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:

• 

  A lot of car for just a few bucks! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Carlos L. Ortiz - June 4 - 10:00 am

  Its been 9 months and 10.5K miles and I am very happy with my little cheap car. Other family members who made fun of me at time of purchase have driven it and been impressed. Dealership excellent service has been a plus in terms of customer satisfaction. A/C was freezing, got it fixed in one day, never had a problem again with it. Dealership provided ride to work and pick up. Hey! Thats European Service at Korean Price! Recommend the car and probably will replace for a bigger Kia. Cousin already bought Rio Cinco after my experience!

• 

  My Stylish Little Economizer!! - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Alphonso - June 4 - 8:50 am

  WOW!! I didnt expect this when I bought it used! Comfortable, quiet, convenient, safe, capable and fun, fun, fun!! The 1.6L engine had me fooled! Its acceleration is decent, not overwhelming. I get respectable mileage and very good handling! All things considered, Im almost blown away that this vehicle presents! With Bluetooth and XM, Im happy that Kia seemed to really, really have the consumer in mind! Thanks, Kia! I would definitely buy again!

• 

  Great little car - 2008 Kia Rio
  By John - June 3 - 10:30 pm

  I was worried at first, having made the transition from a full-size 4x4 to a sub-compact, but all is well especially at the pump. I average 3-500 mi. a week and this great little car gets 29 in rush hour, and 33+ on the open road. I like manual transmissions and it was pretty hard to find the one I wanted. This little car has some spunk and I really enjoy driving it around. Seats are nice and the controls are well placed.

• 

  GAS MPG - 2004 Kia Optima
  By analyzerlx - June 3 - 8:56 pm

  The odometer reads 34,400 so far and going strong. I commute pretty often now and Ive been going from Georgia to Maryland, VA or NC. I recently checked my MPGs and was pretty happy to see it is around 32.4 MPG. I think thats great since the EPA highway is only supposed to be 27. The car has a few mysterious dings. Other than that it has been a very comfortable ride. I believe it should reach 100,000 with no problem. I plan on fixing the timing chain at 60,000 and will see if I have a problem after that.

• 

  Looks Expensive - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Looks Expensive - June 3 - 7:13 pm

  This is an awesome vehicle. I love it. Was going in for a Sportage and got this. The only thing that I dont like about it is the cup holders in the console, they are two different sizes and just dont fit right. Also when I get it washed, the hatch back collects soap, I have to ask them to lift it up and wipe it out.

• 

  Dangerous KIA - 2006 Kia Amanti
  By Me and my 2006 Kia - June 3 - 3:10 pm

  I purchased this car six months ago and had it at the dealers three times in the first month. I complained that there was a problem with the transmission. When I would accelerate the car would lurch forward. I was at a traffic light and when the traffic light changed I accelerated the car lurched forward .I steered the car toward the sidewalk to keep from hitting the people in front of me. I hit a pole. The gas pedal stuck. This car is beautiful on the outside but dangerous mechanically.

• 

  Kia Rio 5 SX - So far so good - 2006 Kia Rio
  By NH_Owner - June 3 - 1:40 pm

  Just picked up my loaded Rio 5 SX. Had to special order it since I wanted the Sunset Orange with Power Package and 4 wheel disk brakes. Its a pleasure to drive and I actually look forward to driving to and from work each day again. Put some mileage on it in just a few days (400+ miles). Drives fine in heavy rain (were getting soaked in NH).

• 

  Quite the stunner, but only time will tell. - 2011 Kia Optima
  By rwbenjey - June 3 - 11:21 am

  The 2011 Optima is basically a "European" version of the Sonata and a very nice looking sport-luxury sedan (thanks to Peter Schreyer, formerly of Audi). To me, this larger car looks like a marriage between a Lexus, a Saab, and a Maserati. Its a head-turner (as I certainly noticed on the way home from the dealership). The interior seems to borrow ideas from Volvo , Saab, and Audi (obviously). The only part, to me, that shows some of the KIA legacy is the dash/door trim choice and the seat fabric. Though, Not terrible, these items could be better than they are. Overall, I am very pleased by the design, number of standard features, performance, and comfort of this vehicle. Rating: A-

• 

  2014 Cadenza - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By sareldlh - June 3 - 10:28 am

  I just leased a new 2014 Cadenza with the Premium and Tech package. I choose the black exterior with white nappa leather. I then -after market had my windows tinted. I put $ 4300 down and did a 36 month,12,000 annual mileage lease. My monthly payment $ 299. I have approx. 1300 miles on the car and have enjoyed every second behind the wheel. Previously,I have driven lexus,Infiniti,BMW,etc and this beats them all. The features that are on the Cadenza would cost a minimum of $ 10-15,000 more on other vehicles. This vehicle is extremely well appointed and handles beautifully. A very happp customer and driver !

• 

  White Tiger - 2011 Kia Soul
  By Jeff Cutler - June 3 - 6:04 am