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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  More than expected - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Jeff733 - October 19 - 11:56 am

  Why buy one of those Japanese brands, when you have equal quality, less the damage to your checking acct. This car has blown my wife and I away (plus 2 kids). We traded 04 xterra and are pleased with our decision. We have a fully loaded EX, Black, leather int, ALL packages. We went to see it and were surprised at the luxury the Sedona has; the standards and extras were bonus. I cant imagine what car an negative reviewers drove, but this car is mostly quiet, smooth, and Fast! The sports mode, "stick-shift", adds to the fun! plenty of room, great visibility, great handling. Very nice! why bother with the Japanese high priced vans?

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  Good car, Great buy - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Lamar - October 19 - 7:23 am

  We bought our Rondo as a leftover in 2009. After driving it for the 10 months we have had it we are still surprised at the huge interior and the diminuitive exterior. It is comfortable, easy to enter and exit, gives us reasonable mileage, and easily and comfortably carries four adults 95 miles to visit grandchildren. The fuel pump deserted us at 10k and was promptly replaced by Kia. We were told it had been replaced under a recall earlier while at an Orlando dealer before it was sent to our dealer, hmmm. We are very satisfied but keep an "eye out" for further fuel pump problems. good car for older prople who have mobility problems.

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  Not bad - 2001 Kia Optima
  By Roger2 - October 18 - 2:00 am

  It is a pretty good car for its price.

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  2004 Optima EX 2.4L - 2004 Kia Optima
  By scrdn - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Just bought the car on 12/05. So far the only "problem" is how to program the homelink to open my garage door. Very good build quality

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  Love my Kia - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By sandy littiken - October 18 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my Kia a year ago and have loved it ever since, it is a great car and handles great on the road, I have never has one problem with it. I have 4 kids and they were all with me when I bought it and they love it too. The all fit in it and are comfortable. Some times I let my husband drive it.

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  Buy one while theyre still cheap - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By TL - October 17 - 9:40 pm

  Best highway mileage 22.5 from RI to PA. Average mixed highway/city 18mpg. Worst mileage 15 - I drove it hard off every light, ramp etc. I have averaged as high as 60,000 miles per year, driving mostly GM vehicles. You cant compare this to a Trailblazer, its twice as nice at half the price. The $20,000 I saved buys a lot of gas. Mines a fully loaded EX with almost every aftermarket option Kia offers. Plenty of torque, power to spare. This car wants to run. Baby the pedal on take-offs, let the transmission do the work. Back off on the gas pedal just before it shifts for a little for a smoother shift and watch the gas mileage climb too.

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  FROM A NIGHTMARE TO AN OPTIMA - 2011 Kia Optima
  By d2dv - October 17 - 9:52 am

  I had a Land Rover Discovery that was a constant pain that wouldnt go away. Now I have an OPTIMA and I couldnt be happier. I test drove the Accord, Camry, Focus, Cruze, and others... OPTIMA is hands down the best out of any of these. Tons of features are included in even the base model. I got the extended 100K bumper to bumper warranty just for added piece of mind and I still paid under $25K out the door. Already have 2000 miles and I am averaging 29 mpg!! Less than the stated mpg but much better than the 11mpg I was getting on the Rover. Im probably getting the KIA Sportage when our minivan finally gives up.

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  Mixed Bag - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By LJM - October 16 - 5:00 pm

  This car has been good to me, but it has also caused me a LOT of undue stress and financial burden....I have replaced so many parts-my bumper literally just fell off while driving one day, has never been in a collision (to my knowledge) and it just fell right off...was expensive to replace, and then the driver side came loose 2 weeks later, have had to have the alignment redone far too often as it pulls very hard to the right and the heater breaks regularly. The inside of the car has just fallen apart as well, the bolt holding the seat in place fell out and i had to play over $400 to get it fixed, and then told it was not "the perfect fix, but the best they could do..." dont buy..

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  Great Car 2011 EX Turbo fully loaded - 2011 Kia Optima
  By we_will_see - October 16 - 1:29 pm

  This truly is a very nice car. Is it perfect no but unless you want to spend $80,000 plus. This car is a great value, have the premium package with nav etc. Have had for over a month with 3,455 miles. Took two trips with it one 2 hours one 6 hours and it drives great on the highway. I got 34.8 mpg. The front drivers seat is a little stiff and could use more padding and the ride is a little firm but you get use to it. A bit to much plastic inside but over all it looks rather up scale. Getting about 22 mpg in the city. Dispite what I have read its very quite and I dont hear the road noise from the tires. The engine runs smooth, shifts smooth and it can move with the turbo.

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  Driving my Soul! - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Dean - October 16 - 4:56 am

  I am enjoying driving my new Soul. It handles well and has a lot more room and features than most people can imagine. I originally had a Prius and no one thought I would ever switch to a Kia Soul. At this point I have no complaints.