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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  Love it! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By celestine5 - November 9 - 9:26 pm

  This is an excellent vehicle. I receive more positive comments about this car than any other. It really is the best bang for your buck. Excellent warranty. Awesome steering radius. And of course, ya gotta love the seat warmers. I have done many road trips with this vehicle and have had an extremely comfortable ride. Most of all, I feel safe with myself and my family in this vehicle.

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  Great Value and fun with a few caveats - 2012 Kia Optima
  By willj69 - November 9 - 2:17 pm

  A really fun car to drive with great looks. Absolutely love the inside and every feature, especially the cooling seats and keyless entry/startup. Disappointed in the paint as I have at least a dozen chips. Any little thing causes a chip or scratch. If this car had AWD, blind spot info, and a hard drive, it would be THE PERFECT CAR. It is pretty damn good as is.

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  Comfort and Style - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Gnome - November 9 - 12:03 am

  The Amanti is a very comfortable car for the person valuing a smooth ride. It is a bit soft for the sports driver however it handles and holds the road fine. It does not "like" to be thrown around, however it keeps its grip and does what it is told. I think upgrading the tires would help, but it really needs to have the shocks and springs upgraded. Perhaps to progressive springs so the ride will not be comprimised. The interior is excellent both is fit and quality. The exterior style you will either like or dislike. Dont fall into the trap of compairing this section of the car to other cars and calling it a copycat, it should be judged on the overall look of the car which I like.

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  i love my kia rio - 2007 Kia Rio
  By racahellee97 - November 8 - 1:10 pm

  i never ever though i would drive a small car again after getting hit and hurt in a bad car accident a few years ago. i have a suburban but the high cost of gas prompted me to look into a new car. I bought a used 2007 kia rio in march and i could not be happier!!! i adore my car. the color, the gas mileage, the compliments i get, the glares when i fill my tank for less than $35. its very fun, very sporty and puts a huge smile on my face when i get to sit in it. i never though i would ever drive a small car again, but with all my air bags, i wont be looking back.

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  GORGEOUS! - 2013 Kia Optima
  By funruffian - November 7 - 5:44 pm

  I bought this car 7 months ago and I am so happy to drive and step into it every day. The looks are Drop dead Gorgeous. The comfort is similar to sitting in your living room. The interior is High-end and state of the art. The drive is smooth and luxurious and I feel as if Im driving a $40,000 car.

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  Constant Recalls - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By C. Murray - November 6 - 2:36 pm

  It seems like it has been recalled for faulty engine bolt, now a recall for the induction replacement valve, plus service has been less than friendly. Take it to the dealer, walk into the service dept and they look at you like you have two heads! No "Welcome to KIA Service or Good Morning" just stares, like they just saw a deer in the headlights!! Wouldnt buy another one! Too much hassle for the money. I would take a chance on an American SUV! Called to get an appointment with the Service Dept. at the local KIA Dealer that advertises that they are open until 7:30 p.m. (called at 4:45 p.m.) - everyone had gone home! Wont Use BEYER VOLVO/KIA EVER! They could care less! Dont be fooled by the looks

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  2013 Sportage rear end - 2013 Kia Sportage
  By rottensox - November 6 - 5:50 am

  In my later posts, I described the problem with the rear differential leaking. The dealer replaced the differential twice. In the end, they put a totally different differential in. Judging by the date stamp on the casting, it was manufactured in 2010. So far, it seems to be working fine and theres no evidence of a leak. However, it did take them two weeks to fix it. They gave me a free cargo mat for the inconvenience. Big deal. I think, given the profit margin on the sale, they could have done MUCH better.

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  SO FAR SO GOOD,KIND OF SURPRISED - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By LEE - November 5 - 2:40 am

  Bought this 2008 new.Have driven it for a month. Wanted a hatchback instead of a sedan. Looked at Vibe,Mazda,Matrix but for the price of the KIA, others werent close. The most striking thing is the interior. LOTS of room everywhere. Not cheap looking and its loaded,remote,power windows,locks,cruise,ESC,ABS. Lots of storage space. The 4-cylinder gets to 65-70 smoothly and is surprisingly quiet. Gas mileage isnt great for an engine this size though. Im a little worried about the recall on the fuel pump. Under the hood,seems accesible, isnt jam packed Dont complain about how the car looks from the outside if you ended up buying it...duh. If my Rondo is this good in a year, Ill be sold.

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  Excellent - 2001 Kia Optima
  By PDBurns - November 5 - 2:00 am

  The car is great to drive, very resoponsive gets up to Hwy speed very quickly. Very little problems and what there was was taken care of right away. I would recomend this car to anyone.

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  My clutch went out - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By estradac17 - November 5 - 2:00 am

  I got this car new and have only put 40000 mile on it the clutch went out my goodyear did the work i have the parts they told me that the clutch was deffective i called kia no help take it to the dealer took it to the dealer just as i thought . its not the clutch it was the way i drive .. im 39years old and have had sticks all my life my nissans have all gotten 150k before they go out ... so much for the long haul warraniy