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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  Its a Kia not a Lexus - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By JEFF HARRIS - June 23 - 10:40 am

  im 63" 275. its just too small for people of this size .im always hitting my head on the roof. the seat doesnt go back far enough so my knees are always bent. the transmission shift pattern is too sluggish,overrevs under hard acceleration. oem tires are not good for snow; has to be in 4x4 when there is lots of snow and ice due to loss of traction. Its a Kia not a lexus give it a better price I traded mine in and only got 17,500 with only "4500" miles.whats wrong with that picture!

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  powerful and roomy - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Mary - June 23 - 7:23 am

  I love my Sorento. The ride is comfortable and the speed is incredible, worth the fuel expense. I just had one problem with it; at 5,000 miles the spark plugs went bad on it and i was told by the dealership it was a regular "Kia" problem. I also dislike the green lighting on the dash and the CD player, it makes the interior look cheesy. Worth every penny though; it cost a total of $21,000 including the financing! The tiny Toyota Corolla costs the same! I could not find a better deal for a car with the options and power the Sorento gave me.

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  2002 Kia Sportage - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By DanielleB11 - June 23 - 2:00 am

  good on gas; fun to drive in the summer

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  best price on an S.U.V - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By lolitta - June 23 - 2:00 am

  the best car i ever owned. warranty is a peace of mind on this vehicles.

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  Great looking fun to drive - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Shawn Ingram - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Found to be fun and reliable. Looks great and such a smooth ride.

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  nice suv - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By MOTOMOM123 - June 23 - 2:00 am

  NICE SUV EXCEPT FOR THE GAS MILEAGE AND THE INSIDE (PLASTIC) INTERIOR COULD BE BETTER QUALITY.

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By susangecovis - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Great driving vehicle. Handles wonderfully. Without 4WD, it still handles well in the snow. Interrior is very comfortable and very pleasant to travel in. Has lots and lots of power. I love my Kia Sorrento EX.

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  Great SUV! Need customized parts !! - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By J. Elton - June 22 - 4:13 pm

  I originally went to buy the Sorento and my wife liked the Sportage EX V6 loaded. Need I tell you what we got? I really wanted the BMW grille kit that would go on the Sorento. It is really sharp. It doesnt exist for the Sportage. There are no places to get sport parts for this vehicle. I have tricked out the stereo w/in-dash 1din DVD player w/ headrest LCDs and bluetooth for my phone and also Garmin Nuvi 660 w/ btooth. Mine is fast and sporty w/2 tone silver. I have a 1999 BMW 528i that now sits. This is a very fine vehicle for what I spent. I would buy again 4 sure! Love the fact remote start. Get it! Oh and I debaged it. It now says Kia nowhere. I got custom Sportage logos instead.

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  New Sedona for family of five - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By hall4times - June 21 - 10:00 am

  My husband and I just bought a Kia Sedona EXb(2002) with ABS,leather,two- tone(black/BR.Platinum),homelink,and rear spoiler. We paid 22449 before taxes. The van is gorgeous and functional especially for a family with a five yr old, a three yr. old, and a 10 month old. And a dog. We look forward to traveling many miles in our van and plan God willing to keep it until its 100000 mile warranty is gone .

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  Great Car - not as good gas as 2006 1/2 - 2006 Kia Optima
  By Lady Chivas - June 21 - 8:13 am

  Bought right after Thanksgiving 2005. Except for some minor repairs, I love the car. The ceiling could be higher (I am only 52"). Would like the left "foot rest" to be closer. Mileage is bad, 17 miles/gal, they adjusted with the 2006½ model which came out 1½ months AFTER I bought mine. I know it will not last as long as my 2nd car - my 1980 Subaru, which I also purchased new and still have.