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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  Read This Review Before Purchasing - 2007 Kia Optima
  By ColoradoJack - September 9 - 5:10 am

  I bought this car brand new with 7 miles on it. My 2007 Kia Optima has went through four different automatic transmissions. Kia will refuse to fix their defective car until you threaten legal action and then all the sudden they agree to pop in yet another transmission. My head gasket has blown twice and the car leaks oil and transmission fluid. Im afraid to turn the car off sometimes because I seriously wonder if the thing will blow up the next time because its so poorly made.

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  Does everything they say it will + - 2013 Kia Optima
  By richardrp - September 8 - 8:44 am

  I bought it thinking I would get less than shown on mileage. WRONG !!! After 1000 miles getting, Interstate driving cruising, 70 mph on flat ground, a steady 36.7-.8 mpg. Yesterday a 53 mile return trip driving Interstate Hwy with rolling hills, State Hwy with steep hills, 6 miles of rural blacktop road with high hills and and winding curves, stopping in small town to buy dinner, stopping at 4 stoplights . Average 34.7 mpg, average speed 49 mph for total trip . General driving trip to town driving 26 miles through steep hills on winding road and town driving, average 29.3 mpg. For anyone getting terrible mileage with this engine, try Star Tron add to clean water/crbn from fuel, etc.

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  Kia Amanti review - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By nick - September 8 - 7:40 am

  Have had many compliments since my purchase. The overall value for what this vehicle brings is outstanding. Luxury versus cost.

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  Super fun SXL sport sedan connects with road in comfort and style at reasonable price! - 2013 Kia Optima
  By robberoony - September 7 - 11:24 pm

  I love under-rated cars, esp. ones that are transformed when you buy the top of the line model, and SX Limited sure fits this bill! 2l Turbo mill is potent, revs freely, and has a wide power band for its size. Easily outperforms my 2011 Fusion V6. Handling is also great, very connected to the road, low body roll, wonderful automatic downshifts, quick response off-idle, and a blast to manually up or down shift at any time via the paddles. Comfort is outstanding too, I especially love the cooled seats and soft, high quality leather. Infinity audio + sub is superb! The electronics are also carefully thought out and nicely integrated - nav, phone, audio, voice control all intuitive.

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  Surprised Me!!! - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By baby_c_1989 - September 7 - 10:59 pm

  I bought my Kia with 80k (or something like that) a year ago it now has 108k miles on it and is still going strong. I was really worried about buying a kia but I needed a cheap car right away! I was surprised when I bought it, she told me it was still under warranty until 100k (WOW!) She had all her maintenance records and it seemed she had some issues with the car the first year or two she bought it. Since Ive had it the only out of pocket expenses have been oil changes and tires. I have had NO mechanical difficulty with this car it has been extremely reliable as our only means of transportation. I am no considering buying a new kia when its time to buy a NEW car.

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  Absolutely Awesome! - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By SparkerT - September 7 - 7:06 am

  Great style; smooth ride; roomy functional interior; excellent value. I highly recommend the Sportage for anyone in the market for a compact SUV. Its a great value and some real competition for its Japanese competitor SUVs which cost thousands of dollars more. Kia has a hit here!

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  Bulb issues constantly - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By spiegel - September 7 - 5:03 am

  I have had my Sorento for less than 3 years now and I have had to replace 11 bulbs between the low beam, high beam, tail lights, and brake lights. Each bulb averages $35 at the dealership to replace. If it is within 1 year, they replace at no cost. Of the 11 bulbs, 9 have lasted 14 months, which is not covered by the dealership. Something has got to be wrong, and they claim nothing. BULBS DO NOT GO OUT LIKE THIS!

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  Underpromise and Overdelivery - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Myrna T. Pagan - September 6 - 11:53 am

  Weve owned our 2005 Sedona since Oct. last year and so far it has over delivered our expectations. Nice torquey V-6, comfortable ride, excellent road manners for a vehicle its class, very quiet engine, great a/c, silk-shifting transmission. Great curb appeal, killer warranty (10 yrs/ 100,000 miles), and the sales/service-maintenance experience has been the best weve ever had with any Dealer. Our decision to buy the Sedona came from our experience with our other car. A 2002 Kia Optima with 70k miles driven in less than 3 yrs. This was a "no- brainer" decision.

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  DO NOT BUY USED - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By freshpowder - September 6 - 12:42 am

  Non stop problems, poorly made everything is cheapy parts! Engine mounts, power steering hose, pistons wrong. Brakes are cheap, heater and ac are weak. Transmission issues. Wow I really really regret buying this car and kept thinking this would be the last repair. It never stops! The doors rust and rot so they dont slide right. Then the rear hatch struts that hold up the back door dont work and no after market parts fit. Problems with spark plugs, and the design of the car make repairs very costly because they have to pull out all the parts to get to the parts. Such a disaster please dont consider buying one no matter how cheap you see it for sale locally! Fuel sensors went bad...

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  The MiniVan - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Anitas ride - September 5 - 11:26 am

  Well a bit shaky about a Kia, then we drove it. It feels like some of the other minivans but better than the rest. Rides like a big heavy car but more room to move around in and better view of the world around the van on the road. Built solid and is very quiet on the road, handles great, safe feel on the road.