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:

• 

  Better then a used car... - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By david - November 6 - 3:56 am

  I only have the car three weeks - much too early for complete honest report but so far I am extremely happy with the car, especially when I pull into the gas station and fill up. Average fuel economy is about 34mpg. I think its a much better alternative to a used car you know nothing about. I did all my research on Edmunds and got even a lower price then I expected. $15,000.00 - that includes sun roof and abs. I got it in red and that includes tax and tags. If youre looking for a car that rides like your 1970 Olds 98 forget it but I would have no problem taking the car on a long trip. The seats are comfortable. I am impressed so far. No negative comments right now but stay tuned.

• 

  Good overall, but has visibility issues - 2012 Kia Sportage
  By ehm1217 - November 5 - 4:37 pm

  I have owned the 2012 Kia Sportage LX FWD for little over two months and about 2,500 miles. So far no mechanical complaints. Performance, ride and mileage is what was expected. Audio and Bluetooth functions work fine. My one complaint concerns reflective issues with the windshield. In direct light the dashboard reflects up into the windshield causing visibility issues. A cut out in the dash over the steering column reflects directly in the driver’s line of site. The reflection worsens in some lighting conditions but is pretty much always there – even on cloudy days. If I could get a clear view through the windshield I’d be totally satisfied.

• 

  AVOID AT ALL COSTS - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By TIM - November 3 - 7:30 pm

  Gets 21 miles to the gallon. Stalls at stops/near stops. Have taken it in 2 times to be fixed, and they are unable to do anything about. Have had numerous other problems in the past 1.8 years. Generally, a poorly made vehicle. Am now getting rid of it.

• 

  Love my Car! - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Carol - November 2 - 6:10 am

  I have owned my Amanti for about 5 months and I have never driven a more comfortable, reliable car. The interior & exterior design, sun roof, color (a nice light gold) all make it a real looker. I have driven SUVs for several years, and became tired of "bumpy" rides and no back seat. This car has all the roomy features, and a huge trunk space. I got it slightly used, and its as clean as a whistle!

• 

  Happy Spectrater - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By jacob - November 2 - 12:30 am

  Bought the EX version on July 5th. Price $12,200 with alloy wheels and floor mats. Overall I am pleased with it. Things I don’t like are fuel mileage. Not very good for a small car. Average around 25 combined and 27 highway only. Front seats are tiring for a long drive as there is no thigh support. Plus if you are tall or have long feet this is not your car. Interior is pleasant and quiet. Engine is mostly smooth once you are up speed. Tire noise is noticeable. The seats are comfy -- thigh support. Keyless entry is a great option and the remote trunk is great. Haven’t had any mechanical problems then again I had only for 3 weeks.

• 

  Its a car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By watobot - October 31 - 8:47 pm

  Slow but practical. The automatic transmission is probably one of the worst ones Ive ever seen. Ive had mine for almost 2 years, and its never left me stranded, so its more reliable than you would expect from a Kia. If you put the back seats down, its surprisingly big inside. Interior isnt worth mentioning.

• 

  Good Car - 2003 Kia Optima
  By monmoses - October 31 - 4:53 pm

  The car has been a reliable car. At 60k, please remember to have your timing belt replaced as I didnt and could have had major expenses, but fortunately no bent valves. Battery out at 65k miles. New tires at 55k miles. Thats it and now at 83,000 miles. The power locks on the doors stink big time and the drive window sticks.. Trunk auto popup is gone.

• 

  Second time around - 2003 Kia Rio
  By lcimpala - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This is our second Rio, the first had over 100,000 on the clock before it met an untimely death at the hands of an Explorer. The explorer got the worst of it, by the way, and no injuries for us, couldnt say the same for the explorer occupants. This 2003 Rio is a vast improvement over the 2001 we previously had. Its quiet and rides very well, has a lot of power and the engine noise has been reduced greatly over the 2001 model. Kis is refining their autos yearly, I am impressed with the improvements. We really like the car.

• 

  EXCELLENT - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By HHEIKEINCOLO - October 31 - 10:00 am

  WE TRULY THINK FOR THE $$$--OUR SORENTO IS AN EXCELLENT BUY! VERY GOOD LOOKING SUV BUILT ON A TRUCK FRAME. 4WHEEL-HI & LO--4WHEEL-16INCH ALLOY RIMS--245 70R16 TIRES. STANDARD SUN ROOF, HEAVY DUTY EXTENTION. QUIET RIDE, OURS IS FULLY LOADED. WE THINK OUR SORENTO LOOKS BETTER THEN THE LEXUS, ACURA & BMW SUV, WHICH COSTS 10K TO 20K MORE!! WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH OUR SUV, IT HAS FRONT AND SIDE AIR BAGS. OUR CAR INSURANCE WENT DOWN AS IT HAS MANY SAFETY FEATURES. THANKS KIA!!!!

• 

  2004 Sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Corky1 - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Looked at others. Lots of features for the price.