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:

• 

  solid family vehicle with lots of plastic - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By bayoubilly74 - May 7 - 12:11 pm

  Tired of having small sedans so looked for something economical but roomy. Found the Rondo, EX trim. Overall a good family car. Plenty of headroom and the kids have quit a bit of space in the 2nd row. Visibility is near-perfect in this car. Easy to see. Have the 3rd row which is a bit of a joke unless the person back there is about 8 years or younger. 3rd row easily flips down flat for a good sized load space. 2nd row folds flat too but it takes more effort. Great hauler for either people or stuff--just NOT AT THE SAME TIME. Tech is pretty sweet for an 09 vehicle. Touch screen display, navigation (solid), 8 speakers, heated seats, Ipod jack and interface.

• 

  Love my Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By James - May 7 - 11:53 am

  We just bought our Sorento two weeks ago and we love it. Its so much more "car" than we thought we would get for the price. Gas mileage is not great, but that wasnt the reason we bought the Sorento. It is loaded with features, drives great (actually, more maneuverable than my old Honda Prelude), looks nice, and fits our budget. Friends and family all are very impressed with the car. We are having our first child later this year and feel like weve got a safe, reliable vehicle to serve as our flagship. Id highly recommend the Sorento to anyone in the market for a mini- or mid-size SUV.

• 

  Not Impressed with the Optima or KIA - 2013 Kia Optima
  By Kris Parsons - May 7 - 10:34 am

  Bought a 2013 brand new KIA Optima LX (4cyl) at Cobb County KIA in Kennesaw, GA. I came into the dealership with my own financing. The salesman suggested that I should give their credit manager an opportunity to see if he could beat my current financing rate. I acquiesced and later regretted that decision. THREE hours later and after almost walking away from the deal, we finally got the paperwork signed. Apparently Cobb County KIA uses their credit manager to try and re-negotiate the deal. Extremely frustrated with how they do business. About a year later, Im driving down the highway when I realize I have a flat tire. No big deal...have had to deal with this several times in my life. So I pull over to the shoulder, get out, open the trunk and pull up the trunk mat to find....NOTHING...where the spare should be is a little box containing a small air compressor and a can of "Fix-a-Flat". [non-permissible content removed]?? So I call the dealer thinking that surely theres some mistake...but no, the service manager tells me that KIA doesnt put spare tires in the Optima LX. But they do give you a little air compressor and Fix a flat. Now Im pissed...I never even thought to check and see if the car had a spare when I was buying the damn thing. Logical assumption, right? Managed to get my car over to Discount Tire where they hooked me up in replacing my tire, and gave me a great deal on a cheap rim and used tire to keep in my car as an actual spare. Take notes KIA...actual customer service. Which is why I will always go back to Discount Tire but I will never buy another KIA product. Engine light comes on yesterday. Take the Optima by an AutoZone so they could check the code. Guy tells me its a fuel sensor code and that KIA hasnt released parts to the parts stores so Id have to take the car to the dealer for service. Got an appointment this morning with the Cobb County KIA dealership. They take it back and after about an hour and half they call me up to tell me that the bad fuel sensor was included as part of a recall and therefore there would be no charge. Great...finally some good news. Well drive it around front for you. While Im waiting, he comes back and says the engine light came on again...we need to check it out. After another hour of waiting, he comes out to tell me that another fuel sensor/GDI pump is bad...but this time its not covered by a recall or warranty (keep in mind I have 79k miles on the car and is still under the 100k warranty). $1,067!!!! Unbelievable. I express my frustration to him...less than 3 yr old car still under warranty and Im already paying over a $1,000 for repairs. Keeping in mind I cant go anywhere else since KIA has a stranglehold on their parts. This is the final straw for me. I will never own another KIA product and I will tell everyone I know not to purchase one either.

• 

  Not Great - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By cleo - May 6 - 10:23 am

  My family has been driving the Sedona LX for 2 years now. With less than 30000 miles, it has been in the for power steering line problems 5 times. Finally the line was replaced. One dealership added power steering fluid 3 times (why on a brand new car with less than 6000 miles??) Problems with the rotors. Both passenger doors freeze when the temperature drops. This happens consistently, not just when the car is wet. Very aggravating trying to get 3 kids in the van in winter with doors frozen shut crawling over the front seats. Gas mileage is terrible 13-15 in the city. Due to the size of our family (3 car seats), got a minivan (reluctantly). We should have went back to an SUV

• 

  Kia, tell the world youve got it right! - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By Billh6 - May 6 - 5:13 am

  This is my second Amanti. I enjoyed the first one, but wanted more power, period. I got it now. Love the sound with the dual exhausts. This is my dream car. Ready to take a long trip. Love the compliments.

• 

  Buy The V6 - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Toad - May 5 - 8:56 pm

  We purchased the EX I4 FWD, Premium Pkg 1 with no third seat. We wanted high mpg and cargo space. I would have bought the V6 but the Prem Pkg also requires the Limited Pkg and DVD which are a waste of money IMO. You can get a Garmin for $200 and a portable DVD for $100 The I4 is currently delivering ~22 mpg on the highway and about 20 city. While the I4 has adequate power, the V6 appears to get equal and probably better MPG. Also, we have driven the V6 about 5 hours on the highway as a dealer loaner and the V6 ride is much smoother and less choppy than the I4 for some reason. The Sorento is a comfortable car, even for a 6 tall driver like me. The EX should have a radio upgrade available.

• 

  A pleasure to drive - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Faye lloyd - May 5 - 3:06 pm

  This is the second Kia Sedona that I have owned...I find that it is very reliable with no problems at all. It is a very comfortable van with lots of leg room.

• 

  most comfortable !! reliable suv !! - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By TIEN (JOE) NGUYEN - May 4 - 6:24 pm

  Now i previously owned a KIA Sorento 2010 i bought this new one BIG IMPROVEMENTS !! ROOMIER !! comfortable !! most of all reliable !!

• 

  Champaign for beer price - 2011 Kia Optima
  By redswd - May 3 - 4:40 pm

  Just got a new EX with Premium Pkg in Bronze Metal color. My first Kia after 6 Hyundais ranging from Elantra to Sonata to Genesis 3.8. Has nearly every option the Genesis had and some it didnt like heated steering wheel and Panoramic Sunroof all wrapped in gorgeous Euro sheet metal for $12K less than a base Genny. Sure the cache is not Genesis but Im smiling all the way to the bank and the pump and giving nothing up in comfort and styling. When the turbo comes to market there will be nothing left to ask for!

• 

  Best car I have ever Driven - 2010 Kia Soul
  By purechaos109 - May 3 - 12:56 pm

  I bought my car a month ago and it is the first brand new car I have ever owned! I have driven a lot of newer cars but none of them even compare to how this drives!! I have the Base Model! Which means I dont have any upgraded features! But I didnt want to "upgrade" because I wanted the Manual Transmission!! It really drives like a dream! Any movement in your hands and the car reacts!