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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  KIA RIO PINGING BAD?USE PREMIUM GAS --ECO MODE OFF! - 2012 Kia Rio
  By worknman - June 26 - 7:08 am

  Our Kia developed a severe pinging issue running regular gas especially with the ECO mode on. The Kia Forum website states that Kia is running a series of ecm ( engine control computer ) software patches to solve this issue. Many people on that forum have had the patches done and these patches have largely only helped for a few weeks before the bad pinging came back. I finally decided that I didnt want to destroy my engine no matter how great the Kia warranty supposedly is. I started using PREMIUM - NAME BRAND GAS AND TURNED THE ECO MODE OFF. After four gas tanks full of this, our Kia is running and shifting better and smoother then it ever did new. more below-

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  Get What You Give - 2005 Kia Rio
  By grinddesigns - June 24 - 3:23 pm

  Follow your owners manual like it is a Bible. You must change your engine timing belt at 60,000 miles ! Please do not make the same mistake that I did. If you search the Internet about this you will find 1,000 other people saying this, trust me change that timing belt at 60,000 and you wont be sorry. I never had a problem with this vehicle that was not because of my own negligence. If you change your oil regularly, keep an eye on all of your fluids, and be sure to change the timing belt at 60k, this car will be worth the money. This was my first vehicle and I learned costly lessons from not following the regular maintenance schedule so I advise you to follow most of it to a t.

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  Love it overall - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Rose Mary - June 22 - 12:20 pm

  I purchased my 2010 Soul in July of 09 and love it mostly overall. Lots of interior room, lots of outside style and very comfortable to drive.

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  My Spectra Wagon - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By John Parish - June 20 - 4:03 pm

  I bought my Spectra wagon because they were having a sales drive here in Dallas. The car was far more than I expected. The fit and finish were flawless and the attention to detail in assembly were very good (none of the electrical was taped, but encased in tubing). I drive 80 miles to and from work 6 days a week and the car is fun and comfortable to drive. The ergonomics are good (I weigh 240# and am 5 8" tall and the car fits me just fine). All and all, I am very pleased with my purchase!

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  Kia Forte SX - 2011 Kia Forte
  By rgebbia - June 20 - 3:39 pm

  Have had this car since July. Have 7300 miles. Car is loaded with Nav, sunroof, leather, Sirius radio, rear camera, etc...Its comfortable inside, good drive on the highway, handling isnt bad but the Jetta I also tested didnt handle any better surprisingly. It has great acceleration for a 4-cylinder, non-turbo and the 2.5 engine is what makes the difference. My only complaints so far are the suspension and the gas mileage. I do mostly highway driving and am only getting 26 - 28 mpg. Also, I feel every bump, big or small in this car. Great value for the money and will be a good car to hand down to the kids but not sure I would purchase another.

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  Great SUV - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Darda - June 20 - 11:46 am

  I just purchased my 2011 LX 4cy with remote start, awd, back up camera, sunroof... First Kia product and very impressed. The ride is a bit stiff but very fun to drive. I only have 80 miles on it so will repost soon.

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  Spec5 is 5 speed FUN! - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By KiaSpec5 - June 20 - 2:50 am

  I traded a 8 month old Suzuki Forenza for my Spec5 and couldnt have made a better decision. Having driven both manuals and automatics of many competitors I found the most fun in the 5 speed Spec5. If youre not having fun youre wasting the gas!

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  My newly purchaced used Rio. - 2006 Kia Rio
  By Marc Trainor - June 20 - 2:00 am

  Im basically pleased with the car. Its a lot like my old Honda Civic I had with a 5 speed manual, but to me the Honda just "feels" and looks like it has better build quality. I only have 22K miles on it, so I guess only time will tell if it holds up. It doesnt have the power my Mitsubishi Galant has, but my Galant only gets 23 mpg city driving. My only other real beef is that Im only getting 27.5 mpg with the Rio with combined city/highway driving. Other than that, its a snappy little "bundle" with decent trunk room and back seat and has a fair amount of pep as long as your not trying to pass someone going up hill.

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  03 cinco - 2004 Kia Rio
  By rocshaafl - June 19 - 10:00 am

  the car has some major rattleing problems with the back hatch and the cobby hold next to the overhead lights

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  great car for the price - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Anne W B - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I traded in a 99 Caddy Catera. Wont go back to the Caddy, because this car gives me luxury without the high price. I love the look and feel of it. The dual climate control is wonderful. The outside looks like a very expensive car, and the leather seats are so comfy and roomy. This car is going to hurt the competition, because of the price and features it has. I love this car.