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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  Thyrome - 2012 Kia Forte
  By abair1 - October 3 - 1:47 pm

  This car is a tank! I was not paying as much attention as I should have been and nearly rear ended a truck but instead jerked the wheel at like 40 mph skidded sideways like 50 ft and hit and then jumped a curb, all it did was give the rim a small bit of rim rash it still drives fine and is still in alignment. The mileage though is not what it said it should be even though using medium grade does make a notable difference in this and power. And it is sorta peppy. It has plenty of room, I am almost 6 and am not skinny. And yes it drives like butter, only problem is the stock tires are not very shall we say "grippy". I am at 35,000 miles with absolutely no issue just tune-up type stuff.

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  Good car so far - 2012 Kia Optima
  By Chris - October 2 - 4:32 pm

  Car now has 52k on it, bought 3+ years ago with 20k from a chevy dealer. Wheel alignment at 49k just before I got new Dunlaps. A very low cost to own car. Seats are somewhat low. Mpg high 20s to 35 at highway speeds. Mpg go down after 65mph. The dealer always trys to sell me a cabin and air filter for $75. Read the manual and do it yourself and save.

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  My Kia - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By KIA Driver - October 1 - 9:43 am

  I bought this car used with about 70,000 miles on it. I now have 95,000 on the car and I still like it. Ive had to replace the complete front brake assembly and had to replace the rear brakes. All of this replacement is a cause of the previous owner neglect. Anyway I like this car a lot, its very comfortable, gets good gas mileage, and is very reliable. The only mechanical problem Ive had is the fuel pump needs to be replaced very soon, and the exhaust is rattling a little. One thing that is extremely annoying is a sharp loud metallic rattle coming from the automatic shifter inside the car. I cant figure out what it is, I just know its very annoying.

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  Love my car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By yellowbus1 - September 29 - 5:57 am

  Love my Kia have had it for two years now with no major issues im at 65000 mil... get 20-28mpg, its fun to drive and handles well. I have only had a few problems that were all covered under worriment, there was an issue with the sway bar Waring out and the power locks going out, also have had to replace the radio and visor on the passenger side. all little fixes so over all a grate car that has done me well and i plane to drive to the ground. The one major disappointment that was not covered is the TPMS sensor going out and kia refusing to fix saying i caused it

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  KIA - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Dave61 - September 28 - 10:00 am

  I just purchased a new KIA Two weeks ago. I took it on a trip up to Reno NV and It preformed wonderful in every respect. It had plenty of power for the many hills. Everything worked perfect.

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  Very happy!!! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By donnie71281 - September 28 - 4:36 am

  I test drove the 2011 Honda Accord EX-L V6 same day and the only reason i gave this car a second look is because of the exterior and the 2.0 turbo engine. As soon as i saw the fit and finish of the interior i was sold. I took the car for the test drive and i was in love. The accord was very nice too, but i didnt fall in love with it like this. The 2.0 turbo is fantastic. Has more horse power than the 5.2L V8 i used to drive. I couldnt be more pleased with this car. Only options i didnt get was Nav. and Moon roof. Put 100 miles on the car today and getting 21 in the city and 33 on freeway. With all the hills in WV im more than please. Will update more as time goes on.

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  Kia does not honor warranty - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Lisa - September 27 - 6:10 pm

  Horrible experience with this model and Kia Corp. Major issues with airbags, electrical , paint, faulty engine parts etc. One of the most undepenable cars I have ever owned. In a 30 year period. Most expensive in short range ownership also. Kia Corp. does not seem to care about the long term of the consumer for their products. If they did they would honor a problem on their known faulty parts. I will NEVER buy or deal with a dealership that has anything to do with this foreign make.

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  Works for me - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Rich - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought this 2005 Spectra EX new and now have 60,000 miles on it. I change the oil every 3-4K miles. My front tires wore out after about 25,000 because I never rotated them, so I put new ones on just the front. At 60,000 I should probably just change all 4 now. I havent had so much as a head lamp go out on this car. Original battery and this car has never failed to start or run smoothly. Granted I maintain it well and keep it garaged, but still it has exceeded my expectation for an economical car. Comfort is not bad considering I over 6ft tall and the upholstery has no tears, cracks, or worn spots.

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  Our 3rd Sorento-outstanding features for the price - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Don - September 24 - 8:41 pm

  Our first Sorento was an LX back in 2012 then we traded for a 2014 EX V6 and just last week traded that one for a 2017 Limited. The wife loves the fact that the Sorento can be outfitted with 3rd row seats and I love the features for the price, notwithstanding great dealer support and warranty. Our previous Sorentos have always been dependable. I almost traded our 2014 for the 2016 but it was the 1st year of the re-tooling and dealers were getting MSRP pricing plus it didnt have auto braking with the front collision warning system. Our dealer had a great price on a brand new 2017 limited and we traded. I chose the limited for several reasons: to get some of the same features our 2014 EX had (such as ventilated front seats) we had to go to the limited trim. But I also liked all the other features the limited offered so we chose this trim level. You cant get any additional options on this trim level as they are all included, except for any extra dealer options (like a cargo net, mats, etc). There are a number of great features on this car. To begin with, the sound deadening glass and underbody makes for a really quite highway ride. The interior redesign is very functional. The power seat on drivers side has many new features on lumbar support and leg extension support at front of seat. The LCD display and Navigation/Audio/Bluetooth/Climate displays are much more user friendly. It seems there are on-screen prompts to almost all functions to help you. The audio system is outstanding. The menu choices have been broadened and are extensive: you can download Yelp, Pandora is included, SirusXM Traffic, Apple Car Play and Android Auto just to mention a few. You still have the UVO system (download POIs you create on your own Smartphone or PC and Parking Minder). We love the new Android Auto. You hook up your phone via USB and you basically have Google maps and voice support at your command via the cars system. The Lane change warning is a nice feature. You still have Blind Spot monitor which we loved on our 2014. Adaptive Cruise control is really neat. You set your cruise speed and if you come up on a slower vehicle your vehicle automatically adjusts its speed to the vehicle ahead until you move out of the lane and pass which time your car goes back to the speed you originally set. The surround view cameras give you front views, backup camera with obstacle warning and cameras on underside of each outside mirror give a computer generated image of a birds eye view of your car. This is nice when parking in a tight space you can see on the screen how you are fitting between two cars or other obstacles. There is an electric parking brake on the Limited which automatically releases as you drive forward. There is also a feature called Auto Hold which when activated allows you to take your foot off the brake when waiting in a line of cars at a light or a stop sign. Once you come to a complete stop the "auto hold" holds your car just as if you have your foot on the brake, but you can relax your foot and as you step on the accelerator to move forward it automatically releases (part of the electric parking brake system). The full ceiling panorama roof remains a great feature. And of course with the 2017 model you have auto braking in advance of a frontal collision situation. Havent tested out that yet as no way to really simulate it in a situation without risking it not "seeing" the potential frontal crash. You also have 1 USB connection port and 2 additional USB charging ports as well as 3 12v ports and one 110v port. Sunshades are on the 2nd row windows, the V6 is the only engine to go with in my opinion, and in the Limited you have heated/cooled front seats and heated 2nd row seats as well as a heated steering wheel. Yes I know that is a lot of features which some are just luxury items, but at $46,000 MSRP with most dealers discounting off that, you would be hard pressed to find another vehicle with V6 and 3rd row seats with all those features at such a good price.

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  It wouldnt die! - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By therangerman - September 24 - 2:44 pm

  Living in Canada, our winters are hard on cars. This van would not die! I bought this van with 250,000km on it and I ran it until 450,000km it was still running strong but I hit a moose going 110km an hour and it destroyed the van. Every year we would haul a 4500pound trailer all the way around Ontario and it never really hurt the van. Even though every year the rear heater lines would rot out there was nothing really done other than regular maintenance. The a/c stopped working after hitting my second deer. But other than those things you could run this van through hell and it wouldnt even get a scratch I even took it muding once. good job Kia you built a bullet proof tank