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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  Kia Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Sue Kushel - October 14 - 2:03 am

  Love this SUV! The size is perfect. I had the Sportage before and it was a little small. The only drawback is the gas mileage, but now that the gas prices have come down, I can live with that. Not only do I love the car, but the stereo system is awesome. Love the fact that I can store the CDs and they are ready to play instantly. My only complaint would be that the gold trim paint seems to chip very easily. I have to be really careful not to hit it with my foot when Im getting in the car.

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  GREAT SUV - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By BROMLEY - October 13 - 9:13 am

  The Kia Sorento has very high quality and performance. It has lots of standard features, including a double five star rating.

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  Good, solid if unspectacular car - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By mjone182 - October 12 - 9:40 pm

  Having now driven this car as a primary for 27k miles, this car is a good one. Easy to work on, even if youre a backyard mechanic. Lots of room, even for a family of six (all small children). Downside, theres not a real trunk space if you have the third row. Positives, plenty of extras even on the base model, pre-drilled holes for mounting aftermarket towing kits and side rails, plus it gets better gas mileage than a minivan. So far, no major maintenance has been needed.

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  Nice get around town vehicle - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By azmark - October 12 - 8:16 pm

  Fuel mileage has been better than expected (27 MPG), performance with the 4 cyl a little sluggish, loud engine noise while cruising at freeway speed. Sensor light came on for ESC Off about 4 days after purchasing, finally getting fixed this week. Car feels a little cheaply made, but you get what you pay for. For purposes of getting around town, its a nice enough vehicle. Would marginally recommend.

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  Dont buy this car - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Harald Wheeler - October 12 - 10:00 am

  I was looking for a cheap car. And I found it. My friends said pay just a little more and buy the Hyundai Elantra. I wish I would have listened. This car has been in the shop twice a month for check engine lights, stalling when hot, broken window regulator and shuddering when braking. The resale is not too far off from being a write off. I am going to bite the bullet and get rid of it first chance.

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  2006 Kia Sedona LX - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Wyndham23 Graham - October 11 - 5:10 pm

  Review by Wyndham 23, age 14. I find that the new Sedona is a huge step up from the previous models. The ride is comfortable and smooth and it handles like a car rather than a van. The 244 horsepower V6 engine gives it a nice boost. The design is highly similar to the Honda Odyssey but far cheaper and has an excellent warranty. All of the seats recline and it features tri-zone climate control. There is comfortable seating for seven with plenty of room. The 3rd row folds flat into the floor easily. The Sedona is sure to lead the competition against the Chevy Uplander and the Dodge Caravan, both who dont feature nearly as much comfort, power or reliability as this great vehicle.

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  Needs Improvement - 2009 Kia Rio
  By jrhorner - October 11 - 12:10 pm

  The Rio is an excellent commuter car. However, paying 17200 for this car new with the warranty was a mistake. Purchased w/out A/C, power steering, or power options. Dealership said A/C absolutely could not be installed. The car accelerates fine as long as you are willing to rev the engine all the way up to 4000 rpms. Handles well even w/out powersteering.

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  Kia Borrego - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By SAHD - October 9 - 5:40 pm

  Went with the LX for expense and I didnt want leather or the Nav system. Just the basics with 4wd. Totally impressed so far with the mileage (around 20 highway). Handles well and rides very quietly. Very happy with the purchase so far. The true test will be the offroad ability (8.5 inches of ground clearance concerns me). I looked for 4 months in California at multiple different makes and models. My requirements: 4wd with third row seats and room in the back for adults. There are other choices out there; however, the Kia had the best fit for your family. Most importantly, the price was about $10K under the competition and they threw in a 10 year 100K mile warranty on everything.

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  impressed! Ive had the car for 9 months-no regrets - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Jennifer Clark - October 8 - 10:03 am

  Go test drive and look at the SXL-I have the 2 row one, I didnt need 3 rows. I got the 2016 almost as soon as it came out after poring over many crossover reviews, test drives etc. I wanted as much in terms of features and comfort as I could get for a decent price.This was by far the best deal for the money I could find. VERY comfortable, great features- LOVE the heated steering wheel.Extremely sharp styling both inside and out.Mine is black on black and even in deep south, was very comfortable last summer in very hot weather. Only thing I didnt get was the very top technology package with the front camera-I do have the rear camera, lane change warning,cross traffic rear warning, navigation, blue tooth, satellite radio, huge sunroof etc. Many usb ports- first 2 oil changes/services very affordable.After suffering through Mercedes Benz after warranty services I will never get one of those German so called luxury vehicles again. A BMW or MB crossover suv with these features wouldve run about 30-40 thousand more and it truly looks just as good side by side and is wonderful to drive.

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  7 years & 90k miles- still feels like new! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By pakialover - October 6 - 2:22 pm

  I drive about 12k miles/year with a good mix of city and highway. I have had no maintenance issues with this car whatsoever. I just do the regularly scheduled preventative maintenance and thats it. I sometimes forget I bought this car way back in 2006. It still feels brand-new after all this time. American car companies could learn a thing or two about quality from Kia. I will be a Kia customer for life, for sure.