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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  Nice Small Car for Experienced Drivers - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By ConcernedConsumer - June 5 - 11:36 pm

  I bought my Kia in 2006 and loved it. Got good gas mileage and ease of maneuvering in parking lots and streets. Never thought much about it until my teenager hit a culvert (under a driveway) to avoid another car partially in her lane unexpectedly. The front end smashed in and both of her legs had compound fractures and she was hospitalized for 11 days. Maybe it was the way the car hit, or not enough decrease in speed before impact, but I believe more front end would have offered more protection. Bottom line is, I would recommend these for experienced drivers and put a little more car in front of the inexperienced and teenage driver for their own safety. Hindsight is always 20/20.

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  Good and Bad - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By susiebelle - June 5 - 11:00 pm

  Car is cute, gets great gas mileage. I bought my car new. Had to change the tires by 30K Replaced brake pads and rotors twice. Replace battery. Driver side locks broken & sometimes wont unlock and I have to crawl through the passenger side. Driver side window roller broke, Alternator going out. Problem with steering system. Hatchback cover broke within a week. Rear window brake light is falling apart from sun damage (I live in Indiana & typically dont have this problem). Brake lights are a pain to change..have to remove whole back panel of car. Very lightweight car and blows around on windy day

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  Rondo: Redefining the crossover - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By dxtc - June 5 - 10:53 pm

  After checking out the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V, which were too SUV-ish for my tastes, I looked at the Rondo. I wanted the seating and cargo of a minivan, and the Rondo has it in spades, without the bulk or low MPG of a full minivan. The Rondo is the least expensive V6-powered 7-seater on the market, but its build quality is on par with the costlier CR-V. The second row floor has no noticeable transaxle hump! The 3rd row is not as cramped as most reviews say, when the 2nd row is moved forward a little. Ive only had it 4 months, and Ive already had several compliments!

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  Best Valued Commute Car! - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By themagicfarmer - June 5 - 6:07 pm

  Bought my 08 Spectra (with 18K on it) from an official Kia dealer about a year ago. No disappointment so far. The car has all necessary functions, basically powered everything, Air conditioning and so forth. Its built cheap but in a simple and neat fashion, plus designed with safety and accessibility in mind. Spacious, drivers seat, back seats and truck, every where. Kias service center is excellent too. They perform everything necessary, and never charge for pointless services, like mandatory car wash if serviced which many Honda dealers do. Its the type of shop you want to rely on. (my dealer is located 3 mins from where I live, Im happy!) To sum up, isnt it an ideal commute car?

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  Sad times for KIA service - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By BAD SERVICE - June 5 - 10:10 am

  The KIA van runs great, however it has been in the shop for 2 months due to an airbag light that was on. The dash and components were completely disassembled and a new wiring harness was installed. I picked up the car and the problems was still not fixed; the technician didnt even bother to test drive the van. I was really disappointed at the poor quality of work from the service dept. at Folsom Lake Kia. Now the shift mechanism and the interior lights wont work correctly. Kia corporate has been monitoring our situation, these guys seem to care very much how Im treated and have offered to help. Ill report back later when we find out how we will be compensated for our loss of use.

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  KIA???? - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By knownalien - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Yes, I ended up getting the gas guzzler Sorento because it looks beautiful. Hell, I look outside at my driveway where it is parked at least 10 times a day because it looks so beautiful. I find myself driving down the highway saying "thats an ugly SUV compared to ours." I know . . horrible. But when you see this car and its elevation (clearance), huge tires, standard features, and warranty you just cant walk away. Hell, it could drive like crap and I would forgive it, but as a matter a fact it rides very smooth all things considered.

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  First Impressions - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By carltonguest - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Styling and design is excellent, my wife loves it. Very comfortable and handles and drives great. Good performance, of course mileage is not that great. I dont know what these folks (CU, others) are driving when they say that the ride is too rough, truck-like, mine is certainly not. Check engine light came on at 100 miles, dealer quickly fixed. Nice job overall. Everyone is very impressed by it, especially when they ride in it.

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  Economical & Enjoyable! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Snicker_Butt - June 5 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely LOVE my new Kia Sorento! I bought it back in mid-March of 2003 & I’ve already put 4,880 miles on it! This was my very first brand-new car and the day I test-drove it for the first time, I knew I just had to have it! I was looking at other sporty- sedans for $5K+ more than the Sorento and I couldn’t justify purchasing a smaller car for more money! The gas mileage isnt too horrible. Ive been getting 18-20mpg on average which suits me just fine. Overall, I feel like I got a great deal for mine (EX 2WD) and am very pleased with my decision!

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  David vs. Goliath - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Vango - June 3 - 5:03 pm

  Any moron who is willing to pay 15K+ or more for a comparable equipped Dodge, Ford, Pontiac, or Honda should deserve to pay for the name. David beats Goliath - no contest.

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  Hating my gas Milage - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By dynomite - June 3 - 1:56 pm

  Overall I love my new 2004 Amanti. I love everything about it. All but my gas mileage that is. I am continually going down in gas mileage. All the way from 19.4 when I bought it (33 Miles) down to 15.2 (2200 Miles). My dealer states it will get better but gets worse every day that I drive it. Would have purchased an SUV for this mileage I am getting.