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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  PLEASE, NO OTHER PROBLEMS - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By DOROTHY - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I HAD BEEN SHOPPING FOR A JEEP OR TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. I BOUGHT A KIA SORENTO EX, AND HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED 6 DAYS LATER FROM MY GARAGE TO THE DEALERSIP FOR REPAIR. IT WOULD NOT START. IT HAD 260 MILES ON IT. IT IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, AND WILL BE IN THE SHOP FOR 4 DAYS WHILE WE WAIT FOR A PART TO COME IN. IM NOT SURE I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION ON BUYING THE KIA.

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  Worth the price ! - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Phil533 - August 24 - 6:40 am

  We now own two 2008 Kia Sedonas and you cant beat them for the price and value. My relatives own Honda Odysseys and while they are slightly better mini vans, I dont feel they are worth the price difference. The Sedonas are fun to drive, are loaded with safety features and a great value for the money. My only question will be long term reliability.

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  Optima EX GTi: 5-year review. 79000 miles - 2012 Kia Optima
  By Val - August 24 - 5:05 am

  (The dropdown only gave me the Hybrid option; this is NOT a hybrid Optima). My last review (shown below) still holds. I did have to replace a headlight, a $100+ job due to the way the way the bulbs are accessed. The car remains trouble-free and other than routine maintenance, car washes and the new tires mentioned below, I have invested no $$ in it. Its the go-to car in the family for road trips due to great gas mileage & comfort. I have kept the Sirius/XM subscription which we enjoy on long drives. (Previous review at 61,000 miles) I have a 3-day a week, 120-mile round trip commute. Gas mileage and good handling in snowy IL winters were important to me when I made a decision to purchase this car new in 2012. In all but the coldest conditions, I average 32-35 mpg on my highway drives; 25+ if driving around town. Like others, I love the heated steering wheel and seats, cooled seats in summer and the sunroof. Like others, when I have to take a turn in the passenger seat, I find it annoyingly low. Replaced tires at about 50,000 miles. Had the fuel pump go out (under warranty) at about 27,000 miles. Other than that, no repairs; just routine maintenance and regular oil changes (using synthetic oil - my choice; always use it!) I still love a lot of little things about this car - the keyless entry; the way the lights come on when I walk up to the car, the trunk space, the room for occasional passengers, the stylish looks. Handles just fine in the snow and still looks sharp as new on the outside. The tan leather is too light - shows dirt too easily; wish I would have gotten the darker interior. Overall, very pleased with my loaded Optima.

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  It Keeps Going - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By A Great Family Car 2 - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I doing a follow up review on our Rondo, we have owned it for 1-1/2 years and still love it. We replace our Ford Windstar mini van and never looked back. This has been a reliable vehicle, we have over 22,000 miles on it now, been to CA from WA Twice, we got over 27 miles to the gallon fully loaded with a car topper on it. Great power over the mountains! Things we had done to vehicle: Tinted windows, Mud flaps & Cross bars for roof rack. Future Items: Trailer hitch. We have the 7 passenger version had every seat filled, still great power! We Would still buy this vehicle if we were looking again!

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  Great car, so far: SAFE - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Jose - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I wanted to get a safer, more reliable car for my kids. Got a great deal, and the car still has 3 years/30,000 miles on original warranty, then a lifetime dealership kicks in. Rated safest car I could find, next to Subaru Legacy, which would have cost $10,000 more. Happy so far; Ill check back in 6 months.

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  What a fun car - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Shannon - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I got my Ghost the end of May and I love it! I have never owned an import before but was impressed by the 100/10 year. I travel for work so I rack up the miles. It is not the smoothest or quietest ride (what do you expect for the price and low profile tires) but still wouldnt trade it for the world. The options are great and the car just screams FUN.

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  My New Car - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By mee2hue - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I just bought my new Kia Sorento about a month ago now. The car is fine as it comes but Ive found that a few safety things are missing. EX: tail gate is not always locked, even though the sticker says it has daytime running lights the car does not. Also I believe that the sticker price was way out of reach for most people. I thought I got a good deal but didnt so I would caution those contemplating a Kia Sorento purchase that Buyer Beware. Know that you are getting all you expect to get. Would I buy another that remains to be seen but right now NO.

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  20k miles in... great car - 2012 Kia Forte
  By morningland - August 22 - 7:55 am

  I got this car because of the fold down seats and the great interest rate. I do a lot of camping and traveling so the fold down seats were critical since I sometimes car camp. I am able to comfortably lay down in the back area for a cat nap during a long trip or to get a good nights sleep. I am trading it in only because I want the four wheel drive but this car performed pretty decent on forest roads for what it is. It rides very nice too. I borrowed some chevy car of the same size for a week and when I got my Forte back, it felt like driving butter! It is reliable too. 20k miles and not a single engine problem at all!

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  A real Value - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By jnmip - August 21 - 3:20 pm

  I bought the Sorento to replace a Subaru Forrester and it beats it in every way. More power, better seating position (very Comfortable), better build quality, better handling and a much more handsome vehicle. The Subaru seemed tinny and cheap by comparison. The Sorento is packed with standard features making it a great buy for the buck.

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  So glad I listened to mom!! I love it! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By jennjan68 - August 21 - 7:23 am

  So glad I listened to my mom!! I love it! I am the second owner of this KIA. I just bought it 5 days ago from a local dealership here in AZ. with 32,500 miles on it...And it looks, drives and handles like its brand new. I AM IMPRESSED! I know that Ive only my KIA for under a week, but I feel very confident in saying that I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a mid size SUV. I work in the rental car industry, so Im able to drive all sorts of vehicles. And with our fleet changing every few months, Ive gotten the full experience of each and every SUV out there sm. to lg. & affordable to expensive. The KIA Sorento gets an A+ in my opinion!