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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  Not all seashells and balloons - 2010 Kia Soul
  By MU9294 - December 3 - 3:50 pm

  My wife purchased this vehicle to replace her aging Mazda6 sedan. The Soul definitely stands out in the crowd and its appeal hinges on the emotional buying factors. The vehicle rides ok but can be rough on bumpy roads, especially with the 18" wheels and low-profile tires. There is a significant amount of highway wind noise. The stereo system is great and we use that to drown out the wind noise. Interior design is really nice but the quality of the materials is dubious. There are many nicks and scratches - even from light use. The biggest drawback is handling in snow. This vehicle gets stuck easily in less than 6" of snow and skids quite a bit. On dry roads it handles great.

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  I LOVE IT - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Mike - December 2 - 11:03 pm

  I LOVE IT!! Kia has really showed what they can do....i had a 202 sportage and i loved it!! i was out growing it so when i seen an add for the NEW sportage i jushed over to my kia dealer and bought my self the new kia....sa far so good....i love the sound system!! clean crisp clear sound. It had plenty of power for the highway....there is just one thing i have to test........THE 4X4...i havent tested that out yet , im just wating for another snow storm to hit so i can really have some fun with my sportage....if your looking for a cheap good looking mini-ute i would look at the Sportage.

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  Be careful I love the sportage but not 2017 model - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By jerry - December 2 - 4:02 am

  Let me start by saying my wife and I have owned 2 kias and we have loved them. You cant beat the warranty and I think the build quality is good. There is only 2 dealers near where we live so we went to the closest one first to take the 2017 out for a test drive. When we first seen the car we loved the way it looked and the inside was even better (we looked at a Hyundai before we went to the kia dealer and they are almost the same) the problem I had was when I turned the key and heard the noise the engine made. It was HORRIBLE, I have a strong mechanical background and the tapping noise the car makes inside and out is unacceptable to me. What it is is the high pressure injection system (fuel pump and injectors) . Now if you know nothing about machinery you may not notice the noise this makes and if so buy the car it is a good car I am just giving my opinion about the fuel system. Now the dealer will try to tell you that this noise will stop after the car has warmed up but this is just not true, They may also say that this is new technology but this is also false. All I am asking is you research direct inject systems and educate yourself on the positives (and there are a bunch) and on the negatives. Sorry to be such a downer on this I love the car but they could have relocated the fuel pump and insulated the firewall better to quiet the tapping noise..

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  my 04 Amanti - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By steve - December 2 - 12:30 am

  As a sales person I find this to be a fantastic vehicle for my needs. I disagree with the comment of a weak v-6. The car is very comfortable and has all the room 5 people need. I get a lot of positive comments on the vehicle. I will buy a second Amanti.

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  good car great standard features - 2013 Kia Optima
  By dmc03 - December 1 - 1:39 pm

  Like the car real well, runs great has plenty of power, smooth ride, comfortable seating. the only thing i am disappointed in is the gas mileage. The sticker rates it at 24 city 35 highway. I once checked it at about 19mpg everyday driving. On the highway going from birmingham to atlanta round trip I got about 30mpg. which is not too bad , but is about 5mpg below epa estimated mileage. So it seems that both the city and highway mileage falls about 5mpg short. Dont go by the estimated mpg on the odometer because it is not very accurate. It may say you are getting a few more miles per gallon than is true. I found when you check it at fill up with a calculater it is less.

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  Just Awesome - 2010 Kia Soul
  By 613Soul - November 30 - 8:46 pm

  This car is just amazing. If you are looking online for reviews and reading articles, STOP NOW, go and buy one. Very solid build, the motor is plenty powerful to haul the weight of the car and 5 passengers. People stop dead in their tracks and stare at this car with a huge smile - it demands attention. Sound system is insane. I have a 4 gig USB drive full of MP3s/ If i get sick of that, i switch to Sirius Satellite Radio, if i get sick of that, it switch to my ipod, i get sick of that i switch to FM radio, i get sick of that i switch to CDs. Ridiculous options. * I should not that my model is actually the 4U Retro in Canada.

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  2002 Kia - 2002 Kia Optima
  By JamesB - November 30 - 2:00 am

  Spoiler as trade for dealer miles, dealer recommended a good detail shop to tint the windows making the car look exceptionally sharp. I just spent a year in Korea where they use these cars as taxis (they drive the heck out of them) and every one I rode in was just as smooth as mine (engine, too). Only problem I have had was the bushing in the steering column where it transfers through the floorpan dried out causing the steering to groan as if low on power steering fluid. One trip to dealer identified and fixed problem by lubricating the joint. Overall excellent buy for the money and compared to other autos in same class.

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  Great Value for the Dollar! - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By G.Peter - November 29 - 3:13 am

  This is one of finest compact cars on the market today. The features that this car offers are absolutely phenomenal. I initially checked out other compact cars such as the Dodge Caliber, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, and Nissan Sentra. I have to admit that each of those cars left me desiring and seeking much more. Then I decided to check out the Kia Spectra 5 and that was the best decision I could have made. The car was everything I was looking for in a compact car. The look was sporty. The exterior quality was extremely obvious. The interior was loaded with features that even some bigger cars and SUVs didnt have. Then came the drive. I was sold and the car was mine. Thank you Kia.

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  Nice!!! - 2016 Kia Sedona
  By James Beach - November 28 - 10:05 pm

  Owned less than one month. Very happy with the car. I get 17.1 MPG city and 25 MPG in the mountains, very little highway miles at this point. Update: Six plus months now; with two great vacations. Very happy with the Kia Sedona. 28-30 HWY MPG. The middle seats kneel forward allowing for the folding raised platform I have that supports a full-size tri-fold mattress with storage underneath, push button side-doors, wonderful for camping and cargo. I am very pleased with the high quality of the Kia Sedona.

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  Great! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By neo - November 28 - 10:00 am

  This price cant beat, even with other better brand, reliable on normal driving condition, this is not for full size family, i like almost everything for the price i paid for this car except handling should improve.