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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  my sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By jerry smith - October 6 - 10:00 am

  we love our sorento for its looks,power,drivability and comfort. only problems have been a horn replaced under warranty and one head lamp had to be replaced which i did myself and found it to be quite easy. the quality has been excellent so far and routine service from our dealer has been great. we would highly recommend this vehicle for its value and quality.only compaint if you would call it that is lower than desired mileage! all in all a gray suv!!

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  My Kia is sweet! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By dana rodrique - October 6 - 9:20 am

  This is my first SUV and I did a lot of research before buying one. I love the looks first of all, then the 5 star safety rating was important to me. The interior is very impressive and it is a dream to drive. I have taken 2 long road trips and it was very comfortable and the ride was smooth. I love the electric drivers seat and the tilting headrests. There are a lot of very nice features on this SUV.

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  Wheel alignment - 2006 Kia Optima
  By luigi54c - October 6 - 7:14 am

  Ever since I took this car out of the dealership, new in 2006, it had problems pulling to the right. I took it back 3 times to the dealer and they could not fix it. At times they used the values of the 2004 model. I have taken it to other alignment shops, and the alignment problem never got good. It pulls to the right. Yesterday i was changing the oil filter and I noticed 3 shims 1/16" thick on one side of the frame. It looks like the frame is the problem, it was never straight.

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  18 Months... the Paint!! - 2011 Kia Soul
  By hamster_rider - October 5 - 11:27 pm

  So Ive owned my Kia Soul for 18 months, still love driving it, maintenance is a no brainer, however, while washing it today I noticed a fine rusting (white car) on most panels, even the major plastic pieces!! I will be calling Monday for an appointment, I just am putting it out there for others to watch for, I live in Florida so no winter conditions here, no road salt etc. I will update after it gets looked at. Others have posted with paint issues, better safe I guess. The only problem with the car to date is the brake light switch at the pedal failed and it took the dealer 5 days to get me in to replace the switch, which of course was a warranty repair. So no brakes for 5 days

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  Nice car, Good dealership experience - 2012 Kia Optima
  By roop07 - October 5 - 3:04 pm

  Bought the Optima 2 weeks ago. Very nice car with lots of luxury features for the price. Good power and handles well on the road. Had a wonderful experience at Hollwood Kia in Broward County. No hassle.

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  Trip Car - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Colorado Mountaineer - October 4 - 10:00 am

  We selected the Kia over other makes result of maintenance reviews. Our 2008 Sedona has 39,000 ( used)is a great van with plenty of space and lots of comfort for our family. Took road trip of 3.000 traveled wonderful. 25 mpg on road. Easy to drive and plenty of pep. The seats are very adjustable with good support. Lots of storage in cabin and rear of two back seats. Air and heat in compartment very good and door windows give lots of air inside.

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  Reliable soldier - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Laszlo Pocsi - October 4 - 10:00 am

  I owned my Sedona since new in 2006, has over 60k miles in it. Mine has been a trooper. Its a typical minivan - cavernous, comfortable, safe, practical. It is the top of the line model with leather, DVD player, back-up radar, etc. I towed heavy things with it, I packed it chock full of stuff and/or people many times, and it performed great. The safety rating is top-notch, which was a huge selling point for me. Gas mileage is not great by at around 17.3 mpg its OK for a big vehicle. We had to replace the audio under warranty, one bulb went out in 6 years, other than just scheduled service. Its a bit noisier than I like, but I love it. Better yet, my kids love it. The power doors are great!

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  Constant Electrical Problems - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Chris - October 4 - 10:00 am

  Im glad to see Im not the only one with a horrible experience with my KIA. Ive replaced batteries, head lights, tail lights, etc, etc. I keep telling them that four batteries in 5 years is not normal,same with all the lights going out - there has to be a major problem with the electrical system but they say no everything is fine. My warranty expired in August so I am looking to dumb this thing fast. DO NOT BUY A KIA.

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  KIA Sorento SX w/ 6 cyl. hit a Home Run - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By I am out there - October 4 - 10:00 am

  I have through my years bought many vehicles from compact to full size trucks. Through my travels have rented many different vehicles as well. This car is impressive, no matter how one rates it. Bought it new off the truck loaded in deep red ext./gray int. This bad boy has the ponies to get up to speed easily without killing gas mileage and hold any speed you want, with passing a breeze. The interior is stylish and easy to find any button without over-reach. This has the NAV as well and works better than my Honda Pilot and CR-V I once had. Cant say enough about this car. Do yourself a favor and test drive a SX! You can find more powerful and more expensive cars, but not more impressive.

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  Skeptical At First, A Believer Now - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By Gil A - October 4 - 8:46 am

  Ive always owned Hondas so when it comes to the Kia, it had to go a ways to measure up. It has. It has 27,500 miles on it, purchased it with 24,000 but it looked and drove like new. Im pleased with it. Now, if it lasts as long as my Hondas did (200,000 or more miles with regular maintenance), Ill be happy. Resale isnt worth anything but I always buy to keep for many years, hopefully. I really like this car. Its as good as my last Civic. And used, it was about half the cost with this low mileage.