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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  Safety - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By sc2665 - February 4 - 10:00 am

  I recently flipped my sorento 3 times and landed on the roof. There was so much reinforcemnt in the doors and roof that when the wrecker flipped it over to haul it off we were able to open all 5 doors and the roof had hardly caved in at all. HIGHLY recommended I will be buying another. The three kids and my self were unhurt except for some sore muscles. Id like to see a honda or mazda say that about one of their SUVs

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  good car - 2002 Kia Optima
  By kal07 - February 4 - 6:30 am

  have 2 cars. bmw and this one. used this kia 4 days a week for 6 months. better than my expectation. very good car for the price. this car is only 1/3 price of my bmw.

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  Best deal in town!! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By mikeyt1818 - February 4 - 1:53 am

  Awesome pep on the SX. best features for the price ie.. bluetooth, steering wheel audio controls, fog lights, metal pedals, leather wrapped steering wheel, cruise control, standard sirius radio etc..

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  From point A to B and a little more - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By AF Family - February 3 - 6:10 am

  I am very pleased with my Kia Sportage for the first 7800 miles. I think the interior is roomy and fits five people comfortably. Love the body style it--looks beefy compared to other small SUVs. Upgraded to a V6 to tow a couple of quads. Though I havent towed with it yet, power seems readily available. I do mostly highway driving and it handles very well on back roads and switchbacks. It has some get up and go to pass vehicles. Cant wait to do some 4 wheelin in it. I am very happy to see that I am getting the mileage they suggested on the window sticker, 19 city and 23 highway. It took a while to get used to the 10mph increments on the speedometer. Cruise control is a breeze to use.

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  Great Little Car! - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Kiaconvert - February 3 - 1:40 am

  We purchased this car when our SUV was totaled - it was 3 years old, and was to go to my youngest when he got his licence, in two years. I was not going to purchase a new van to give him in two years not for $30 - $40,000 - so we looked at this KIA. We love it! It works for us, has all the bells and comforts, and in two years I wont feel bad to give it to a kid...It has a great warranty, and five star crash. Cant ask for more!

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  KIA Sorrento EX 2.0T-You Wont Be Disappointed - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Dr TR Klosinski - February 2 - 6:15 pm

  I disagree with the Reviewers Cons: That the" 2.0 Turbo lacks punch from a standstill ". I have to feather the gas pedal at a stop light to avoid spinning the wheels! This engine has plenty of punch at any speed, I promise you-especially after the engine is broken in. I have about 13,000 miles now. Coast to coast from sea level to 9,000 feet in the mountains. The great thing about the Turbo is you dont loose power at higher elevations. The EX is so quiet and comfortable I can drive 800 miles and still go dancing! To date I have had zero problems with this car. I ditched my 2014 Honda CRV for this car as too noisy, slow, bad handling and uncomfortable for road trips.

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  Great Buy - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Mom2Go - February 2 - 3:16 am

  We turned in our 2001 Toyota sienna. We have had the Sedona coming up on a year now. Its a great car! If you want bang for the buck this is the van for you. Very very safe too. No problems it is a family moving machine. My 15 yo daughter is learning to drive in this van.

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  KIA Spectra - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By Robin Skipper - February 1 - 9:56 pm

  This car has been a nuisance since I bought it. I liked the look of it but I wish the people who sold it to me were a bit more honest. I think it had been in an accident and they didnt tell me. It was not detailed very well. The car itself has been nothing but trouble. I have put quite a bit of money into it. I will have it paid for in Oct. However, it now needs a catalytic converter. Its time to get rid of it. I hope I can get a decent price as I do not want a car payment. Thank you

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  Trade offs - 2001 Kia Optima
  By DJS - January 30 - 10:00 am

  For the most part I am satisfied with my Optima. I love the acceleration and the smooth ride, but just wish it was built to last. From the moment I got it, I had an issue with the paint peeling off one of my door handles, serious paint chip issue with the side view mirrors,and then some fun with power door locks opting not to wrk. All said you cant beat the price, but you do get what you pay for. I have satisfied for the most part, but if I knew then what I know now, I might have thought longer and harder about my purchase.

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  Great for the price - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Dan - January 28 - 11:43 pm

  Great for off road with the compact design. Have yet to be left behind when out wheeling with other. The 4cyl does ok. Its not for hauling. If you have some heavy passengers you can feel the lose of power but hay its a 4cyl. Dont care for the swinging spare tire on the back, it takes two hands to close. Overall its great for the dollars spent on it. We have a family of 4 right know and it works great for us. When we expand we will look into a newer version. A little bigger and the v6 :)