive & interior lights not connected when purchased, bumper clips broken so bumper is falling off, brakes locked up and burned out brakes. Dealership does not know how to balance tires and claimed I was in accident that is why clips broke, but no front end damage. Like some features, but others not so much. Gas mileage not what they claimed either.

• 

  Paint issues and electrical issues not considered - 2013 Kia Optima
  By Not our problem - September 5 - 8:05 pm

  I filed a complaint about my paint/clear coat having a spider web effect when I waxed. The complaint was made before the warranty was up. I contacted Kia a second time because the issue was progressively worse. Kia denied that I had filed a claim. I was informed by the rep that nothing was on file for my vehicle in their system. Now the paint is off of the warranty and this problem is everywhere. Their district manager stated " he would not look at it". Also, too the car into the dealer for an issue with the gear shift. When the button is pushed I hear the solenoid in the dash board. I asked for it to be looked at and was advised nothing is wrong. Drivers window motor has begun to squeal when the window is rolled up. After a rain I had noticed the rotors /brakes seemed as if they were rusting and grinding heavily for a few moments. Dealer stated nothing was wrong with it. Sounds terrible and grinds.

• 

  Poor fuel mileage - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Don - September 1 - 10:16 pm

  I really liked this SUV so much that I bought another one in September for my wife. MISTAKE!!

• 

  If I only knew! - 2013 Kia Optima
  By kevyn4652 - September 1 - 7:12 pm

  I really wanted this car. People stopped me in parking lots and at the car wash. They admired the car and asked lots of questions - I could have been a salesman! Now I have owned it for a little over 3 years and dont feel the same. Pros: It is a beautiful design. Love the heated steering wheel/seats and the cooling seats. Glove box feature can keep a bottle of water cold. Im happy with my leather seats and the sound system. Cons: It does not live up to the MPG claims. I typically end a tank of gas with about 21 mpg. I have gotten up to 29 on the highway but not as often. Im a good driver and very conscious of the mileage. I am 54" and cannot see over the hood. What I can see is 3-4" of the hood closest to the windshield even with the drivers seat at maximum height. This has caused numerous problems. The passenger seat feels like I am sitting in a bucket – It should raise up and down like the driver seat. The drivers window clearance in the rear has a much too large blind spot at both corners. I should have also taken note that the battery life in the new car is only 2 years; I think thats a poor proposition. Also the tire life is only 3 years. I would advise you to negotiate both of these items plus the cost of the spare tire that isnt there. I want to trade this model in for the past 2 years for anew or late model Sportage. But 5 e-mails to the dealer (Carson) got no answer when I wanted to negotiate via e-mail or phone. I did not want to drive all that way just to look. ow they are bombarding me with requests for a trade-in.

• 

  Worst Nightmare - 2003 Kia Optima
  By Disappointed - August 28 - 5:53 pm

  Everyone says foreign cars are better. I would say to them dont include kia in the mix. Brand new alternator twice in 14 months, had to replace just about everything on it so far and have only 76,000 miles on it. Sound system is horrible it skips like a cd player and the cd player hasnt worked since the first week i bought it. Alarm hasnt worked for 2 years it goes off whenever it wants to when its set. And the parts are so expensive its stupid! I would NEVER recommend a Kia to anyone stick to toyota or honda.

• 

  The on a budget car - 2005 Kia Rio
  By H Stewart - August 26 - 8:20 am

  This is a great car for a person or family on a budget. It comes with an amazing warranty and driver assistance program. It has simple styling and ample interior space.

• 

  Unbelievable - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Ms. Johns - July 28 - 10:00 am

  This car was all good until I reached 62,000 miles. The fuel pump has gone out and the manufacturer wont admit that it is a defect. The fuel pump has been recalled in the 08 and 09 models. I had a couple in the 3rd row and thy complained about the comfort. They could feel every bump in the road. I would not recommend Kia to anyone!