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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  My Second KIA - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Owlteacher - October 29 - 10:00 am

  This is a wonderful commuter car! Ive been impressed with everything about it, except that the drivers side seatbelt latch is too close to the seat. This causes some discomfort on long trips. I have the 5-door model, and the cargo room with the back seats flipped forward is awesome. Im sold.

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  Great van! - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Kitagrl - October 29 - 10:00 am

  Have had this van for a couple months now and have been pleased...no problems, drives nice...roomy and easy to afford the monthly payments!

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  Great buy!! - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By soccervb - October 29 - 10:00 am

  After reseaching the Sedona using Edmonds.com, I came to the conclusion that this would be a great minivan for our family. All that was needed was to see the vehicle, test drive and work out the numbers. The vehicle has more features than we could have ever bargained for and we worked the price to fall right where I wanted it. If you havent checked this vehicle out yet, your missing on the best buy for your $$$. MPG may be a little low, but the few miles that we dont get per gallon wont be missed. Oh, dont forget that this vehicle has the 5 star rating for crash tests.

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  Keen on Kia - 2008 Kia Rio
  By Garret - October 26 - 9:00 pm

  I just recently bought this vehicle as my daily commuter to work and school in an effort to save on gas and help the environment. Im very pleased with my purchase. The car drives very well for what it is and the motor is surprisingly efficient. The only change that I made is I replaced the air filter with a K&N unit. Would recommend this vehicle to others.

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  kat drives the Kia - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By kia kat - October 26 - 3:10 am

  I have had my Spectra for 28 months now and it has just turned 60,000 miles. I do a huge amount of driving. Have not put a lot of money in to it other than just regular maintenance (very good about getting oil changes at 3,000 miles). I think this vehicle is definitely underrated. I always go by that saying "you take care of it, and it will take care of you".

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  Good car for small budget - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Luthy - October 25 - 2:00 am

  I really like the way the engine accelorates. I have been having fun racing other people in much faster cars. People are so surprised when I keep at least a whole car length ahead of them for a quarter mile. The high red line sure helps out a lot.The fit and finish is just about par. You will see better in a Honda or Toyota. I think that this is a wonderful car for $13,000 loaded.We will see how it lasts.

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  Reliable - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Lee P - October 23 - 6:46 am

  If you are looking for a reliable inexpensive vehicle this is the one. I have 170k miles and have had any issues. It has been an excellent commuter car but not exciting.

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  Just starting - 2009 Kia Sorento
  By Pocahontous - October 22 - 8:53 am

  First driving this, I thought it sounded like a jet ski vs. a merc: loud but no guts. I have only given it cursory trials but am growing to love it. It is not a luxury vehicle but very functional and easy to drive. The Interior instruments all make sense and operation isnt distracting when you are driving. Exterior is pretty except a few undercarriage parts that hang down below the silhouette. 4WD has gotten me out of snow issues with ease.

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  You get what you pay for - 2002 Kia Optima
  By DavidR - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for one year with no problems yet. It is very responsive on the highway and in the city. I love the sport shift. A very comfortable and quiet car. The only problem I see with it is the resell value. The darn thing has virtually no resale value. Only time will tell on reliability. After one year and 45000 miles it is a pleasure to own.

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  You get what you pay for - 2002 Kia Optima
  By DAVIDR - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for one year with no problems yet. It is very responsive on the highway and in the city. I love the sport shift. A very comfortable and quiet car. The only problem I see with it is the resell value. The darn thing has virtually no resale value. Only time will tell on reliability. After one year and 45000 miles it is a pleasure to own.