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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  Heating/air conditioning - 2004 Kia Optima
  By lvargo - February 11 - 10:00 am

  Disappointed at the heating/ac system. The auto temp control works well, however, you cannot utilize the lower and upper temp feature together with air or heat. If the a/c is on in the dual mode, the lower vent will blow the temp of the hot air outside and not cool air. Conversely, if heat is on, the top vents will blow the temp of the outside air while the bottom is heat. Sad part is no one can fix it and main hq of Kia has not responded to my inquiries since the problem started in Dec 04! Dealership acknowledges the problem but cant get an answer from Kia on how to fix it either!

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  Its a people hauler - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By foursmos - February 11 - 10:00 am

  As a sports family we do the baseball and basketball traveling. We have experienced no room for the standard equipment for these sports. The only way it will fit is the removal of the two back seats, we need the seats for people.

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  We LOVE our new Sedona EX minivan!!! - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Hartmans - February 11 - 10:00 am

  I am disappointed that our van did not make the Consumer Report top 5 list. We shopped HARD at all the available minivans on the market. This van won us over hands down in affordability (we wanted ALL the options incl. the DVD), looks, comfort (short mom LOVES the power seat options), and driveability. It isnt any more expensive gas-wise than the Ford Explorer we drove for 10 years. The crash tests impressed us as we wanted a very safe vehicle for our new baby. The seats arrange in so many ways! Who cares if you cant hide them in the floor?! Our only complaint - knobs/handles feel lightweight.

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  Childs safety Before My comfort always - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By T - February 11 - 6:33 am

  This van is not a bad choice at all. Sure it isnt very roomy when it comes to cargo space but with the adjustments and removals available, you can make room. Its the safety that matters people. Would you rather get into a wreck with cargo space or get into a wreck knowing you have a 5 star rating? Yeah, me too. When driving this vehicle, you know you are safe and you just feel safe. You have the good view (except rear view, which is limited) . You think you have your brights running when you dont, the headlights are so good. Interior is quite amazing also. Everywhere you look you can place something, lots of storage and plenty cupholders. You get your moneys worth, ***The Warranty***

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  Fuel mileage dissapointing but nice SUV with lots of option - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By kds5 - February 11 - 3:22 am

  Weve had our 2011 Sportage for about 6 months and we pleased with almost everything. Traded in a Lexus IS250 that got 29-32 mpg for more room and mileage that ranges from 22-33 on the sticker. Driving very conservatively in "ECO" mode with reg fuel only gets us about 19.8 combined highway and city. If we use premium fuel with no ethanol we up that about 4 mpg. Using premium on the highway only we can get about 26.5. Now has about 8500 miles so should be broken in by now. Other than that, the car is loaded with options comparable to our Lexus. We like the nav better and it updates with Satellite vs buying a disc. Enjoying it overall and looks great, just disappointed in the fuel.

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  Dont even think about it... - 2005 Kia Rio
  By aeblanch09 - February 10 - 9:16 am

  I got this car for my first car and i am desperately trying to get rid of this thing! Two weeks after i got it, 2 of my belts needed replacing. Not only did the dealer keep it for 3 weeks to "fix it", the day that i got it back the fan stopped working and my car overheated. Needless to say we sent it back to the dealer. They fixed the fan, but ever since then ive been having radiator problems. Constant overheating, had to replace all sensors, etc.. Not worth a penny, but if you do decide to get one make sure you keep a full jug of coolant in your back seat!

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  Big car - little money - 2007 Kia Rio
  By Anthony - February 10 - 7:00 am

  I bought the Kia Rio to replace my aging Mazda Protege as a daily commuting car. I needed a car with good gas mileage, great air and a CD/FM/AM unit. I got a great car for little money. The Chevy Cobalt was considered along with the Rio and after having driven both, I am more than impressed with the Kia. Sure, it only has a 1.6 liter engine with 110 hp, but the VVT engine really does a great job. The interior may be cheap compared to the Hondas and Toyotas of this world, but then thats reflected in the price. Yet it is a darn site better than the Cobalt which has some really *scary* plastics inside and looks nasty too. The Rio is a bif car for really not much money!

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  Best Vehicle I Ever Owned - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Shaun - February 10 - 5:16 am

  I traded in my 2006 Tahoe in on the Sedona. I needed a vehicle that gets better fuel mileage and still has enough room for at least 7 people. The Sedona is definitely that vehicle. I have had this vehicle for 4 months and I already have 13,000 miles on it. I take my Sedona everywhere. This vehicle is perfect for traveling. I love the large space behind the 3rd row when the 3rd row is up. Driving the Sedona is definitely fun and a pleasure. It has plenty of pickup and a very comfortable ride. Took it on a 2,000 mile road trip and averaged 25 miles per gallon. I would definitely recomend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Never Again - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By JustADriver - February 9 - 5:30 am

  Bought the KIA looking for a 3rd row. It has lots of room, but too many problems. Headlights have horizon line and are not good on hills. Bad vibration, which according to KIA was caused because the rims bent when car sat to long. The fix was to overinflate the tires. Airbag lights took several tries to fix, stereo was broken from day one, but dealer thought it was fine. KIA eventually replaced it, but the replacement was also broken. Trade in offers after about 7 months ranged from $7,000 to $10,800 for a car with about a $23,000 MSRP when purchased

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  Off lease bargain? - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By Matt from Florida - February 9 - 2:00 am

  Bought a Sephia LS 5 spd off lease, 32k for $3600. Replaced the horrible Hankooks with Yokohamas, set off on a cross Florida tour (leap of faith). Nothing broke in our 1.5k tour, but the car is only a city car. Steering is numb at highway speeds, and the car tracks poorly. Shifter is balky, and the engine drones so you short shift and wont drive over 70. That said, its comfortable enough and the price is right. Reliability is a question.