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 optima - 2009 Kia Optima
  By rar - April 5 - 6:26 am

  I never thought I would buy a kia product but I am glad I did. I hit a home run, when I purchased my Kia Optima. This vehicle is much better than the Accord or Camery. I have owned both other vehicles and there is no comparison. The warranty and safety is 3 times better. I only paid $13,9000 (new) and I jump on the deal. This has got to be the best deal I have ever made on a vehicle. Last I would say this vehicle is so under-rated.

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  I love my Forte! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By New 2 Kia - April 3 - 10:23 am

  I made the switch from a truck with terrible fuel economy to this vehicle - I am getting more than twice as many miles per gallon! I really do love my Forte. One of the great things is all the features that come standard with every model. I have only had it for a few weeks but so far so good! I would suggest to anyone considering the LX to think about getting the EX. The baseline EX is not much more expensive and I think the power windows and locks is a great feature. Hassle those dealers!

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  Rio LX, Great 2nd Car! - 2007 Kia Rio
  By clnels-dfw - April 2 - 11:36 pm

  Bought a new Hyundai Santa Fe Ltd last Fall. And although I love driving the vehicle, Im not thrilled with my mileage. I spent one night looking on the net for a "get about town" car and found the Rio. Love this little gem. A fun car to drive and 30+ mpg city. Sometimes miss the bells and whistles (my seat warmers and power door locks) but this car is a blast! Great heater, surprising trunk space. Add a good window tint, and it has a great look. Not "budget" at all; a real bargain. Remains to be seen about reliability, and the A/C. But with the great warranty, Im just not worried. Not my choice for a long road trip, except for mileage.

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  Love My Rio - 2006 Kia Rio
  By sempercool16 - April 2 - 6:46 am

  This is my first car and I bought it with my parents. It is the perfect car for me. I have a job and I go to school it is very enjoyable to drive. I mainly use it for around town, but seldom go highway. Its a peppy little car for its small little Kia engine. But its very fun to drive. Above all great car.

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  I Like It! - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By kawilm - April 1 - 9:23 pm

  I bought the Kia Sorento after test driving a Saturn Vue, Honda CR-V and Jeep Compass. The Kia is a more comfortable ride and has a more powerful engine and higher towing capacity. The interior of the Kia and Saturn were similar - both had pros and cons. Far better interior than the Honda or the Jeep. The Kia has slightly higher ground clearance

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  2001 kia optima - 2001 Kia Optima
  By sjmalone - April 1 - 10:00 am

  Love the fuel economy, looks sporty, sorta mix between the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima, I feel the engine is plenty peppy enough for the city.

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  Excellent Buy for the money - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Napoleon - April 1 - 10:00 am

  I really enjoy driving this car. I love the style and comfort. It preforms very well and I have not encounterd any problems so far. Kia wants to make a positve impression with this new line and has put some good thought and considerations into the design. I always get admiring looks and I am sure the cost of this car will go up next year. I warranty and cost vs. many extras that come as stardard cant be passed up by any clear thinking comsumer.

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  Kia surprise - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By sorrey4 - April 1 - 3:16 am

  Just purchased the new sorento. Looked at CR-V, Equinox, Terrain, and Toyota. These did not have features of the Kia. Nice look and decent ride. 2.4 has a sporty feel with a little rough ride over bumps, but hey this is not a Cadillac. Did not go with AWD due to review on this site. Hopefully its decent in the snow. Just took a trip to SC and went 1700 miles. Averaged 24 mpg with last tank getting 26 mpg. Hopefully the latter continues. If youre looking for a sporty looking vehicle with great storage and features, give it a test drive. Right now if youre in the market for a new CUV or SUV, you have to give this vehicle a gander. Believe me, I never thought I would ever buy a Kia.

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  Great for a small! SUV - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By KIAGreat - March 31 - 2:13 pm

  I like our new SUV so much because it is safe and has a huge interior space. I tried lots of SUVs before such as Cherokee, Liberty, etc. My knees always stuck into front seats when I sit at back seat. This SUV has lots of space, has great safety features, has great warranty and it is cheap. This SUV is not meant to be a great outdoor giant but if you have kids and you live in a city, it is great. We live in Minneapolis so driving with my newborn in winter with 4WD will be more safer.

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  A Keeper! - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Mike - March 31 - 1:10 pm

  We only had our Sedona for a couple of weeks, but so far we love it. Still breaking it in, so hopefully mileage will improve. This van rides smooth and just feels put together well, I mean nothing rattles. I love how comfortable the seats are and the all around visibility. Kias package cant be beat. We traded in my wifes Sorento so on top of the 0% financing for 60 months we got the owners loyalty cash back! Beat that! Honda or Toyota. Dont get me wrong, I love my Matrix, but Im actually letting my wife drive it to work just so I get to keep the Sedona to drive it around with my kid. Cant wait for a long road trip.