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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  Excellent - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Kenny - November 30 - 5:10 pm

  I drove Honda-CRV and Toyota-RAV4. But I choose Kia-Sportage this time because of my budget which is $5,000 cheaper. I am not sure the durability of this car compared with the above Japanese cars. However,My Sportage has been better than CRV or RAV4. Sportage seems stronger and much more comfortable than CRV, and much less noisy than RAV4. I love my sportage so far.

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  Overall pleased. - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By kiaveteran - November 30 - 4:13 pm

  I bought this car when I was driving a predominantly city commute, and the gas mileage was rather disappointing (no higher than 29, mostly 25-27). However, Ive moved, and I have a more rural cruising commute, and gas mileage has gone up to 30-32. Nice comfort, interior and storage space for a small car, and reliability has been excellent. I get in, and it starts up the first time every time. A little too much lean in the corners with any semblance of speed, but a comfy ride. A great commuter car, and the safety features are a class above the price class. Kia is worth checking out, and it seems the word is getting out about that.

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  Great Car but not as great mpg as they advertise ! - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By daneza - November 30 - 4:02 pm

  I bought this car for the appealing advertisement : great price, great mpg for a large SUV. Very quiet, very comfortable, lots of features (i.e. ipod, ventilated seats, a third row, AC on second row and third row, improved safety bags, etc). The sticker advertise 24 – 34 with large prints and small prints up to 38 ! We said: for sure we can get out of it at least 30. I drive over 500 miles / week with a 90% highway. I already put 3000 miles on this car and the best I could get out of it was 25 mpg. On the instantaneous mpg display I can go up to 30, but the pure math of dividing the total mpg per tank with total amount of gallons of gas is the final mpg of a car. That is 25 mpg so far!

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  Kia Rio -Very Good Value - 2004 Kia Rio
  By geolehman - November 29 - 10:00 am

  Love to drive this car. In over a year and a half have had two very minor repairs. Drives and rides like a small, but not tiny, car and gives a pleasing roar if pushed. Suspension, brakes, and power are more than adequate. It is delivering 32-38 mpg on the road at aggressive to gentle driving Overall average is just shy of 30 mpg with a lot of sub-zero winter city driving. The base Rio at $8,000, when discounted, is a better deal even with its undeserved steep depreciation. I had low expectations of a car at this price. However by my experience the Rio is a very solid well put together machine, which delivers more than just basic transportation.

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  Classy car - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By judyandjim - November 29 - 10:00 am

  I went to the dealership for a test drive. Two hours later I was driving it home. This is one classy looking car! It looks like a cross between a Mercedes and a Lincoln, but at less than half the price. It has every feature and option I could ask for, plus a beautiful exterior (Ive had many complements) and a quiet, refined interior. Its clear that Kia has gone the extra mile to build quality in their top of the line model.

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  Love this car! - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By A2003S - November 27 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for a month now and I was able to get it at a great price! I absolutely love everything about it, especially the style! I am very pleased with this car and everytime I look at it, I am proud to say I own it!

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  Excellent SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Curtis Miller - November 26 - 8:43 pm

  I purchased the Sorento to replace a Jeep Grand Cherokee that had 150K miles. For the cost, the Sorento cant be beat. But be aware that gas mileage is not great. I drive 85 miles a day and have been averaging about 18mpg which isnt bad but a bit lower than my Jeep. I havent had any issues with the Kia except for one "recall" dealing with the control unit for the passenger air bag. I didnt buy the Sorento for off-roading; but now that winter is approaching I do expect to get to test out its driveability in snow. I dont expect to be disappointed. A good buy!

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  2nd review of my EX Turbo - 2011 Kia Optima
  By donnie71281 - November 24 - 7:55 pm

  Ive not put a little over 800 miles on my 2011 Turbo EX. Not a single problem. My Optima tracks 100% Straight on the freeway with NO left pull at all. Ive read of others having the left pull issue and i agree that you should test drive the car on the freeway first. Though I would say that of ANY car. This problem isnt an uncommon issue with electric steering(generally sofware related). Honda and VW have had the same issue. Our 2003 accord has started the left pull again. I still love my Optima 1,000,000 times more than i did the Accord Ex-L V6 i test drove. Im also going on week 3 without a trip to the gas station. Really love that.

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  More than I expectedÂ… - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Islanders - November 23 - 4:46 pm

  I have only had the Spectra5 for a week, but Im 63 and have plenty of head room and enough leg room in both the front and back seats. The cabin is roomy with good cargo space. Nice trim kit, power windows, locks, strong AC. A great car to drive. Im also impressed with the build quality. Nice solid feel to the transmission, and engine, etc from the first time I test drove it. Getting 30 mpg mixed driving with AC on. Im trying to conserve fuel, but also havent been passed by anyone. That might drop a little if it is a real grid lock urban crawl. So far Im very pleased. I had a trailer hitch installed for a bike rack. Also getting Thule roof racks and sat radio. Great car.

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  Great Car for a Great Price - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By johndoend - November 22 - 10:00 am

  I was very hesistant about buying a Kia, but after having this car for a month, Im not sure theres many better vehicles in this price range. The vehicle has awesome safety features and has a very quiet ride. I am 64" and my legs can actually move underneath the steering wheel, something I cant even do in a Subaru Forester. The interior and exterior are well designed and almost make the car look European. The EX model comes with several key features, like remote entry and power windows. This vehicle does well on the interstate and gets at least 30 miles to the gallon. The warranty is awesome. Kia has done an amazing job in making this car.