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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  very happy - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By mozoma - August 11 - 10:00 am

  Once we test drove the Kia we were hooked. The power is very sufficient and the fit and finish feels high quality. The size is very comfortable, with an extraordinary amount of legroom throughout. The standard feature list is wonderful (EX)especially for the price tag, amazing. I saved so much money by choosing the Kia that I got an aftermarket video system installed. The only hesitation we had was the fact that it was a Kia. We worried about the quality, but the great warranty was enough to offset those fears. Do I have any pride of ownership dilemmas with my Kia? Nope. I feel very proud of my smart purchase.

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  One fun CUV! - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By bstoecker - August 10 - 7:27 pm

  Having put on my first 3000 miles on my new Sportage SX, I am having no regrets yet for buying a KIA. I still get the "What? You bought a Kia?" and I just say "yes i did" and am proud of it so far. Kia has finally came to the game table while both Honda and Toyota are asleep at the wheel. When i found out Kia added a turbo to this sharp CUV, I had to go check it out. 3000 miles later and I have really enjoyed it. What fun is this CUV is kinda in disguise. With many not knowing what is under this hood, it is fun shocking those next to you when this turbo kicks in and away you go. Another great aspect is the gas mileage. On a weekend trip I recorded 30mpg on the highway. Avg so far is 25.

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  Awesome! - 2010 Kia Optima
  By colleen1994 - August 9 - 12:50 pm

  We purchased the Optima about a week ago and I must say... I LOVE IT! There is enough hoots and whistles to keep me happy and the gas mileage is amazing. My kids love the sound system, room and comfort, and I honestly couldnt be happier. It has a lot of of power for highway driving. Great car for the price. Highly recommended to those looking for a reliable, economical vehicle!

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  Sorry Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By MrFixit - August 9 - 4:13 am

  I bought the car 9 months ago and since then had a new transmission put in (2 months), new steering wheel (crooked) and a few shimmers and creaks fixed as well as dash rattling. Now the one that kills me is having the harmonic balancer (main pulley) bolt break off while doing 70mph down the freeway and losing power steering and a few other important driving features. Keep in mind that the bolt is connected directly to the crank shaft which is now going to be replaced because KIA doesnt ship complete motors and this after owning it 9 months with only 8000 miles.

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  Fun to Drive - 2009 Kia Sorento
  By Drew - August 9 - 4:03 am

  This is a fun midsize crossover to drive. It has the pickup necessary to pass and is equally at home off pavement. We take ours off the raod frequently and although it does not have 4X4 it is lite enough to go most places. Have towed our jet skis with it and no loss of power. Would Recommend.

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  Must check it out! - 2010 Kia Optima
  By PDR - August 8 - 8:26 pm

  Rides like a more expensive sedan with taut steering, responsive pep sufficient for merging and passing, good sight lines, comfortable seating and solid fit/finish. Roomy interior for 6+, rich full sound stereo, easy access controls, very large trunk. Options are few but worthwhile: power seats, allow wheels and homelink mirror. With price, warranty and safety features Optima easily outdoes Malibu, Accord, Altima, and Camry. Glad I decided to check it out!

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  What a great car! - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By chikinblack - August 7 - 10:00 am

  This car was great for me. Peppy, comfortable, and very reliable. I changed the oil, kept an eye on the fluids and never had a problem with the engine/tranny. Dealership had to change the heat shield, and that was the only thing that "went wrong" with the car...thats something you have to look foward to on most cars anyway. There was a comment about www.streetkiaz.com/streetkiaz3.html and yes, that site perfects owning a kia. I would recommend anyone looking to tune one of these, go there! Awesome people! This is a great car for the money and I love it!

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  $21,000 sold us - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By jhs - August 7 - 10:00 am

  As I type this our 2002 EX is on the back of a wrecker to the dealer. Was at a fast-food and the radio went off, then the dash lights got dim, then the abs-engine-seat belt / other lights came on in dash. Turned off AC, dash lights got bright. Turn-off engine, would not start. This is the 4th time in 2 and half years this has occurred. AC compr.,lumbar switch, and radio have been replaced. Kia will charge the battery and find no problem. We will sell once out of shop.

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  Excellent luxury Kia - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By msho - August 7 - 10:00 am

  I spent a week driving it as a rental, in which time it has completely rebuilt my image of Kia. The build quality was far above what I expected and I got numerous looks while driving the car. I disregarded the break in period; the car had 50 miles on it; as a result sometimes the engine smelt like it was burning - not good.

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  Water leak in trunk compartment - 2014 Kia Forte
  By thatguy47 - August 7 - 12:20 am

  I am having the same issue as seen in this thread: http://www.forteforums.com/forums/noobie-questions-forum/39418-water-leak-trunk-compartment.html#post682049 The dealership couldnt figure out where the water was coming from and just dried out/cleaned my car without fixing anything. It appears to be coming from under the trunk liner and it is already starting to get more moisture/water just a few days after it was cleaned (only drove 10-15 miles since then). Brand new car bought in May 2013 that smells terrible even after the dealer removed the water and cleaned out the car. Hope this gets fixed the next time I bring it in...