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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  What a Steal! - 2007 Kia Amanti
  By Greg from Omaha - August 8 - 10:56 am

  Purchased used with 22,000 miles and loaded with leather, sunroof, alloys, etc. For the used owner car comes with 6 yr/60K full warranty. If you are looking for a BMW this is not your car, but if you want a Towncar-like ride on the interstate this is it. Lexus-quality interior, massive trunk and back seat, extremely fast, so quiet you wont hardly know it is running. I am getting 25 MPG with 80% highway, 20% city, far better than I expected for the size and speed the car offers. The car is a little quirky looking, but you dont see many and it sticks out in the crowd. Also, front-wheel drive and handles like a tank in the snow.

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  I must have got a bad one. Fully loaded SX - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Asia - August 8 - 2:25 am

  It is now 2015 I Bought this brand new and it is still giving me problems. 2011 Sorento SX Burgundy, Pan moon roof, nav ....the top model for the year. First day got home wouldnt start. Has had so many recalls and issues such as. Backup camera blacked out. Power died when driving. The suspension was off. The moon roof creaked badly. The alternator died. And even now the latest issue is when I get out and close the doors the sensors say that the doors are not closed. And that somehow makes the car go dead. I have to unhook the battery to get car to start. Im not even mention all the issues. I have been trying to live with this purchase until the best time to move on. The Best thing is that the dealer ship has been easy to work with. But I will not buy a Kia again, afraid of being lured by the amenities and being burned later, by a unreliable car. And my car still has the new car smell!

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  sephia racer - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By sephia racer - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Damn good car for the $$$, 2 yrs 51,000 miles no problems. Also a nice car to pimp out and mod up.

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  good for transportation only !! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By tok - August 8 - 2:00 am

  if you need basic transportation, then get the rio...nothing good about it. should consider the new toyota corrolla, suzuki aerio, or ford focus zx3..etc. also, if has a horrible engine, no power.

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  Best bang for your buck - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By KMG - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I researched the minivan market for months, and there is nothing that even comes close to what you get from KIA. I saved thousands, and got every feature standard on the LX that others wanted big dollars for. On top of all the standard features, I got the security of the 10 yr 100,000 mi warranty. That was key for me, because if Im going to drop $20,000 I want security that after 3 years the dealer will stand by any potential problems I may incur. KIA must be very confident in their product because of the warranty that noone else comes close to matching.

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  Mostly Lovin It - 2010 Kia Soul
  By 1st time new car buy - August 8 - 2:00 am

  As soon as I saw this car, I wanted it. I love driving it. but interior is strange. Cant be cleaned. I opened the door in the rain and it stained the inside of the door. Ive tried several products to clean it, but it comes back. Dont know what else to use. Interior also scratches really easy. At first, fuel was really good - about 320 miles to a full tank. But recently, its gone down to about 250 miles or so to a full tank. This is not stop and go traffic either.At lower speeds, about 15-20 mph, car lurches when given gas. Does not like going slowly. Brakes are super sensitive. Bumps are hard. People say bluetooth is not clear. But I still love it!

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  Pull back problems - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By syracusepro - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I love the satellite radio, the Bluetooth so I can answer my phone or make calls by name or number, speaking to the car. Manual 6 speed or auto is fine. Up and down hill support is good too. Seat heaters and sunglasses holder is a great thing to have too.

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  Beware the Tires - 2012 Kia Soul
  By smartshopper99 - August 5 - 10:41 am

  A good fun car. Good gas mileage. Lots of room. Easy to maneuver. Nice visibility. Service is horrible. No spare tire! Tires are lousy. I dont think theyre safe. Two flats in less than six months normal driving. Set $600 back to put decent tires on, wont believe how it improves the ride.

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  Long Term Review on the Sportage - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By AGC - August 4 - 12:16 pm

  Ive had my 09 Sportage for 9 months and 17000 miles. Still very solid and economical to run. The 4 wheel drive system has been great in NH winters. Im able to go up some steep hils during snow storms that normally would not be able to navigate. Sportage is very roomy, gas mileage has been consistant around 25-27MPG. The only issue I had was a faulty steering sensor which the dealership fixed right away. The Sportage has been trouble free. Too bad I cant say the same for my civic. Seating is comfortable. Just found out that you can adjust the head rests and the rear seats recline back. Still great value and bery happy with my purchase. This is the perfect comuter vehicle and family car

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  Trade my Odyssey for a Kia - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Georgian - August 4 - 6:33 am

  I traded my 2002 Odyssey after the transmission was replaced 2 times. Yes there is a difference between these two vehicles but this Kia can hold its own. I brought my fully loaded and for the price, no one can touch it. I have had a few problems with my Kia but no major. I took of the tires that came with this vehicle after 13,000 mile and replaced them with some new Goodyear tires. What a difference that has made. Ride improved drastically. Look forward to the new 2006 model. From the reviews it will raise that bar.