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 experience - 2003 Kia Rio
  By Laila - April 3 - 10:00 am

  it is a good car have took it all around

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  Finally, a stylish 4X4 stick-shift SUV! - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By D. Boone - March 31 - 11:06 pm

  Id loved my old compact/"cute" 1999 Kia Sportage...despite its simplistic interior and "quirks". However, it was time to upgrade, and my 5 speed, 2006 Sportage is great! Its one of the few 4X4 manual transmission SUVs still available, since many companies seem to be opting out in favor of automatic transmissions. Since I really wanted an actual stick-shift...with a clutch (not a "sport-matic" shift) this car was/is the one for me. Its still only a 4 cylinder engine, but its powerful enough for everyday usage, and its kind to the environment...and to my wallet (since gasoline costs seem to only get more expensive)! It maneuvers easily, brakes smoothly, and doesnt dent when leaned upon. :)

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  The BEST bang for the BUCK you can BUY!!! - 2011 Kia Soul
  By steve520 - March 31 - 12:42 am

  I bought my Kia and have never been happier in my 56 years with any car I have ever owned. I was treated like the most important customer in the world and have never had a vehicle that had the get up and go, and all the feature this little wagon offered at an absolutely AMAZING price. I absolutely LOVE this car and would recommend it to anyone looking for comfort,reliability, features and Zip. This is one GREAT car and in my opinion the BEST use car anyone could own. The balance of the 5 year 60,000 mile warranty was a HUGE plus. And I wouldnt consider anything else in my future purchase. I am a KIA man for LIFE and the way Vision treated me was the best experience I ever had buying a car

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  Optima SXL 1yr review - 2014 Kia Optima
  By Sergey Petrovich - March 29 - 11:00 am

  Bought the loaded Optima SXL a year ago for 32k after rebates. The car so far has been a pleasure to own - spacious trunk, soft ride, comfy seats, quiet interior. However, there are some downsides. First of all, the mileage on the turbo is terrible. I drive mostly in the city, and I get 15mpg on average in normal mode. Tried putting it in Eco, but the car becomes completely unresponsive and dangerous. Second, the moonroof takes a lot of space: Im 510 and I repeatedly hit my head on the roof when going over bumps. Finally, Pandora integration is terrible compared to Mazda and Accord. Overall, its a decent car for the money, but I wish Ive gotten Optima Hybrid or new Sonata Eco instead.

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  Happy KIA Sorento owner - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Don Railey - March 29 - 9:03 am

  After reviewing the KIA website I was intrigued enough to go to a dealer and take a look. The quality, performance, ride, good looks and pride I feel when others look and inquire as to "what is it?" I traded a full sized luxury sedan thinking I would be giving up the luxury. Wow was I wrong. I not only have all the luxury I was accustomed to, I own one of the most unique vehicles on the road today.

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  Our 3rd Sorento - best yet!! - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Mrs. E. - March 29 - 7:38 am

  The V6 is very responsive. In general, the car feels sturdier and more solid than previous years. Gas mileage is better even though it is a V6 - averaging between 24 and 25 mpg. Great car, good value.

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  Love my KiaPet - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Smackmaster - March 29 - 2:46 am

  The wife and I were looking at all kinds of different vehicles and since it was going to be "her" car she was fixated on a Toyota Matrix. There was one at the local Kia dealer and we went to look at it. While she was test driving I went and looked at the Soul !. I asked her to test drive it on a whim and the next thing I know were driving off the lot with our new Kia! She loves this cruck. Its not a car and not a truck so weve dubbed it a "cruck". Some people dont like the wind noise on the highway. Thats why they put such an awesome stereo in this cruck. Turn it up, drive on and watch the MINIs stare!!! BUY THIS RIDE!!!

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  I love it! - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By Jennifer - March 27 - 10:00 am

  I was first drawn to the 2011 Sportage due to its aggressive exterior styling, which is really nice. When I went to test drive it, I was pleasantly surprised at the extreme value you get for the cost. The interior is really nice and very modern. And, there are extra features such as the bluetooth integration and iPod ports, as well as the shiftable automatic transmission that really make this car a great value. At first I was leery of it being a 4-cylinder, but that was before I drove it. It has plenty of get up and go! Doesnt drive like a 4-cylinder at all in my opinion. I cant really comment on reliability, as Ive only had it for 2 weeks.

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  Great and Cheap, but not built like it! - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Tim - March 26 - 7:00 am

  What value! We looked at everything and could not beat the value in this. With 6 airbags, ABS, stablity control, power locks and windows, V6 with auto/manual trans, A/C and CD for 19K. The ride and power are fine. And then you have the warranty with roadside assistance. How could you go wrong? You cant beat this value!

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  Crossed over - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Tim Pros - March 24 - 4:14 am

  I had a bmw 328i before and traded it in for 2016 Sorento Sx V6. Although I dont use the 3rd row often I have filled it up w 6 people including myself 2 on each row. My guests said very comfortable. My bmw was boring compared to the sorento. The value is great I got all bells and whistles for a lesser price getting the SX Fwd. Before sorento I was thinking of getting Tacoma but then I thought A truck with a bed I dont even tow 99% of the times! Sorento has excellent interior very upscale Kia. Kia is coming up nasty!