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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  what I like about my van - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By john bourque - December 23 - 8:46 am

  We have an EX fully loaded. We use it for long distance travel only because we take a lot of trips that are over 500 miles or more. You said gas mil. is bad, but traveling on the highway at 65 to 75 mph, we get at least 25 mpg We never really use it for city driving. What made us choose this type of van was the seats were more comfortable than other vans we tried ( we have leather) and the road side assistance / 5 year-100000 mile warranty cant be beat. Besides I think it is a better looking minivan than Honda, Dodge or Ford. It does ride heavy, but it rides smooth and is a very quiet vehicle.

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  2002 Kia Rio! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Kevin Zollner - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Runs great, looks good, and I really lke the car.

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  NEW CAR REPLACEMENT - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By groth - December 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought a Sedona in Oct 2001 and it had an oil leak which the dealer could not fix after 5 attempts. Would you believe they gave me a new one without hesitation? Great customer service and Ill buy another when the warranty runs out!

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  Kia got it right ... - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Fish - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Ill have to admit, this vehicle had fit perfectly into what I had wanted in my new vehicle. Its fun and easy to drive. Its quiet on the highway, and the handling, accelleration, and braking are all excellent for a 2+ ton SUV. The ride is just a little stiffer than Id have liked, and the gas mileage leaves a lot to be desired, but bang for your buck, this thing is first rate.

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  Kia Sportage - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By Sara - December 22 - 6:56 pm

  I like my 07 Kia very much. It rides smooth and is comfy. The gas of course is a little problem. But it is a crossover suv so.. I got this for the safety.

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  so far so good - 2014 Kia Forte
  By loebywon1 - December 21 - 10:12 am

  went in memorial day to trade in my wifes 15 year old BMW328i(tired of sinking money into it) on an Optima because we liked the reviews, etc. She had difficulty judging it for parking, etc(shes tiny). Salesman suggested the 2014 Forte that just came out. She was able to handle it much more confidently with the large windshield. Didnt get a great deal but we bought it and love it so far.

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  Two at a Time - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By John Stumpf - December 21 - 4:31 am

  Love the new 2017 Sorento. We now own two Sorentos and have been thoroughly pleases. The 1st ones features and dependability is the reason we purchased the 2nd one. Would recommend this vehicle highly.

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  Poor Gas Mileage Weak Performance - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By leladees - December 20 - 9:06 am

  We bought this car June 21st, 08 July 2nd we left from FL. to CA. for a month long trip.We averaged 19 MPG on the highway and had to turn the AC off for more than half the trip as it was so week to pull the hills. WE traveled I-10 going to CA. and I-40 coming back as we went to the Grand canyon and all. Before we even left for our vacation the seats started coming apart and by the end of our trip we had several issues. We feel Kia had a great idea but this model needs some work. It would be a great car "IF" they could improve the gas mileage, performance & quality of workmanship.

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  Great value, but not quite there as a premium car - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By shakopeepirate - December 19 - 8:34 pm

  Overall, this is a great vehicle, especially with a lot of them still on lots. Its not a rocket but its fast enough, especially when passing. Its quiet with just a hint of wind noise. I do about 70/30 highway driving and dont go crazy on the gas and still get 27 mpg combined. Most significant disappointment is the stereo/nav system. While the stereo sounds good, it wont blow out any windows. The navigation system needs an overhaul. Directions can be pathetic at times and add unbelievable routes. Maps lose almost all detail after the 700-feet setting and Ive had major highway ramps disappear at some resolutions. A great car but still just a pricier Accord or Camry.

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  Loving IT! - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Derek - December 17 - 1:37 am

  What a great little car. I got the base model with the 6 speed manual transmission. The shifting is easy and the clutch engages nicely. I love the "hill holder" feature - car doesnt roll on a hill while you get going from a dead stop. There have been a couple of minor recalls on my car which the dealer has taken care of. Other than those, NOTHING has gone wrong with this car in 43,000 miles. The good is the gas mileage, I average about 35 miles per gallon. About half of my driving is under nearly ideal conditions for mileage, but the other half is stop and go. The bad is I have the 1.6 liter engine, just enough to keep up with traffic, but not much power to spare. The other weak point is when backing up, the rear visibility is not that good. The cabin is quiet at all speeds, the seats and ride are firm, but comfortable and the cornering and braking are great. Overall I would buy this car again. The low price, the long warranty (which I have not needed at all) and the quality make this car a winner.