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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  Great affordable sports car! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By Dan - June 20 - 12:36 am

  I can only echo the comments by Rockin RN -- I agree with everything except that I think its a little harsh on the bumps, but thats to be expected since its a sports car. The 2.4 engine is very responsive from the start and even after its up to speed. The gas mileage is good so far (Ive only had it for about three weeks) and Im averaging 26 MPG combined city/highway. Ive also got the Racing Red, automatic and it gets a lot of compliments. Kia did a great job with it and with their warranty its a winner so far.

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  120K miles and still going strong - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By guitarrista - June 19 - 8:42 pm

  We got this van new, and after 11 years and over 120K miles an update is in order. This van was new to this country in 02, and there were a number of issues. Ours was one of the ones built earlier in the year, and we had the expected issues come up, but they replaced all the faulty bits with the improved ones, and no problems with those parts since. We have driven this van all over the US and it has performed like a champ. We initially got this van to fit kids in car seats, and now use it mostly for family outings and road trips. The original engine and transmission are still going strong. This van has been a great value.

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  Good Minivan for the Price - 2012 Kia Sedona
  By rob_longisland - June 19 - 5:37 pm

  A good basic minivan. I was looking for a basic family transportation vehicle which I plan to drive till it drops, so trade in value is not a huge thing for me. Im hoping to get the car up and over 150k miles during my time of ownership. The Kia fit the bill perfectly. My dealership was very fair and upfront with all the numbers. Nothing was hidden and everything was clearly explained. Received great financing at 2.9% for 60 months and substantial rebates as well. I was also able to negotiate the price of the vehicle close to the invoice price. Overall I got a vehicle at a price that could not be matched by any of the competitors for the same equipment level by thousands of dollars.

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  PROBLEM FROM DAY 1 - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By debrastark - June 18 - 4:32 pm

  I purchased this vehicle from a Barrie Ontario dealer in Sept 2004..it had 18000 on it (I was told it was a rental car b4 I bought it)-in any case the check engine light was on from day one. The most disturbing is when you would go it would hesitate and not seem to "catch" a gear..no power-you would turn it off turn back on and it would seem to reset itself. I took it to Barrie Kia before we moved and they said "if the problem isnt occuring right then we cant see it"-I told them while its still under 20,000 if I find its transmisison related later I wont be happy. In any case I now work at Honda (thank the lands) I have thus far replaced the alternator and battery. There are FIVE codes (all

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  2003 Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Bandera - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Had our Kia Sorento for seven months (6000mi)now. We love it. The biggest complaint is it SHOULD get much better gas milage! Maybe its not quite broken in yet. Only had it to the dealer once-the check engine light came on-turned out to be a polution control item. Fixed it in 20 minutes. Only other complaint is the cig. lighter /power outlet in the front console & the one in the rear compartment are only powered when the key is ON. This caused our cell phone to do a noisy power up sequence every time the key is turned on. I fixed it myself by running a new fused wire that is hot all the time. Other than that, its fine.

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  Value - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By No. VA dude - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Satisifies the basic criteria - Ride is very smooth, engine is responsive, brakes well, comfortable on trips, decently carries a family of 6, nicely equipped, and reasonably priced.

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  Never Thought Id Own a Kia - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By ADB - June 18 - 10:00 am

  The Kia caught my eye while driving on the highway so I decided to give it a try. I did a ton of research & read all of the Edmunds reviews (Thanks Fellow Sorento Owners!), among others. I test drove the 4-Runner, Pathfinder, Pilot, & Tribute (didnt drive any "American" SUVs) and the Kia won! I got the fully loaded EX w/ tow & self leveling. To get comparable features on the other SUVs I would have paid $8000 - $13000 more! I had to have the Amp and odometer replaced but everything else is problem free. The SUV is GREAT, the Dealer experience, not so great. I truly love my Kia Sorento! Without-a-doubt the best "Bang-For-Your-Buck."

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  Worst car Ive ever owned - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By lissal - June 18 - 6:26 am

  I purchased this car new, and owned it for 5 years. In that time, I replaced the serpentine belt 3 times, the alternator once, the radiator twice (the replacement from the Kia garage had a hole in it, though it was supposedly a new part), and the alternator belt 4 times. The electrical system started acting wonky after three years, and after spending 2 months in the Kia garage, I got it back but the internal lights never worked after that. I cut my losses and gave the car to a friend, who told me that the engine died at 78,000 miles. I would never again buy a Kia.

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  Cadenza review brief update - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By 6406nb - June 17 - 10:55 pm

  I just want to mention that we have now bought a booster pillow at Target for the passenger seat as shorter passengers cannot see over the dash. As much as I love the car, Ive never had to do this before.

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  We love our Sedona! - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Hartmans - June 16 - 5:00 pm

  My husband & I have an 11 mo. old daughter & wanted a van that would make our lives easier. We didnt have big bucks, but knew we wanted the works. The Sedona made it possible for us to have it all! Leather, CD/tape, DVD, sunroof, ABS, power everything, you name it. The van is "meaty" & feels safe & comfortable. Im picky about cushy seats. I do wish it had auto doors that slid open, but no big deal. I dont care that the seats dont fold into the floor. We have very versatile captains chairs & it seats 7 comfortably. Not great turning radius but everything else is fine. Some cheapy elements, knobs on controls, door handles. Everything else is A+. We love