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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  comfort, styling, safety - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Brie - November 5 - 2:00 am

  My Amanti is such a pleasure to drive. It handles excellently, and is so luxurious. I think also that it is a really safe car. I just love it.

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  Nice SUV but.... - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By chris - November 4 - 10:33 pm

  I love the look and handling of my 2009 Kia Sportage but, the headrests are at the most uncomforatable angle and there isnt anything I can do to adjust them. The angle is too far forward!

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  Best van ever - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By david/susan - November 4 - 10:00 am

  I have owned several mini vans-all GMs.The Kia is way above these in quality and price. The van is exceptional in design in and out and I look forward to spending several years driving this vehicle. Handling and fit/finish are excellent. Gas mileage is so so. Probably because the van is so heavy and has earned 5 stars across the board for crash worthiness!

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  Thinking of Buying the Sedona? - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Frost - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Just a review from someone who has heard a lot of bad stuff about KIA. Check out the warranty.If it lasts longer than how long youre going to pay on it.we compared this 2002 Sedona to the Dodge or Chrysler mini-van in its class, among others...and you just cant beat it. The price,the interior. It looks good it feels good to drive. Although I was dissapionted that I had to pay extra for ABS . I have to rate my overall experience ,So far so Good! Ive heard lots about the sephias and the sportages having really bad luck in 1999. But I encourage you to look at the current years product, youll be impressed.

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  Noisy clanking and knocking suspension - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By FABNY - November 4 - 4:50 am

  Nice quiet ride on smooth roads at all speeds. BAD suspension. Rattles and knocking sounds from front right side only on minor bumps.Did this from day 1 and now over 3500 miles still the same. Even a new one at dealer did the same thing. 3 attempts to fix at dealer results in "COMMON TO THIS VEHICLE"! Come on Kia lets get this fixed or its bye bye Kia forever.

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  Luxury SUV for a great value - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Paula - November 4 - 2:33 am

  We are very pleased with this vehicle. It provides a very planted, quiet and smooth driving experience. All the bells and whistles are appreciated including the warnings which are very helpful to aging drivers. We researched this vehicle for over two months including Mazda CX-9 (handles great but less substantial and sub-par navi/entertainment), Honda CRV (smaller, intrusive lane keeping assist), Honda Pilot (top end 9 speed tranny has a bad rep and too high to enter/exit), Suburu Outback (entertainment system sub-par, noisier 4 cyl., 6 cyl harder to steer) and Highlander (runner-up, great vehicle but no Apple CarPlay and less luxury features). The Sorento has great acceleration for an SUV (V6), handles reasonably well considering its size and gets good gas mileage (typically 24-28 highway, 19-22 around town). We leave it in normal mode, seeing little/no difference with ECO mode in gas mileage. Beyond the basic character of the vehicle we like the adapted cruise control, heated steering wheel and seats, ventilated seats in hot weather, and the navi/entertainment system (easy to pair phones, Apple Carplay, Google search using phone hotspot and KIA navigation, and the appearance is very appealing).

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  Fun to Drive! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By Wayne - November 3 - 6:56 pm

  Good PEP for a 4 cylinder. Exceptional handling around curves. Gas mileage isnt the greatest (31 MPG combined City/Hwy).

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  3 months of ownership, radio gone - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By GH - November 3 - 11:20 am

  My radio went at mile 3,700. I took it to the dealer and was told a "refurbished" one would be installed. I was told it would take 4 days, then told up to two weeks and today, due to back order it could take up to 2 months to replace. Refurbished because they say that is all the Kia offers. And forget about calling "customer care" they do nothing to get the matter resolved, they just confirmed there was a back order of refurbished radios and there was nothing they could do. I would have to wait. I suggested getting a radio from a vehicle on the lot, no can do, they said. By the way, I will need a new dash since I now have three screw driver marks and scratches that were left on the dash.

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  Now that its fixed, I love it - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By irritatrux - November 2 - 8:56 pm

  I had trouble with my Sedona when new; the battery kept draining. It took the dealer awhile to find the problem (a computer module wasnt connected tightly), but they were so helpful, and KIA even called me a couple times during the repair without me asking for their help. I was impressed with their customer service; it made an annoying issue easier to deal with. Once that little problem was solved, the van has been a dream. I took it on an 1800 mile trip last month, and it performed flawlessly and was so relaxing to drive. Normally that kind of trip tires me out, but the driving comfort is so great that I was able to drive lots further in a day than normal. I cant wait to take more trips.

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  Happy Kia Owner - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By Keith - November 2 - 5:13 am

  I bought my Kia Sportage last December and I love it. I have taken several long distant trips with it and never have had a problem. It is comfortable to drive, fun to drive and more roomy than expected. I have a wife and two small children and we and all of our stuff fit in it when we travel. Also, I went out shooting in the desert when it was really muddy and the 4WD handled like a pro. My dad just went out and bought one.