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:

• 

  Terrible MPG - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Christina - August 20 - 6:43 am

  The car is okay. It is a very noisy ride. It is slow. Miles per gallon are terrible. Consumers Reports also gave it a poor on front crash tests. I wish I would have done more homework on this car. Spend the extra money and get something good if you can.

• 

  nice - 2013 Kia Optima
  By bhooks - August 20 - 12:14 am

  Best investment I have4 made in a long time.

• 

  Update - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By Greg from Omaha - August 19 - 7:53 am

  Update six month in. No mechanical issues to date, love it more now than when I purchased. I recently rode in a Lincoln Town Car - the Lincoln was not as quite, not as smooth, and was not as nice as the Kia. If you are looking for a Lexus or Cadillac at firesale prices, this is the one!

• 

  Pretty good for a first new car! - 2012 Kia Soul
  By letzgostate - August 19 - 12:16 am

  Got my 2012 base manual soul the first day they had them on the lot. I chose the manual base and love the 6-speed. The car is amazingly peppy. Since getting mine I have had to have a new rear axle put on the car (I had the swaying road problem too), a new gauge cluster installed, I have had a flat that was not fixable with the fix-a-flat system in the car, and I had a pebble nick the windshield, create a small pit, and quickly had a crack over a foot spread across the windshield, and I have had the battery die for no apparent reason. Aside from those problems, the car has been awesome! Take advantage of roadside assistance, I have 3x already and always quick and free! Oh, and 38 mpg mixed!

• 

  Like it but dont love it - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By jaime22 - August 18 - 5:01 pm

  Purchased a Sorento 3 months ago: was impressed with mpg promises and warranty. Handles nice and looks sharp, but its no where near perfection. We have the GDI engine, seems almost sluggish at times. 22-32 mpg promised, the best we can do, even on long trips, is 25, so disappointed in that. One of my biggest complaints is lack of a few basic features: no compass or outdoor temperature reading. (didnt notice on the test drive!) Really? Heated seats, bluetooth, backup camera, and no temp or compass? I miss them more than I thought I would. Also needs more storage. Be thorough and know what youre getting-big variety in pkgs. Like my title says: like it but dont love it. (yet?)

• 

  new car - 2012 Kia Forte
  By crunchyed - August 18 - 9:51 am

  I traded my 2009 Nissan Versa Hatchback for the 2012 Kia Forte Ex. So far I love it. It had all the bells and whistles that I wanted without the extra cost. Its a lot more fun to drive than the versa.

• 

  Very Expensive Maintenance Costs!!! - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By SMDJM - August 18 - 2:00 am

  The 4WD went out and the check engine light was always on. I had to have the brakes replaced at 15,000 miles and AGAIN at 30,000 miles. They charge $470 to replace the brakes. For my 30,000 mile maintenace costs they wanted to charge me $665 PLUS the $470 to replace the brakes. With this so called great warranty I thought I was going to save a little money when something goes wrong but this is how they get their money back...MAINTENANCE COSTS!! Remember the warranty is not valid unless you pay all this money for maintenance! Trade in value is bad! You will have huge negative equity.

• 

  A nitpickers review of the few bad things... - 2011 Kia Optima
  By race117 - August 17 - 12:53 pm

  6mths 6k miles, SX getting 27mpg avg. Outside noises flood the cabin! Try driving this car on hwy in moderate rain & you will know what Im talking about. The wheel wells have like a pourous industrial felt instead of a plastic liner, look at them before you buy. Drive though smoke/skunk/exhaust and pay the price as smells flood in. Sunroof bug/wind shield rattles (while closed) when you hit bumps. Ride rougher than expected & seats are somewhat uncomfortable. Side view mirrors hold water and fog easily. Windshield has a fogging problem I think is related to the cabin not being sealed well. Gas lock release works poorly. Backs of legs touch car getting out. Great car overall though.

• 

  What Value! - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By Darlene - August 17 - 11:03 am

  We shopped around and reviewed all similar SUVs and the Sorento is the best value bar none. It looks sporty and has 262 hp to get you moving if you need it. There is also peace of mind with the best bumper to bumper warranty out there. We have only had the SUV for a few weeks. In time we will see why the mfr. is so generous and confident here. Thats backing your product, which is something the others are starting to consider or do.

• 

  Great mini suv - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By Frank G. - August 17 - 9:43 am

  Vehicle handles very well, great acceleration for 173hp, very nice looking suv, idles quiet, comfortable seating, impressive inside room front and rear. Storage is adequate, especially when rear seats are folded flat.