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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  Best Kept Secret - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Gary Mears - September 5 - 10:00 am

  The Kia Amanti is easily the best kept secret in the automotive industry. This is the quietest car made. The engine has plenty of power and coupled with the five speed automatic provides good fuel economy too. The ride and cumfort easily matches the top of the line automobiles such as BMW and Lexus for a price that is unbelieveable. Buy this car and you wont be sorry. The Koreans have proved that they can match the quality of anything made in Japan, Germany or the good ol USA.

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  Best Car Ever - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By joshj3434 - September 5 - 10:00 am

  This car is amazing! I never thought I would be able to afford a car with such luxury and comfort unless I forked over 80,000 dollars. I cant begin to tell you how many compliments I get from total strangers wanting to know where they can get one. I do know that after driving this car, there is no way I could bring myself to buying anything else.

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  great suv - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By jrodri - September 5 - 10:00 am

  great to drive,smooth,very stable,comfortable,stylish,good over all lenth,nice height,and a very good pick up on acceleration

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  Cant say enough on how far Kias come! - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By nickelhorse221 - September 5 - 6:03 am

  Just bought my 2011 Sorento after almost 3 weeks of dealers trying to locate exactly what i wanted. (dark cherry with black interior). Absolutely love the styling and performance of the V6 engine. Quick to get up to speed and fun to drive! Go for the limited package. Its worth the extra if you ask me. Lots of fun and cool things to use! The navigation is excellent and have had no problem with the bluetooth as reported by other users. Did find that the volume control has a lot to do with the problems reported. The suspension is VERY stiff and hoping it does break in as Im reading other owners have had this problem as well. I was told to check the tire pressure!

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  Absolutely A Great SUV - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Angela - September 5 - 12:43 am

  I was reluctant to consider KIA as a car that I would purchase. I went to the dealership by chance. Only to be sold on the beautiful looks of the Royal Jade Green Sportage. It looks comparable to the other SUVs in its class but a lot more affordable with the cost of fuel these days. It is surprisingly roomy and had most of the features I wanted in a vehicle in regards to safety for the family. I have 3 girls, 2 of which are teenagers and one in a car seat, and I was very surprised to see that my kids fit well in the back seat with no complaining. I think that it has more interior room than my 2007 Dodge Ram quad cab. I would highly recommend the KIA, as they have come a long way. Love it!

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  Great Car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Amanda - September 3 - 5:06 pm

  I recently bought the optima because I needed something more fuel efficient than a Durango. I am very impressed with the car. Not only does it look good for the price but it drives great too. The inside has everything that a person could possibly need. Nothing extra that could just cause problems in the future. I dont care for 4 cylinders but with gas prices the way they are I couldnt pass this car up. If I didnt no that the car was only a 4 cylinder I would have never guessed it. Great car for the price. I would recommend it to anyone looking for something easy on gas and still have good style.

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  Good deal car - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Ben Church - September 3 - 1:21 pm

  If you see one above 8000 pass good vehicle otherwise dont drive much to and from work mostly so car is keeping up good beside some rust now starting to appear

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  sedona ex - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By road_master70 - September 3 - 2:00 am

  only had 6 weeks. got a good buy on this van. very comfortable seating, fairly quite ride, a lot of standard features. rear climate control doesnt have a temp. selector, it is either hot or cold.(very poor design) engine runs well (3.5 L) but has a inherent vibration which is a bit disapointing. overall rating 8

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  Avoid the Sportage - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Robert Galbraith - September 3 - 2:00 am

  While mechanically the Sportage is fairly sound, youll run into all kinds of problems with the body paint, dashboard lights, windows, cup holders and just about everything on the vehicle, except the engine. You will also find almost no support from KIA dealerships. Youll also discover that KIA service people know little or nothing about this vehicle. Like other Sportage owners, my engine light has always stayed on. The service people have no idea why this is. (In my last trip to the garage, they did fix it, and the light went back on as I drove home!!!) The Sportage is also an unstable vehicle to drive in high winds. Tire quality is also very poor.

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  2005 Kia Sorento EX - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Chris - September 2 - 7:36 pm

  We have had our Sorento for a year and are very pleased. Considered 4-Runner, Pathfinder, Pilot, RX 330 and others. This vehicle is a very competent off roader and is very civilized on the road. I pulled a 4000-4500 pound trailer across the country with NO problems, including over the Rockies, Sierra Nevadas and the Coastal Range. Gas mileage isnt great, little things like the clock and passenger airbag sensor are also not great but the overall build quality is exceptional. Well see how the car holds up over the long run but when price is a factor this has to be the best mid-sized SUV on the market. If price isnt a factor it is still one of the best. If you are on the fence, test drive it.