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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  Good SUV for the value - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By Gokuldas Hegde - September 9 - 1:49 pm

  front panel lacks indicator for burned lights. There is no indicator to show if any of the light bulbs are burnt or do not come on.

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  Impressive - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Josh - September 8 - 11:36 pm

  I absolutely love my van. It looks so sleek and nice on the outside and the leather interior on the inside is easy cleanup. The sunroof is also great. Wonderful van for the money. Very happy!

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  Not as impressed as others - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By b - September 7 - 12:50 am

  Leased 2007 Sedona July 2007. 1 week later needed the DVD replaced. Power sliding doors decided to work or not when they felt like it and dont always close securely, sometimes opening back up for no reason and often hearing a crunching sound also. Fuse box needed replaced, no wipers. Tire pressure system often shows all tires are low for no reason. Sunroof leaks. DVD blocks rear mirror when drivers seat is raised. Driver needs to be a contortionist to operate and remove dvds for small children while driving.

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  Sportage - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By bbbaker - September 6 - 2:00 am

  I was pleasantly surprised with the power and comfort of such an economical vehicle. Interior has a spacious feel. Back seat folds down and was able to haul items that I normally would have borrowed a truck for.

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  heaven - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By bob bowen - September 6 - 2:00 am

  This car (suv) is the best car I ever bought, I love the ride and comfort I am 6-4 230 and have lots of room handles well plenty of power get lots of looks about the style priced great loaded with lots of xtras that are standerd on this car ...I cant say enough about how much i enjoy driving this car.

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  Happy overall - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Satisfied owner - September 5 - 4:56 am

  Ive had my Sedona for over 3 years and have never had a brake problem as others are saying. The only persistent problem is that the interior light doesnt always come on when I open the door. If I play with the switch, it works for a while and then stops working again. The dealer hasnt been able to find any problem. The only other comment is that it doesnt have a great turning radius. I was used to compact cars and sedans. I drive over 40 miles round trip daily. I am getting 20 miles per gallon! I think thats pretty good for a large vehicle. My next minivan however will be stow-n-go seats and power side doors.

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  Fun car to drive - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Worldly - September 4 - 11:20 pm

  After owning a Bertone X19, Mercedes 450SL, Mustang, Landrover, I bought the Kia Soul plus on a impulse. As I was in the dealership I was trying to Google info on the Soul but all I could find was specs and test drive reviews. So here is the real low don on the car.Exterior - Head turner, a funky good looking car with a sleek online design that flows around the car giving it an geometric look. My color is titanium, however all the colors look cool. Interior, plenty of room for 5 passengers, Im 62" and my friend was 65 and still had 3 ft of head room. the two adults and a car seat in the back were all comfortable. The controls are easy to use, and loads of extras come with the car.

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  KIA - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Tank32 - September 4 - 7:20 pm

  Very pleased to have purchased this vehicle. Amazed how smooth and quite it is. Its very easy to get the kids in and out of since the door space is large as well as the overall inside space. Makes road trips fun and just plain happy about it.

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  KIA Mechanical Problems - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By mcdonald340 - September 4 - 6:09 pm

  2011 KIA Sorento - Transmission Problems/Pulls to the right/Sudden Acceleration/Cruise Control problems. Transmission broke on trip out of state. 6 Weeks to repair. Broke again. Accelerated on its own. Too dangerous to drive. To initiate a recall, file complaint with www.safecar.gov then go to vehicle owners then file a complaint. Stay away from 2011 KIA Sorento.

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  Fuel Economy Package - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Allan M - September 4 - 5:40 am

  If fuel economy is important to you, get the Kia EX with the "Fuel Economy Package". Its worth the upgrade ($600) and you get a 5 speed auto instead of a 4 speed (averaging 38 mpg right now- mostly highway miles). The interior is nicely detailed for its class. Bluetooth and Sirius Radio are great features included w/ this car! Pretty roomy interior for its size(Im 65") and the trunk is big too! Overall, Im very happy with my purchase of the Forte (have owned it for a month) and would highly recommend it! Nice looks, great fuel economy, spacious interior, a lot of features for the money, and a great warranty. With all that, you cant go wrong!