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 family car - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By RRTJAY - May 27 - 3:53 am

  After extensive research and test drives, we decide on the Kia. We are so happy we did! It is a great car to drive and has so much flexibility.

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  Decent car overall - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Clya - May 26 - 11:33 am

  This SUV has great features but there were a few significant issues for me. The windshield seemed very small and the A pillars very wide reducing visibility and causing a claustrophobic effect. Also, the back up camera image being in the rear view mirror was extremely distracting and made it more difficult to have full visibility to safely back up. Additionally, the steering was so tight it almost felt as if there was no power steering. I thought at first it was just a problem with the first Sorento I drove, but after driving several, it seems to be normal for that vehicle. Its generally a nice car, spacious, I just didnt feel safe driving it.

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  I lOVE THIS CAR - 2004 Kia Optima
  By rvingsuz - May 24 - 12:03 pm

  This was the first car I have ever picked out for myself and am I ever happy with it. It handles very smoothly and is sooooo comfortable for me....fits me well. I have followed the manufacturers suggestions on care and have not had any problems. It runs great and corners like an expensive sports car. I know, I drive on winding roads regularly. Very fun and inexpensive to own.

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  matts rio - 2003 Kia Rio
  By matthew vance - May 24 - 10:00 am

  im 20 male and my 1st car was a 69 corvette so i decided to go practical probablly cause i dont wanna get 6 gallons to the mile. plus i wanted to buy a brand new car. so with a hefty down payment,there were some difficulties with the initial offer my payment did drop. but DONT BE SCARED BY THE 104 HORSE POWER IT DOES HAVE SO MUCH POWER. I MEAN I CAN PULL UP SOME BILLOWING WHITE SMOKE WITH MY TIRES ITO 2ND GEAR.I HAVE A 5 SPEED MANUAL. ALSO THE ACCELERATION IS AWESOME, THE CAR IS LIGHT SO U ARE COOL BT STOCK BASICALLY I CAN TAKE ANY 6 CYLINDER CAMARO OR NE HONDA. ITS A GREAT 1ST CAR AND HAS AWESOME POWER AND SO SO FUN TO DRIVE I HAVE A BLAST

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  a must buy - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By mechan - May 24 - 10:00 am

  this is the most likeable van i have over owned and i am going to trade this one in for a newer one so i can keep on taking my kids places they need to be and i just love it

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  I love my Kia!! - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Cabbet - May 24 - 10:00 am

  This is the easiest minivan to drive, my sister who is intimidated with the size of minivans said it was easy to handle. It has a great turn radius, handles the road extreemely well.....I just wish it got a little better gas mileage. The CD player is great..... And I love where the shifter is located. I also like the light indication for each gear as opposed to the needle indicator. This is a well designed minivan, I love it. I have own a 1993 Mercury Villager, 1995 Dodge Grand Caravan, 2002 Chrystler Town and Country and now a 2003 Kia, and I love this one the most!!!!! (the 95 Dodge Caravan is in last place)

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  Just Purchased - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By queenstim - May 24 - 10:00 am

  The Dealership was great, and the vehicle feels much more expensive then it is.

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  Kia Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Bruening - May 24 - 10:00 am

  Love this suv! The only thing Im unhappy with is the fuel economy being subpar. Tons of standards! Excellect warranty!

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  We love our new Sedona! - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By wleslie - May 24 - 4:26 am

  We just traded in our 04 Sedona for a loaded 06 Sedona and we love it.

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  My first KIA - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By tig2002 - May 23 - 4:44 pm

  This is my first KIA out of 14 other cars I owned in the past and I am very impressed. My 4-cylinder AWD Sorento LX gets the best gas mileage in area with altitude of 4,300 feet out of any SUV I owned in the past – 24.3MPG in mixed 50% city/50% highway driving without even breaking the 5K barrier. I am also impressed with is the built quality and quality of materials, both interior and exterior. The ride is a little stiff but soft (no rattles or squeaks), which makes this SUV let you feel it and handle better. The interior is designed very well. I am not so much impressed with looks of the exterior but I don’t really care whether I get compliments. Test drive it and you will be thrilled.