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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  Overall Good Car - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Anthony J. - July 8 - 10:00 am

  Purchased car in 2005 when we had addition to our family. Looked at Altima, Malibu, Impala & Accord but they were more than we were willing to pay. Some how ended up on Kia lot and thats where the story begins. Took car for test drive:nice interior, sunroof, good power, auto-stick. I was really surprised. I havent had a single problem with it since Ive owned the car besides getting a new battery and routine maintanence. The paint job, however, isnt to good. Car doesnt hold its value.

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  Love the car! - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Jay Dee - July 8 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Kia Rondo in May 2010. My Saturn VUE was totaled, and fortunately, I got a good deal and was able to pay cash for the Rondo. This car is fun to drive, especially easy to access if you are short or disabled. There are two problems I have with this car. Gas mileage stinks! My SUV got better mileage than this! I get an engine knock when the A/C is on. The compressor was replaced (under warranty) but the noise continues.

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  Good Value - 2011 Kia Soul
  By Soul_Owner - July 8 - 10:00 am

  Ive had a 2011 Soul+ 5sp for a couple months and a few thousand miles now. It is a good value overall. Mechanically, it is a basic 4 cylinder economy car. The body design, roomy SUV-like seating position, and a generous feature list are what make the car attractive. Two consistent complaints with the 2010 model - rough ride/poor suspension and door panels that scratch up easily - have been addressed with the 2011 model. One shortcoming that remains is the final gear isnt tall enough so that you have high RPM at highway speeds (3,000 rpm @ 70 mph). MPG is good. I consistently get 26-28 mpg in mixed driving and got over 31 mpg on a purely highway trip.

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  Problems with the headliner - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Astons - July 8 - 10:00 am

  This is a our first brand new car we purchased! We were very happy until we noticed the headliner was not completely attached to the top of the car on the inside. They had to completely replace it! They ended up breaking the the back panels to replace it and those are on back orders! From then on it seemed something was wrong with things that were taken apart. They told me it was because we had a higher mileage car. It only had 18,000 when this h append. Im hoping this problem gets fixed and we have no more issues. Over all I love my Sorento!!

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  Great Value - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By draymun - July 5 - 7:50 pm

  Bought this car for my wife. She now has a little over 3k miles on it since purchase. We are pretty happy with the purchase and the value vs. price. Traded in an X5 and Expedition for this vehicle and so far no regrets. Interior is a bit bland and simple but nevertheless is not unappealing. The only complaint we have is that the air conditioning is not as strong as we are use to but does cool the car adequately after a short period of time. If you are planning to use the rear seat, the rear AC would probably be a good option to get.

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  Nice Ride - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Silverado - July 3 - 8:33 pm

  Bought this 2004 in April of 05. They were trying to get rid of the last of their 04s, so we got $4500 off MSRP. Got the car fully loaded, sunroof and all out the door for $12,600. What a great deal. Car drives very nicely, and is very quiet. Good power, smooth shifting manual.

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  Wont buy another Kia - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Leslie - July 3 - 3:20 pm

  I purchased this brand new, traded in an 06 Acura TL because the Sorento was safer for my 3 kids with the 5 Star safety rating and the insurance was MUCH cheaper. It was a great vehicle for the first year or so, then the brake lights stayed illuminated and had to take to the dealership for repair. It has leaked oil non-stop for the last 2 years, and the dealer wont fix it. The brakes squeal like an old Pontiac, dealer says "brake dust" but no matter what I do I cant get it to stop. Two recalls in the last year...brake light switch and passenger airbag sensor. Would LOVE to trade it in, but the trade in value is zip. I owe 23K after 3 years, trade in value, less than 10. Never again!

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  2013 Forte SX - 2013 Kia Forte
  By justin53955 - July 1 - 12:26 pm

  Ive had my Forte since Sept of 12 and thus far I have to say my major gripes are the crappier than expected fuel mileage... a tire that buldged out on me that they wouldnt cover under the warranty "because I must have hit something to make it break", and the leather on the steering wheel is so soft that if you happen to get out of your car with your keys in your hand, it tends to scrape the leather on the wheel as you grab it to get out and tear it... so within the first month of having it, they had to totally replace my steering wheel. Ride gets a tad stiff after a couple hours of driving for a long ways but awesome style and love the features

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  Clicking noise - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By estid - June 30 - 1:56 am

  I had my sorento LX since May 2011, I love everything about it except the clicking noise it make everytime I press on the brakes. The noise comes out from the gear box. 3 time I taken the car to the service department and every single time Im told that Its suppose to be that way. If I wanted a car with a noise I would have walk in to the used car lot. I also want to comment on the service It is horrible, evreytime I take my car for service they take 5 minutes and tell me that there is nothing wrong with my car. I also spoke with Kia Custumer Assitance and they say there is nothing they could do. Is anyone else have the same problem?

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  What I would expect... - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Vince - June 28 - 5:53 pm

  Good entry level SUV. On par with Geo Trackers and the like. The 2002 year has worked well. I have heard the horror stories from earlier models. Company has web site so I have been able able to do most repairs myself (weekend warrior) including the timing belt without too much effort. Good values available in the used market.