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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  A Great Gift to the World of SUV - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By George M - April 23 - 2:16 pm

  Sure everybody, all of us have our ups and downs, but your gonna have to go a long way to beat the little Sorento, What a great gift to the RV world! I cant wait to get a new one, Im sure it will be even better if thats possible. No complaints here!

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  Love it so far! - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By jamieay - April 23 - 10:00 am

  Paid $18,400 after rebates for my new 2003 Kia Sedona EX. Traded in a very problematic 1999 Ford Windstar. If youre looking for a new van, PLEASE go look into the Kia Sedona. Its 95% of a Sienna or Odyssey at 70% of the cost. Very comfortable, *excellent* fit and finish, good sound system, and a much more comfortable driving position than my old Windstar. To get an Odyssey at the same price, it would have to be 3 years old and have 50,000 miles on it. Transmission is extremely smooth. Each seat has its own AC/heat vents that can be directed and closed. BTW - My drivers seat also squeaked - fixed it with a thin coat of grease on the seat tracks.

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  Economical surprise - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Farm Boy - April 22 - 11:33 am

  I have had reliability and economy problems with Ford, GM, & Chrysler. Honda and Toyota are extremely expensive. Decided to try something else. We decied to go out on a limb and try the Kia. What a surprise! We love it. Good economy, handles great and more reliable than other brands I have owned. The first vehicle I have owned in years that I can drive all day and not get a back ache. And all this for $8,000 less than a comparablly equiped Honda or Toyota. I would recommend it to anyone. Any one interested in a minivan should give the Sedona a good hard look. They are great vans.

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  Take another look - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Richard - April 21 - 5:33 pm

  Traded in a 2013 Sorento for the redesigned 2016 EX V-6. Outstanding vehicle. Quite, plenty of power, excellent handling. I will definitely keep this one. Also have a 2011 Kia Optima EX fully loaded and love it. Traded in a Hyundai XG 350L in for it. Have 79,000 miles on it now with no problems. I will continue to buy Kias. UPDATE: Had the vehicle now for 10 months, 14800 miles. Still completely satisfied. Get around 26 city/30 highway. No complaints. Would definitely buy another. Extra alarms like the back up warning and cars in your blind spots are very nice features.

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  Update vs RAV4 Review 09-24-10 - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By sarge - April 21 - 10:00 am

  Never buy 1st year model! The latest on my Kia is the master cylinder went bad. Always had a "soft" brake pedal. Took it in to be checked. Needed a new master cylinder. Had to order new one. Dealer "fixed it"? two days later. Next morning pedal almost went to floor! Back to dealer. I didnt find ant TSB on a problem w/brakes. Wont get back for three days! Also problem w/pulling to right. Mechanic cross rotated tires to fix problem. Said was "radial pull". I already had tires rotated at last service. Didnt help. Havent driven it much since brake problem, so cant verify if fixed. So what is the big deal on the warranty if you have to continue bringing it to dealer for repairs!

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  2011 Kia Sorento - Just off the lot - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By fourwinns86 - April 21 - 10:00 am

  To be fair, Iva had the car for 3 days. Did lots of research before buying and was very impressed with this car. Ive had minivans for the past 20 years so this was the first itme in a while that I have been able to actually buy the vehicle I wanted. So far it has met all my expectations; handles great, quiet on the HWY, 25 mpg with only 200 miles on it. Got the 4 cyl FWD drive and it is a great combination of price and performance. I will be back once Ive had the car for a while to update this review but so far very impressed.

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  My Kia - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By kwinn - April 20 - 3:30 pm

  I bought mine on July 5th. Overall I am happy with the car. However I must say it lacks thigh support. After an hour on the highway my legs were begging for a break. The fuel economy is not that good either. I am averaging 26 on the highway on my automatic. Since I dont drive in the city that much I dont know what thats like. Its got a decent stereo and enough room in the back. Trunk is spacious and a great value over all. But if you have long legs buy something else. Cabin is very quiet on the highway, however tire noise is very prominent. It has ample power for a 4 cylinder. A/C is overworked and takes a long time to cool down on an 85 degree day.

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  2004 KIA SPECTRA EX - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Agram - April 19 - 2:30 am

  2004 KIA SPECTRA EX Automatic. Bought May 2004 in Lodi, CA – good buying experience. Good gas saver. Comfortable. Lazy automatic transmission. After just 10.000 miles my speedometer is dead. I ordered part; they say 7 to 10 days.

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  DONT BUY!!! - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By fedup - April 18 - 3:30 pm

  I have a 2005 Sedona. Never again will I buy a Kia. The brakes have to be replaced about every 5 months. The brake line has had to be replaced. The alternator had to be replaced. The front end will not stay lined up. The headlights have to be replaced about every 3 months. The fan control for the AC and the heat doesnt work anymore. Its hard to steer when its cold outside. All of this under 100,000 miles. Kia will not help to fix the problems. Had some scratches on it when we bought it. Kia would not fix. This has got to be the worst vehicle I have ever owed. Trade in value on it is only 2,000. Dealers will not trade with me. Cant even give the vehicle away. Dont waste your money!!

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  Move over Honda! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Keep it Affordable - April 17 - 2:00 am

  The features that you get for the money cannot be beaten! Great ride and very family friendly. Smooth solid and quiet ride which offers many extra features at no cost.All in all go for it you wont be disappointed.