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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  Great Buy, Great Ride - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Sheila Ann - May 30 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Kia Spectra for one year now and for the price, you cant beat it. Sure there were a couple of minor issues, however, Im not sure why everyone has expected so much from a car with such a low price sticker. Basically, you get what you pay for. Im very satisfied with the quality of my Kia and when it comes with a 10 yr, 100,000 mile warranty and 30 mpg on the highway, I cant complain! You wont go 0 to 60 in 1.2 so if you want that type of performance, write the check! I certainly would recommend a Kia to anyone who wants a sporty looking vehicle to get them from point A to point B.

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  Gas - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By carpooler - May 30 - 2:00 am

  Gas mileage is horrible. The controls above the dashboard have no illumination at night so are hard to see. You dont know if you are opening the sunroof or the rear side window. The seats are removable but are extremely heavy to take in or out. I as a female could easily remove the seats in our previous Pontiac Transport, but cannot do it alone or at all with the Kia.

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  LOVE OUR SPORTAGE! - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Helen - May 28 - 3:56 pm

  Wow! We love it! We test drove & purchased after driving comparable SUVs in the smaller but updated category. We also own a 2004 Kia Sedona & love the van after 2 Dodge Caravans. The worst vans we ever owned … as I have heard from many! Look at JD Powers reviews. We look forward to many years with our "KIA Family.” My extended family has also purchased a Kia Sedona & a Kia Sportage.

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  Great affordable, reliable car. - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By shellbee3 - May 26 - 2:20 am

  I purchased my car last year with 86,000 miles on it. I now have 100,500 miles on it and its doing great. I took this car on a 2,000 mile road trip in the summer and my Spectra did fine. I do have to say that one con for this car is that it does not get up to speed very quickly on the highway. When I try to accelerate the engine feels weak and buzzy; it gets pretty loud and I dont go much faster. Beside that, its a reliable car that gets me to and from work and around town with no problem. I get about 30 MGH combined city/highway. The interior is very roomy and comfortable even with five people seated. The trunk is deep which is awesome for travel. Overall a great, reliable car.

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  Excellent Product - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Andrew - May 25 - 12:03 pm

  Incredible dealership, great value car. Thank God for Kias high depreciation rate, bad for them but good for me, Ill drive this one into the ground. Extremely cheap extended warranty added 6 yrs, 80K miles! Paying less 180/mo for 48 mos. Comfortable, although I miss power windows and locks.

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  2007 Kia Rondo - 5 seats - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By akr71 - May 25 - 5:26 am

  We traded in our Spectra5 for a Rondo and are very happy with it. For a 3 person, 1 large dog family that likes to go camping, a hatchback just wasnt cutting it. Roomy, well thought out, lots of storage, decent legroom in the back for an adult. For a 4 cylinder, the engine has a lot of pep. We dont get it out on the highway much, so the fuel economy is suffering some (barely over 20 MPG), but have just hit 3000 miles, so Im expecting it to improve somewhat.

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  Love my Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By MJT7 - May 25 - 2:00 am

  After test driving the Sorento I left the dealership with a huge smile on my face. Thinking it was too good to be true, I test drove every other SUV in its class. I kept going back to the Sorento so I bought one! I love it! You cant and wont find a better vehicle with all the bells and whistles at this price! I even liked it over the Honda Pilot!!! A test drive is all you will need!

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  I love my Sorento! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Lisa B. - May 25 - 2:00 am

  Im a very new Sorento owner, but so far a very happy owner! I researched all types of SUVs before choosing the Sorento. For the low cost and looks of this vehicle, there is nothing on the market comparable! Im sad to admit that I actually look forward to waking up and driving to work, just so I can drive it! Now thats sad!! What a fun and beautiful SUV!!

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  Dutch Review - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By erm59 - May 25 - 2:00 am

  Hello everybody, this is a review from the Netherlands. I drove 2 Nissan Patrols for the last years and looked for something more comfortable with a nice price. This car has everything in it and i am very happy with it! It is fun to drive and people like the car because it looks good.

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  Rio rocks! - 2008 Kia Rio
  By oldsubguy - May 25 - 12:10 am

  After trading in my 15 MPG American "Tank", I am well pleased with my Rio! The difference in gas price alone amounted to over $200/Mo. which is a good portion of the payment. Nimble, sure, and attractive lines (IN my opinion). I could not be more pleased. I like the fact that I did not have to pay for a useless car alarm either. (I think we quit listening to them about a year after they came out). No bloody power this or that to break either and I can reach the passenger window crank without causing a crash on the freeway