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:

• 

  2011 Kia Sorento - Base Model - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By newvwdriver - November 9 - 10:13 pm

  I bought my 2011 Kia Sorento (base model with manual transmission) in February, 2011. So far I love it. However, there is one glitch that maybe other Kia owners have noticed. It is with Kias automatic locking system. Never ever leave your keys in the ignition for any period of time when leaving! Kia automatically locks you out after a short period of time. It has happened to me twice so far. I asked the Kia owner about this and he said it has happened to him twice, so beware..... I have been locked out twice.

• 

  ehh - 2006 Kia Optima
  By zoom_zoom89 - November 2 - 7:18 pm

  best car ive personally owned, but have had to put $1500 in the past 4months, not counting reg maintenance. NOT cheap parts like i had expected, will be searching for a honda next time.

• 

  wow - 2009 Kia Optima
  By kinkejay - November 2 - 2:23 am

  I truly never thought I would ever buy a foreign car but I have now bought two Kias in 6 mths and love them. The Optima is an inexpensive luxury kind of car. You really do get the bang for the buck with this one. Ford, GM, Chrysler take notice, Kia is here to stay.

• 

  Soul could become an icon like the Mini - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Mike Gordon - November 1 - 4:00 pm

  Our plus automatic is a month old. Its a small car which drives like a much bigger car or a SUV. Interior space is amazing. Engine is quick enough for California traffic, and the transmission is well made but 4 speeds are not enough. If they would place the 2.4 liter engine and a 6-speed auto with paddle shifters in the Soul, it could become an icon among "hot hatches" like the Mini Cooper, Mazda Speed 3, or he VW GTI. I enjoy driving it more than our V6 Accord. As a former Honda tech I think the engine bay has lots of space and it should be easy to work on. I can do an oil change on the Soul at home without raising it with a jack. And it doesnt have the drive-by-wire throttle - no runaway.

• 

  2010 Kia Forte Koup - 2010 Kia Forte
  By kiaaed - November 1 - 10:49 am

  Good car and fun to drive. The exterior is very nice and the interior looks nice but the material doesnt look like it will last very long. There are some issues:1) The sun-roof is very noisy and bounces around when hitting a bump. 2) Air condition doesnt feel cold enough especially on a hot 100 degree day.3) There are leaks in the floor board or door that is causing mold to grow on the passenger floor mat. Kia cannot figure out the problem. They just bandage the problem by trying to kill the mold that eventually comes back. Make sure you check yours!4) Gears shift hard unexpectedly.5) Alignment/tires wear down in the inside of tires & change tires after 20k miles. Bluetooth/addressbook bad

• 

  4x4 ex Kia Sorento - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By bwinquist - November 1 - 9:40 am

  Purchased this Sorento ex 4x4..to it for a 400 mile test drive and found it to handle well on highway-no unreasonable vibrations, handles well, good turning radius, good acceleration. The seating however, is quite hard. Perhap this can be an improvement for future. Good legroom for driver and passenger, the steering wheel could perhaps elevate higher. The wheel base should be longer to allow for greater back cargo storage. The seats do not fold down well wihout adjusting the headrests.

• 

  Excellent Little Car! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By April - October 23 - 5:03 pm

  This vehicle has made me consider never buying an American car again! I love my little Kia Rio and have never had any major problems with it except routine work. I have an hour commute to work, so I needed something with better gas mileage, and this certainly has it. Having never driven a four cylinder before, I was worried that I wouldnt like the slower pick-up. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how fast it could go to 70 or 75 on the freeway. Also, for such a small car it is awfully roomy (This is coming from someone who is 510 keep in mind)

• 

  Sons second car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By alshoe - October 16 - 12:38 pm

  Purchased our 2002 Spectra 11/23/2011 for our son. Our son had a 2002 Saturn SL that was totaled in a accident. This Kia is very much like his Saturn, a basic car, no power windows, door locks or cruise control. Body has some dings and scratches but overall paint, body and interior in very good condition. Never owned a Kia, but good experience at Kia dealership. Clock was not working so they will replace it at no additional cost to me. I also purchased a two year warranty to cover all major components.

• 

  Good SUV for a Cross-over - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Eduardo - October 16 - 8:10 am

  I bought this car mid 2007 and I really appreciated it. It is very reliable, performs very well. I traveled to CA (LA and San Diego), Grand Canyon and Las Vegas and also inside AZ state and in all trips the performance was outstanding besides the road conditions (ice, rain, desert). Also for my day-to-day activities has a good performance and it is very safe. My wife really appreciated it.

• 

  I love my Kia - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Roxy - October 16 - 4:00 am

  My Kia is an 04 and currently has 92k miles on it. I have changed the oil regularly, just got new tires last year, needed to change the tail lights about once a year. Other than that-new brakes...havent had a problem until now. I have an oil leak and the mechanic has to take the engine apart to find the leak. Said it would be $300-$400. So, not bad for 92k miles. I love my Kia-have had fun driving it. I will keep it until it dies! The gas mileage isnt very good but it is paid off due to the 0% financing I got on it when purchased new. I was rear ended by a very large truck going 45 mph and I was at a complete stop with my baby in the back seat. This Kia took the hit from hell like a champ.