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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  My Kia - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Pat - April 30 - 8:40 pm

  I needed and inexpensive vehicle quickly. I was plesantly surprised with my Sportage. I get about 20 MPG with the six cylinder engine.

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  Love It! - 2004 Kia Rio
  By Old-Chick - April 30 - 10:00 am

  I purchase a 2004 Rio Cinco wagon and absolutely love it!! It is comfortable to drive, responds well, gets good gas mileage (better when A/C is off), the instrument panel is well- placed. It could be a little faster on take-off, but I can live with that. I absolutely love my Cinco - and I have always driven larger cars. Id definitely recommend this one!

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  NICE CAR WITH A NICE PRICE - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Frank_ur - April 30 - 10:00 am

  THE CAR IS COOL AND COMFORTABLE

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  Misleading Sticker - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Asian Driver - April 30 - 10:00 am

  Car drives OK. Well handling. Sticker shows will drive up to 34MPG. But I am only getting 27MPG on most of freeway drive after 4000 miles. Is this only me or others getting the same?

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  So far, so good - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By artgpo - April 30 - 6:33 am

  My wife has an 05 Sportage. The car has been driven almost 2,000 mile during the first month. There are no negatives except the gas mileage could be better. We saw the EPS rating before purchase so there are no suprises. It averages 21 in mixed driving. The Sportage is quiet comfortable and very well assembled. It looks as though the Korean manufaturers are now a serious force for the Japanese and American manufaturers. If you are looking for a small SUV I would recommend test driving the Sportage before making your decision. We compared the CRV side by side with the Sportage (dealer loaned us a new CRV). The CRV is longer. End of advantages for Honda.

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  Great Car, Greater Price!!! - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By JAGibson - April 29 - 10:30 am

  Bought a 2008 Rondo used, only 16,000 miles got the LX with the V6. Couldnt be happier space inside is great for having car seats, plenty of storage in the back ( I have the 5 seater) Very comfortable to ride, good pick up on the pedal. I dont have the annoying wind noise in the driver side. Just love it!

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  Excellent - 2006 Kia Rio
  By white - April 28 - 10:03 pm

  I enjoy driving my Rio 5. It handles so well and the comfort is like a big SUV. I am truly glad that I made this purchase. Would definitely recommend to others. Only dislike is no cruise control.

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  An Awesome Buy - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By heavenlyvalvkc - April 28 - 2:03 pm

  Bought this on Saturday and went off roading on Sunday. It did great over the different dirt and rock roads. The seats could use a little more padding for me, but over all we were very happy with this purchase. This was a great purchase for Arizona and we look forward to taking it out again for more adventures. I only wish this was a 7 person vehicle so that we could take all 5 boys out offroading.

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  love my Kia - 2010 Kia Soul
  By over 40 and love it! - April 28 - 8:40 am

  I just bought my Kia sport yesterday in the Molten. I bought the automatic, it seems to have plenty of pick up and go. It has plenty of head and leg room..even in the back seat. It is so cute! It is a head turner. I have the only one in my town so far. The ride is good and smooth, I dont hear road noise at any speed. I traded my 2007 focus ses in, The Focus had more road noise for sure. The stereo is very nice, excellent sound. The interior is awesome..love the red and the mood lights. The sales lady said this car was geared toward 40 and under, I told her I am 45 and proud to be a new Kia Soul owner!!!!

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  summer of sommer - 2016 Kia Optima
  By ray wilson - April 28 - 6:30 am