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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  Amanti a very well kept secret ! - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By Amanti truly amazin - December 28 - 4:26 pm

  I have never really heard of this model until about 2 weeks ago. We bought one about three weeks ago. I am so proud I bought this 2007 because it is truly a luxury car not only in appearance and interior comfort and but the outside design looks like a Benz. I have owned well over thirty cars in my lifetime but this has to rate in the top three. BTW I am 62 so I know a lot about cars. This car is a winner.

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  Great little car for the money - 2010 Kia Soul
  By ldkred - December 26 - 9:06 pm

  Just purchased a Soul+. Cute, fun car. Seats are very comfortable and love the design of the car. Has more room than thought at first glance. Like the clearance from the ground. I love this car. It suits my needs, greats great gas mileage and super fun!

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  Pleasantly Surprised - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By big foot - December 25 - 10:00 am

  THIS CAR REALY SURPRISED ME! PEOPLE STOP ME AND ASK WHAT KIND OF CAR IT IS, AND WHERE CAN THEY GET ONE. ITS EVERY THING I NEED IN A CAR AND MORE.

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  Resale - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By nancy - December 25 - 5:16 am

  Bought new in 07, wanted to trade it in for a camry, well, disapointed to say the least, i still owe $12,xxx.xx and resale value is only $7,xxx.xx so I am kind of stuck with it. Has been a good car other than my key getting stuck in the ignition. Got fixed real fast. Also, th dealer will not cover you with a loaner unless you are getting the 30 and 60,000 mile check up. I wish I knew this before I bought.

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  Sweet! - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By CGB - December 25 - 12:43 am

  The reviewer who said the Kia Sportage isnt so fun to drive has not spent the last 10 yrs dragging around in a big van! Ive only had it a couple weeks but so far I am super impressed! Plenty of get up & go, great handling, surprisingly smooth ride, excellent stereo, quiet engine. I got the whole pkg; nice leather seats, classy brushed metal trim, nav system...accoutrements I have not experienced in years & could never have afforded in another comparable vehicle. But really, it is the ride & handling that totally impresses me. The rest is just the big cherry on the sundae. Time will tell but this just feels like a quality vehicle. Cant wait for my next road trip!

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  Cold blooded comments - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By totief - December 24 - 4:53 pm

  I bought my Sorento in September, 2003. Before that, I owned a Vitara V6. Much less roomy but reliable. Sorento is what it looks: a fine SUV. Plenty of room for five adults, and its drive is very smooth and comfortable. Speaking of room, I travelled in the back seat of a Grand Cherokee Overland (costs 81,000 euros) and Im happy I own the Sorento (costs 40.000 euros in Greece). Cruising even with 100 mph is effortless and reassuring. Enough power to move approx. 2 tons. True off road capability, couldnt ask for more. Lets not forget, its a luxurious SUV, not a "tool". Everybody complains about gas mileage. What other cars with 3,5 L engines have SIGNIFICANTLY better mileage?

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  Poor fuel Consumption - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Mike - December 24 - 1:56 pm

  Overall I like the car but Im very disappointed with the poor fuel consumption. After doing lots of research I was under the impression that I should get about 30 mpg on the hwy, which is were I do most of my driving, even the dealer told me 30+ mpg. Im lucky if I get 25 mpg, I would have never bought this car knowing this because I was looking for something with good fuel economy. Kia needs to step up and do something about the poor fuel economy on this car..

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  09/Sportage - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Gil - December 24 - 8:40 am

  This is our third Kia, and, as per the other Kias that we owned, the quality, and dependability is there.

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  Second One Is Better - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By ggd71 - December 23 - 1:33 pm

  This is our second Sorento -- the first one did not last 1000 miles! The words they used were misbuilt and electrical nightmare! I called the dealer, and 16 hours later I had a brand new Kia! Hats off to the dealership -- the second one is great. No complaints yet. We looked at other SUVs. This one was in our price range and with three kids it is very roomy.

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  Great car for the money - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By Me - December 23 - 11:30 am

  I bought this car brand new. I have not had the first problem with it. Paid $10,060. I had timing belt and all drive belts replaced at 70,000 miles. Car had never been in the shop before that.