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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  Like it all but the tires! - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Cmotif - August 30 - 10:00 am

  The car is peppy, looks different than other cars out there. I think that it is quicker than our 2002 Subaru GT Wagon. The main drawback is the poor quality stock tires. The tires wiggle just some shutting the doors. I can feel them flex too much in freeway driving. I want to replace them with quality tires and maybe slightly bigger wheels as soon as possible.

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  Great SUV - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By stockey - August 30 - 10:00 am

  The best SUV for the price.

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  Great So Far - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By cablerunner - August 30 - 10:00 am

  Overall great value, it hasnt snowed yet to test the 4WD, but it works well off road. Cant beat the price, warranty, or overall value in this class of SUVs. Get one and enjoy. Kia is going to win alot of people over with the Sorento!

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  GOOD RIG FOR THE $ - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By RICK - August 29 - 9:23 am

  I purchased my Sportage new to replace a nissan that had over 300k on it! My expectations were high and for the most part I am very satisfied. Now my Sportage has 246k miles and as long as I replace the drive belt and change the oil as scheduled I should get much much more out of it. The horsepower is a bit low so I ordered it with a manual 5 spd trans to help make up the difference and the cup holder is a piece of crap but other than that, I love it! My plan now is to retire it from the road and turn it into a toy for offroad!!

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  great choice! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Brittany - August 29 - 3:30 am

  I had wrecked my car only to find out that it was totaled and had to go on a shopping trip. I went to Hagerstown Honda because that is where I ALWAYS go, great people, great prices! Well I had a car salesman named Britton who was AMAZING. I told him the type of car I was looking for (and it was supposed to be used) and my price range. He said he had the perfect fit for me... he pulled around in the very same car I ended up purchasing. As soon as I got in I loved it. Its a fun little ride =)

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  Dont Do It..... - 2004 Kia Optima
  By ramon - August 28 - 9:13 pm

  I bought my first Kia in 2004, Optima Lx,4 cyl, numerous problems, radio went out, power steering hose leaked, windshield wiper motor out, timing belt defective, overheating problem not yet fixed, had trouble passing emissions, crank sensor went out(which shuts down motor completely) Will never buy a Kia again.

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  Van is trying to kill us - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By price family - August 28 - 5:46 pm

  Twice in a 12-month period our throttle body has needed replacing. "Normal" auto shops wont touch a Kia, so emergency repairs are a no-go: not helpful when mom has two babies in carseats and is literally stranded with a self-decelerating van on the side of a highway.

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  a money saving car - 2004 Kia Optima
  By jillianramos - August 27 - 10:00 am

  i love my kia optima, it is excellent on gas and the ride is as smooth as a cadillac. and the warranty program is outstanding.

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  Love our Amanti - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By d thompson - August 26 - 7:20 pm

  I have really enjoyed owning my Kia Amanti. It looks so sharp! My husband and I took it on vacation right after we bought it, and we received many compliments from other travelers when we stopped for gas, food, etc.

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  My Hampstermobile Rocks! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By nina Zimm - August 26 - 3:53 pm

  I traded in my Ford Escape Hybrid on a whim; after watching the Kia Soul hampster commercial on youtube several times. I am in love w/this car. I am 53 and bought the stick shift. Drives beautifully, is fun to drive, holds an amazing amount, and the radio is fabulous. The interior design is brilliant and Im told by passengers who have driven in my car that the back seat is really comfortable for adults and kids. I dont think it would be a comfortable ride for a long road trip, however, no small car is, in my mind. But for city driving, you cant beat the shear fun of a Kia Soul. I live in Florida w/oppressive heat , and love this air conditioner. It cools the car off very quickly!