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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  Scared To Drive ! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By babygirl - February 21 - 4:40 am

  This van is a piece of junk. Alternator went out. A/C compressor blew up. Back brakes leaking fluids. Small things inside van breaking: visor mirror cover, ashtray cover, back seat compartment cover. It has terrible terrible gas mileage. My mystery check engine light goes off and on as it pleases. The exhaust fumes are terrible. We are military and live 12 hours from our home state and I am scared to drive it. I am upside down if I trade it in , but I am willing to sacrifice a few dollars for the safety of me and my children. I actually felt safer in my 1995 Hyundai Accent. This is a no-buy.

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  So Far, So Good - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Mr Tightwad - February 21 - 2:00 am

  I was a little emarassed at first about having a Kia, but now enough people have ridden in it and had nice things to say about it that I am glad I bought it. Its actually a beautiful looking van, and the interior has unique styling and the controls are laid out smartly. I have had no mechanical problems with it. The ride feels great. The only problem I had was I took it to the car wash and spayed water on the bumper where it was pretty dirty, and a little bit of the paint just flew off. But the Kia dealer had it repainted without any questions or arguments.

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  The Kia Sedona - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Selig - February 21 - 2:00 am

  The Kia Sedona is the best mini van on the market. I purchased the van last year and since I purchased it my wife (who does not like to drive) has driven it more than I have. I am thinking about purchasing another Kia Sedona.

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  Never dreamed Id own a Kia! - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By ffc27 - February 20 - 6:41 pm

  Pros: I wanted an SUV with leg room (Im 511) and enough room for my 4 year old in her car seat to have enough leg room. The Sorento does not disappoint!! Its rare when I have to move my seat forward to drive comfortably, and in the Sorento, I have to do just that! I also wanted decent MPG and AWD. Hard to find in the same vehicle. Ive gotten as good as 26.9 MPG on the freeway pushing 80 MPH through a whole tank. I average 20-21 MPG in town. Cons: -The 4cyl is gutless -Third row is not an aftermarket option - I got this car with hopes of adding because AWD and 3rd row are hard to find. -headlights could afford to be brighter. The line where the light ends is frustrating.

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  Scarry to drive Optima - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Customer - February 20 - 4:23 pm

  We have this car for two years and have constant problem with passenger air bag sign not turned off if passenger about 150 lbs is present. No problems with passenger of 200 lbs. NHTSA has 32 complaints for Optima 2006-2008 for the same problem with couple of injured persons, but the only thing Dealer and KIA representative suggested is "passenger need to sit exactly in the middle of the seat, only in upright position, no legs crossed, no leaning on one side or another.If problem occurs, stop the car and restart it". Seems as just an excuse for malfunctioning and dangerous design flaw. Quite scary to be a passenger in this car, no proper company response to the unsafe design flaw so far.

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  Awful Gas Mileage - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Buckeyes97 - February 20 - 8:50 am

  First and foremost, I want to address the horrible fuel mileage issues with this van. EPA says 18/25 city and highway. I am averaging no better than 18.2 MPG on highway trips. I could have bought the more pricey and more refined Honda Odyssey when considering the cost of fuel for this Kia. Im gathering that the Honda van is getting almost 10 MPG more on the highway. Wow! Im almost sick. That said, the vehicle seems ok otherwise. I am sure it soars above anything GM, Ford, or Chrysler would produce. It does have an air leak somewhere on the passenger side that is somewhat noisy. It also has a noisy ride which I do not thing is totally due to the cheap Hankook tires.

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  Electrical problems of the 2002 Kia Spectra - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By charlesg56 - February 19 - 10:45 am

  It has low beam head lights that do not work often. Power windows that blow fuses or fail for some other reason and a check engine light that never goes out.

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  The Amazing Amanti (Be Amazed!) - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By THE57SPOONS - February 18 - 4:10 am

  This is a refreshing change from Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi, (and Ive owned them all in the past) . The ride is fantastic and I cannot began to tell you how many times people look at our black Kia wondering "thats nice!, what is it?" Were stopped all the time by friends, relatives, workmates, and folks we dont know asking about the car. Many peoples first thought is that it is a new Mercedes, or Jaguar from the front or even a new smaller Lincoln Town Car from the rear. I have never had a car that has generated more interest than our 2004 Kia Amanti!

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  Two Warnings - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By D McClure - February 18 - 12:00 am

  I bought my 2011 Sorento with 18k on it in 2013. It has been a great car for the past three years. This year it was at just over 90k. I have always done everything I am supposed to. Plus I am a slow accelerator, typically I cruise at 2000 RPM in the city and 2500 on the highway not passing 3000 during acceleration. Then last month I heard a god awful metal sheering sound and the car skidded to a halt. Had it towed to the mechanic and was told the cylinder tubes had corroded and the cylinder heads were shifting and scraping the sides and that the engine could no longer be started. Cost for a used engine with the same amount of miles is right around $4500. If I want a re-manufactured one it is even more. Warranty is not an option because it cancels at 5/60 on used purchases. What is worse to me is a I still owe $14k. I did some research and it looks like this is a common problem in 2011 and 2012 Sorentos. I had planned on buying a Kia again in the future but I think I will stick to brands I have had good experiences with. I dont know if I will repair it at some point or turn it into a $14k paper weight. I would steer clear!

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  Love my Kia - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By JENin5280 - February 17 - 6:46 am

  This is my second Kia. My first was a 2003 Sorento that I loved dearly, it just started getting expensive to maintain. So I "downgraded" or so I thought. I am always impressed with Kia and my Sportage is no exception. Gas mileage improves with every tank. Great, smooth ride. I drove 3 different Hondas and no one ever pulled up next to me at a light to ask me about my Honda, but they have about both of my Kias. People are curious. I love my Sportage, I loved my Sorento and I would recommend them to anyone. Oh, and I took it up to Breckenridge and over Loveland Pass a month ago and it performed flawlessly.