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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  Solid/Fun/Value - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Billy Moorer - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Handling fits todays driving. Storage is a extra value. Styling is among the high end models. Kia Sorento is a friendly user vehicle with extras beyond expection. This Kia has changed me even after owning 6 Cadillacs. If the service is as impressive as the vehicle, I will buy another. Thanks, Billy Moorer

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  Fun to Drive - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By ETina - January 24 - 10:00 am

  I really enjoy driving my Sorento, the interior and sound system are great. Gas mileage is better then I expected, and the roomy interior can sit 5 adults. There is ample interior storage space and pockets. Great SUV. Minor problems

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  Overall Perfect SUV - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By ValMc1 - January 24 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Sorento since November 2002 and I absolutely love it! I love the fact that it looks like some of the high-end SUVs but doesnt break my bank! The only improvement I wish I could get is the gas mileage, Im getting about 18 miles/gallon. But overall I am extremely satisfied with my purchase! And with the 10 year warranty, I plan to drive this car forever!

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  3 words RIGHT FRONT STRUT - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By NotLuxury - January 23 - 12:30 am

  The car is beautiful. The right front strut is a disaster. It may look like a luxury car; it may be priced a little under the luxury cars, but the right strut noise makes this purchase my worst nightmare. Dont trust the test drive unless you can keep it for at least two weeks.

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  A fun , practical commuter ! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By thekevman - January 22 - 7:13 pm

  Ive owned it for a couple of weeks, and Im very happy with the car! Great combination of agility , ride height giving good sight lines in city traffic, economy and roominess. American car makers are behind the curve designing big box economy cars.I looked at Cube , XB , and Elantra Touring - the Soul beat em all !

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  Lacks power - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By Alexa - January 22 - 11:50 am

  I thought I could love this small SUV but after trading in my 06 Trailblazer for it in an effort to get better gas mileage (was only getting 13 mpg in the Trailblazer), Im sorely disappointed that Im only getting 18-19 mpg (mostly city driver). Fairly comfortable for around town, horrible on hills... dont even think about taking it on mountain roads like we did - it was exhausting. Definitely lacks pickup and refinement.

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  My new Kia is better than the last - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Lynne Pizette - January 22 - 9:51 am

  The 2017 Kia EX Sportage AWD is the sportiest SUV around. Really like the way it looks. Ive owned the car less than 2 weeks so Im still learning it, but so far its great! I owned the Sorento previously, never liked it and never thought Id get another Kia, but after researching and testing multiple vehicles I liked this best and the price was right.

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  Pre Owned Kia - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Ben - January 22 - 5:00 am

  Purchased this car in early March, with 14,000 miles on the clock. Have put 6,000 miles on it in 3 months. Averaging 21 mpg 80/20 highway city split. (75 mph over hilly WV terrain). Very pleasant dealership experience. The USB adapter seems to have stopped working, the only flaw against this car.

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  Love my new KIA except for one thing. - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By A. D. Odom - January 21 - 7:04 am

  My new Sorento SX is loaded with goodies and I love it. The goodies are better designed and easier to operate than my Wifes new Lexus LS460. The nav. is much more "Americanized". The ONLY PROBLEM that I have is, Im a big guy and the drivers seat if very uncomfortable due to the very hard bolsters. They are very hard and gives me hip pain when I sit in the seat. After much searching, I found a cushion that makes it much more comfortable to drive. It takes a little more effort to get seated as I have to try to adjust the cushion when I get in. I guess they design these seats for small Korean folks with small butts. If you have a large rear end, ya better be careful before buying this car.

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  Kia??? You bet! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Mike - January 20 - 11:13 pm

  Never thought I would ever buy a Kia. Did TONS of research and after looking at everything got an EX with Luxury Package. Great features for the money, plus the rebates made the truck an awesome deal. Like it more than a friends Lexus 300 which has too soft a ride. Looks great. My wife drives it and the only concern I had was that it would be too "trucky" as she had a Honda CRV, but for almost all her driving which is a mix of highway and city, it is awesome. Fast enough, good handling, and very solid ride but not too bumpy. A little wind noise on Windy days, a little jolt on big bumps but overall A+! Way better than CRV for the $$$. Should get the lux package for the full time 4WD.