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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  Dont overlook this one - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Fla Sorento - September 10 - 2:00 am

  I was a little skeptical about purchasing the Sorento EX. But after doing some homework I am glad I made the decision. I had a 00 RAV 4 that I out grew really fast. I feel that since Kia has been working with Hyundai they have turned thins around. I recommend this vehicle.

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  Great Purchase - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By amanda - September 9 - 1:10 pm

  I love this vehicle! We purchased the 4cly. b/c we wanted to save on gas (it gets better than my Sebring!) I would get the 6cyl if you are going to tow anything though (there was a noticeable difference) We bought the LX w/ the convenience package so we saved money and still got a lot of the extra features we wanted. It drives smooth; I havent experienced any of the loud noises everyone else wrote about. I even tried to hit every pothole possible when I test drove it. It has an amazing turning radius and I could see to backup a lot better than the other vehicles we test drove (Edge,Traverse)

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  Not perfect, but close - 2007 Kia Optima
  By mickeyrom - September 9 - 7:23 am

  4 cylinder EX with leather, handling package and sunroof. In other words, loaded. Only complaints I have are a bit of a stiff ride and issues with passenger side airbags. I think this car is much underrated by many reviewers and I would like to know why. Great warranty and nice styling.

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  Great Buy - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By dvbeem - September 9 - 3:10 am

  Love this vehicle. Have driven it about 1200 miles (city and highway). Engine has great pickup. Comfort is excellent. Very nice inside and outside styling. A little dissappointed in the city mileage. Advertised at 19 mpg and getting 15.5-16 mpg. Highway mileage is excellent at 29 mpg. Overall an outstanding vehicle. I definitely recommend it.

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  This car NOT OKia - 2004 Kia Rio
  By carl - September 9 - 1:13 am

  Extremely disappointed in the car, have made 7 trips to the dealer for warranty service on a wind noise, door handle operation, transmission has been replaced twice within 24,000 miles and the car is way underpowered and loses speed rapidly when going up any even slight incline. God forbid you are running the air conditioner as it sucks the remaining horsepower right out of the engine and the engine runs extremely rough with the A/C compressor engaged. Great that there is a 100,000 mile warranty, but believe me you have to use it all the time! Dealership service mechanics are also incompetent.

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  Awesome! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By ddoc117 - September 8 - 6:11 pm

  Man, when I first saw this vehicle on a Kia dealership lot, I was immediately taken. The Optima SX is, by far, the coolest vehicle in its class. Looks, styling, performance and value all rolled up into one fine automobile. Way to go Kia, you have my undivided attention, so much that a week after I first saw the Optima SX, I purchased one.

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  Love my Spectra - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By kialover15 - September 7 - 2:03 am

  I finally purchased my own car, and the Kia Spectra was a great choice. I love this car, it has great A/C, automatic, and I just bought my own stereo for it, and now it is perfect. This car is very comfortable (coming from someone with a bad back) and it also gets great MPG!!! I average close to 30 mpg everytime, and that is 80% city! The lowest that I have ever gotten was 23 mpg, and Im still happy with that. The trunk is very nice sized, and it has great visibility. Very well designed car!!

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  2005 Kia Amanti - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Scott - September 6 - 11:06 pm

  I bought my 2005 Kia Amanti new from a dealer. I love the car and its performance.

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  Could be better.... - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By SterlingBlue - September 6 - 2:50 am

  Overall I love this vehicle. It is fun to drive and it suits me much better than a sedan. However I bought a black car and the paints finish looked like someone had wiped down the vehicle with sandpaper. I noticed the defect the day after purchasing it. I fought for 12 months to get it fixed. Neither Kia nor dealer would take responsibility. I have had the car waxed/buffed/shined at least 20 times by professionals and the scratches will not go away. Shame on you Kia!! For this reason I will never buy from Kia again.

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  Reliable Kia Optima LX sedan 4cyl(1.8L) - 2004 Kia Optima
  By 1st Time Kia - September 5 - 5:20 pm

  purchased in 05 w/approx. 11k mi. Driven to Den.,CO & back. Not alot of torque for hills,but nice speed. Man/Auto Trans(nice for accel). Pwr steering defective twice. just hit 97k mi. needed Timing belt. Doesnt brake good on quick stop;will slide. Quarter panel dents easy a little. Paint around doorkey fades & driver doorlock played out in the rain 3 days ago. No real complaints. Has good features(pwr lock,cd,compartment/storage,cruise, starter safety(kill)switch,trunk square (space). Takes about $60 to fill @$3 p/gal. OK mileage. Maintain w/svc every 3k mi. & no problem. Oh,it jus start shaking, maybe coil- pack/misfire. Jus fixed timing,hope shop did its job & check for underlying cause!