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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  Hidden Gem - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Allan - August 10 - 6:56 pm

  Drove this car and immediately fell in love with it. Acceleration very good, mileage good for a six, handling OK, impressive build quality, no problems when purchased and none yet. Exterior is simple yet classy looking. No chrome on LX, but I dont like chrome. Oil change was simple to do. Virtually the same car as EX minus the sunroof, power seats and auto rear view mirror. I found the non-power seats to be better padded and more comfortable. Interior space is impressive. Factory standard radio is ok, but I replaced with aftermarket radio with more bells and whistles. Easily the best buy Ive made on a new car in years!

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  Grandma Mobile - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By S Johnson - August 9 - 5:29 pm

  The Kia Sorento SUV, V6, is my kind of car. It is what I traded in to get another one. It has get up and go when you need it. It handles well and has amazing safety features. I really love the blind spot sensors. The car rides well and is very comfortable. It will hold all 5 of my grandkids with plenty of room for their stuff. Cowboy Kia in Conroe, Texas, has a wonderful Customer Service Department. They listened to me and helped me find the car I wanted. It took awhile to find light colored interior, but I got it. I look forward to having this car for a long time and getting my moneys worth out of it for sure. I test drove both the V6 and Turbo. The V6 had the power I wanted and thats what I got. I am very excited about my new car!

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  This car is hot!! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Pat Lippy - August 9 - 1:46 pm

  I fell in love with this car the first I saw it - so cute - but the big thing was the functionality. It is all things to all people - peppy - nice comfortable seats - great ergonomics. Havent filled up with gas so not sure about the gas mileage but that wasnt a deciding factor. Just wanted to upgrade my wife out of the Dodge (just went off warranty) to something she liked that had loads of warranty and was a great buy!

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  BEWARE of the left pull!! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By jfogs - August 9 - 1:27 pm

  Purchased brand new 2011 Kia Optima from Nationwide Kia in Timonium MD. Car was defective off the lot with a marked left pull that requires constant pressure on the wheel to keep the car from flying off the road. DO NOT believe the dealer if they say they can fix the car. This is a known defect with many Optimas and their kissing cousin Sonatas. I was told there is "nothing else we can do and your car still pulls to the left" from their "service" tech. I have lemon with 800 miles on it - great.

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  Kia Rio 07...actually love it - 2007 Kia Rio
  By iamninja41 - August 9 - 8:23 am

  I went from an 03 impala to an 07 Rio. Lots of loss in room, But much more gained in MPG and Reliability. Definitely not a family car, but for a high school or college student, work car, or first car, this is perfect. Cheap off the lot, cheap on gas, NOT cheaply made. An extremely nice car. Definitely not luxury, but who needs that expensive stuff anyways.

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  Kia yeah right! - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By foryrord - August 8 - 10:06 am

  I will honestly say I never thought Id ever own a Kia. A minivan maybe but "no not a Kia". Well this minivan is the real deal. Lets start with Toyota and Honda, well thats if you can push your way to the front of the line at the stealership and deal with the "our way or the highway" attitude. Well I did some research and bypassed the the red dots all together and went to the local Kia dealer and test drove the Sedona LX . Bought it! Bottom of the line and still exceptional in every way. Build quality and performance are remarkable; very quiet on the highway. My only complaint so far is with the exterior its kinda bland but not ugly.

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  so far sogood - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By marrero - August 7 - 4:00 am

  sofar so good

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  Dont know about this one - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By CC - August 7 - 1:10 am

  The car has had its share of breakdowns and I will be glad to get my new car next week. You can feel the bumps on the road and the rubber around all four doors is coming off. I tried to get a CD player and the panel would not come off because the screws would not budge. Lately performance has been okay but I have not forgotten about the past. I guest you get what you pay for.

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  New Ride - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Harry Callier - August 6 - 4:57 pm

  If considering the premium package, definitely consider the touring package. You get a much better screen (Nav/multimedia) and the glass roof (panoramic sunroof) is unbelievable. In our case the cost difference was only $44 / month payment wise. So, we got the touring and have not regretted the purchase.

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  I love my Kia! - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Jewle - August 6 - 10:00 am

  I would recommend the Kia Sportage! I bought a vehicle to slow me down, and take my time, this one is it. It runs great, and if I get stuck in snow or ice, I have 4 wheel drive. Shes cute too!