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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  owener - 2004 Kia Rio
  By sueallanmatulis@aol. - September 1 - 10:00 am

  great little car. excellent for a towing behind motorhome. plenty of pep.great mileage- 31-35 mpg. a fun little car to drive. no problems since new.

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  Rio Cinco - 2004 Kia Rio
  By Dumb Ass - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Bought the Cinco almost two yers ago and have no complaints about the quality. There are some toys I would have like to have had, cruise for one. I get 32 MPG on the highway and 20 plus in town. It zips through the traffic well and handles great. I have always had big crs, caddies, Imperials, maxima, etc and I like this one fine. Suits my purpose and like the gas mileage.

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  A quiet smooth ride and more.... - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Jordie - September 1 - 10:00 am

  I drove SUVs for 15 years, now that I have an Amanti, I cant stand to even get in an SUV! It was time for a little luxury and the Amanti offers that and lots more. Love my Amanti.

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  Great Commuter Car - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Long Commute - September 1 - 10:00 am

  I drive approx. 150 miles a day in my car. The ride is quite comfortable and I think I got alot of features for the money. For the $15.5K on the sticker I could either drive a stripped sedan either from the US or Japan. I am quite pleased with the quality "feel". -Good acceleration -Quiet ride -Around 30 mpg highway -Comfortable seating

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  Love my Kia - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By MJ04 - September 1 - 10:00 am

  This is a wonderful vehicle! Plenty of room but still easy to park on a busy street. Even my tall family (all over 66") fit comfortably and have plenty of leg and head room. Always get lots of compliments on this car.

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  This is a Kia? Really? - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By newzie - August 31 - 5:26 pm

  We wanted a larger SUV (traded an 09 Ford Escape) with AWD. Looked at the Mitsubishi Outlander SE, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Chevy Equinox, and Ford Escape. Feature for dollar the Kia cant be beat. The ride is very good and comfortable. The vehicle is rather roomy and the design is very pleasing with some nice touches. But dont touch that plastic. While it looks expensive with is graining, its harder than a rock!

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  Better than expected - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By KiaOwner - August 31 - 9:30 am

  Weve had the car about 4 months and 6,000 miles now and have been very pleased with it. Other than a recall on the gas tank, weve no problems with it. The dealership was very unhelpful right from the purchase, but the payoff has been a great vehicle for relatively little cost. We looked at all of the small SUVs and this one was by far the most comfortable and well assembled. Its small enough to move around easily but big enough to throw a bunch of groceries in back and carry 5 people comfortably. Its quiet -- much more so than any car Ive owned before. For the money, I couldnt be more pleased with it. I like it much better than my sister-in-laws CRV!

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  This vehicle is incredible - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Mike Mosby - August 30 - 8:03 pm

  Despite the lack of horsepower that the big three have on their vehicles, customers definitely wont be disappointed with this vehicle. My family and I took this vehicle on a road trip a few weeks ago and were amazed on the smoothness of the ride the Amanti offered. I really hope people dont fall for the name game and let a smooth talking saleperson from Toyota, Nissan, or Honda talk them out of this quality vehicle.The only thing these other companies could said negative about the Amanti is the resale value. This doesnt matter to me because I keep my vehicles for a long time anyway. The Kia Amanti gives you big bang for your buck$.

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  So glad I bought it! - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Terry - August 30 - 1:20 pm

  How can you beat this car at this price! It rides great, is extremely comfortable and has all the features I wanted. I traded in a Lincoln Continental which was a great car but Im glad I did. Love the Cream Gold color with the Black interior - it looks soooo rich. I work at a professional service firm and I cant believe how many people have made positive comments about my new sweet ride! Cant wait to have a reason to go somewhere. I open the moon roof, turn on the fantastic Infinity stereo system and Im in heaven!

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  cracked windshield - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By jlovesgolf - August 30 - 10:00 am

  great van, rides great. Also had a problem with the windshield cracking by the defroster, anybody have any luck at the dealer? would highly recommend to anyone. Got the 02 EX with rebate for same price as 03 LX