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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  2004 kia spectra - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By jcjnt - February 5 - 2:00 am

  Great warranty. Excellent price. But poor gas milage in first month. Not driving hard the gas mileage in regular conditions is 21-24 miles per gallon.

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  awesome - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By skyhawk - February 5 - 2:00 am

  unbelievable value, 8 air bags, large interior, cant be beat

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  still new - 2004 Kia Optima
  By RIchris - February 5 - 2:00 am

  I only just bought my Optima a bit over a week ago but having 26 years of driving experience i think I can rate it so far. It drives very well especially on the highway. Though the 4 cylinder isnt the peppiest ive driven its sufficient for getting up to speed in a timely manner. The interior is comfortable and easy to manage. The styling I think is what stands out most, it looks better in my opinion that most Accords and Camrys. So far so good for a comfortable new car under 20 grand.

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  Sorento review - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By sorentofan - February 5 - 2:00 am

  We shopped for a small midsize suv for over 1 year. We first where turned on to the Kia Sorento at the los angeles auto show in 2003. We looked at all suvs in this class, after test driving several different suvs, we found ourselves comparing all others to the sorento. Kias 100,000 mile warranty and luxury options convinced us that the Sorento was the car for us.

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  Used But Loved - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Paul Callaway - February 3 - 10:20 pm

  I bought my 2006 Kia Spectra SX used about 2 years ago and after a rough beginning fixin issues left by the former owner Ive really come to enjoy this car. The SX wheels, suspension and body are a plus over the other models and considering its a compact car it has plenty of interior room, a nice size trunk and more than enough umph to get around. If I keep a light foot on the pedal I can get MPGs in the mid to high 20s with mixed driving

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  never ever buy a kia again - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By nevereverkiaagain - February 3 - 10:00 am

  its totally a cheap dirt.i wish i could go back on time and did not buy this junk ( 2002 kia sportage ). you pay more than $20k with taxes , etc and on the second year you can sell it only at $12-13k. all the materials used are cheap. you cant imagine, they corrected the power windows 3 times and its not working today again. over 65 mph , the car is so affected by the wind that the car starts sliding to right and left. it becomes really hard to keep it in the lane. not enough storage. the cd player is a stupid cheap one.

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  The Rondo is a Steal - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By CelticRondo - February 2 - 12:06 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to drive around people at work and to travel around the states with two dogs. I can fit four adult in it all eating lunch comfortably. Took a four thousand mile drive through MN, NY, FL, and the Midwest. It handles the mountains and beaches with ease. I even had enough room to layout in the back to sleep on the road. I am comfortable driving it and my riders enjoy the extra room and cup holders. Its like a boring friend. It will do everything you ask of it but your hip friends dont like being seen with it.

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  Best value on the market - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Allan - February 2 - 11:23 am

  Amazing car for the price. I wouldnt trade it straight up for any non-hybrid in the medium sized sedan class. Great gas mileage on the road, comfortable and has plenty enough power. Looks nice and I have actually had people come up to me to comment on its beauty. Really!!!

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  Sedona Lover - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By mej - February 1 - 3:46 am

  Great vehicle. Drives well in snow. However, had problems with remote unlocking doors easily, bearings wore out quickly, and handles on sliding doors have failed to work on occasion.

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  Never Again - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By bnksmith - January 31 - 7:16 pm

  Purchased van w/ 48,000 miles. Ran fine when purchased. Heat caused dash compartment latch to break now its up all the time. Im not fat and side plastic on seat broke. A/C went out, spent 500.00-broke again-all summer!! Very squirrely in wet driving conditions-its all over the road. Traded out from Rendezvous, because I needed a van. Not much space in back when using 3rd row. (Should have stuck with Rendezvous) Having ghost lights on dash. Brake and other light on ALL the time-no reason. Engine light on-no reason. Gas mileage STINKS!! Figure Ill upgrade to Excursion. It gets around same MPG! HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!!!