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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  Positive Choice - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Rthor - November 4 - 2:00 am

  The Kia Optima in a price comparison with other makes and models won hands down both in quality and features. The car is well equipped with virtually all the accessories one would want. From a moon roof to ABS brakes, leather interior and a 24V-V6 engine. The engine is quiet and very responsive. Interior noise is low and the car gives a good solid feel during city or highway driving. Overall the form, fit and function of the car is outstanding, particularly at this price.

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  Very good car - 2004 Kia Optima
  By MWay1146 - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I have owned a Cadillac, a Lincoln Town Car, and several Chevy, Oldsmobile, and Chrysler vehicles. My 2003 Optima EX is as good as any of them. It has a nice ride, handles very well, and is quieter than my Town Car or Coupe de Ville were. On a recent 1000 mile trip, I got 33 MPG and the first 10000 miles have been totally trouble-free. I highly recommend this car.

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  My 1st SUV - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Johnny220044 - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Whats not to like? The only option my EX has is ABS. Great sterio, great alloy wheels, 65k mile Michelin tires, the best warranty of any like SUV. Great looks(Lexus eat you heart out), great colors and two tone match up, good ground clearance, could have better gas milage but the V-6 is needed to tow 3500 pounds. Im not a fake wood kind of guy, but there isnt that much. All around great SUV. Oh yeah, NHTSB 5 stars.

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  kia sorento - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By jousters1 - November 4 - 2:00 am

  great car for the price

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  Surprise I own a KIA - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Ten - November 4 - 2:00 am

  IT really is a great SUV.

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  Tim loves his - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Tim Guerrasio - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Have only had vehicle 6.5 months, but vehicle is the best Ive ever owned. Very comfortable and a blast to drive. It almost makes rush hour traffic enjoyable. Plenty of room for people and stuff. Full size adults fit comfortably in rear seats.

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  i love it - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By maryelaine - November 4 - 2:00 am

  We have been delighted with everything about our suv!!!!! its magic and rides wonderfully. i was injured in a car accident and my neck was ruined i havent felt safe in a car until we got the sorento

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  I love my Kia - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Sorento is great - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I tried lots of SUVs before buying my Kia. Overall, it had the best package. Tough enough to go offroad, luxurious, safe, good warranty, powerful, neat looking, not crazy expensive. I almost bought the top of the line Jeep Cherokee Limited for the same price, but liked the Kias drive much better.

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  Love it! - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By ccordes - November 2 - 5:40 pm

  We actually traded in our Sorento for the Sportage because of the better gas mileage and couldnt be happier. Its a cute little SUV that you can get for a great price. Weve had it for almost two years now and driven halfway across the country in it and havent had any problems with it. The only reason we might get rid of this is because of our expanding family. It would be a tight squeeze with two carseats or a carseat and a booster seat and luggage for four!

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  Problems with Warranties - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Earl Hayes - November 2 - 10:00 am

  Has anyone had problems with noises in the front end? We are wating for a Arbitration Department to contact us as we cannot find out where the noise is coming from. According to the dealer, Kia is trying to find the source, but at this time there is not a fix. If they cannot find a fix, how do we know it is not a safety hazzard. The dealer stated it is not a hazzard. The dealer gave up looking for it, but they know the noise is there. We were suppose to be contacted today, but so far, no calls or letters. Is this warranty any good. I guess time will tell. We have other rattles, but the dealer said to wait on them to find the main noise.