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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  How much I love my Kia - 2002 Kia Rio
  By smsm - March 23 - 2:00 am

  I have driven this car across the state of Michigan more times than one would think humanly possible. It has proven to be more reliable than my friends new cars of substantially more price. Once, a rear tail light went out and the dealership kindly replaced. That is the only problem to speak of. I love this car!!!! I may have to sell it because of a move to the city, and its breaking my heart!!!

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  i love my kia - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By adp1650 - March 23 - 2:00 am

  i bought my kia in august 03 as the first new vechicle i have owned since 1974. i am very satisfied with its performance altogether. it has very good furl economy, handles well,and good pickup. the only things im not crazy about is that there no ashtrays in the back seat and when in park the front ashtray is almost inacessiable.

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  Nice Car - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By Jackthegreatone - March 23 - 2:00 am

  its very nice, i had fun in it, its a fun car

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  spectra - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By matt d haynes - March 23 - 2:00 am

  The kia spectra is a very nice car. It is the most reliable car that i have bought in a long time.

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  Spectra GS - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By sterlinco - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Has been extremely dependable though it does lack somewhat in comfort. Long distance driving can be tiring but all in all an otherwise excellent car

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  TALK ABOUT MORE FOR LE$$ - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By MR. HOTROD DIESEL - March 23 - 2:00 am

  HEY! IF KIA MAKES HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS & MILLITARY VEHICLES WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT THEY CANT BUILD A COOL LOOKING MINI VAN?....THIS BULLET PROOF TRUCK HITS HOMERUN!!

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  Wow - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By james e gerber - March 22 - 4:06 pm

  This is my 3rd Kia. The 2006 was a quantum leap over my 2003. The first thing that impressed me was that the controls were all in one place on the drivers console with easy to use buttons. Second the acceleration was a significant upgrade-you can run the air without decreasing performance, a problem with most 4 cylinder cars. Thirdly was the size; its larger than my 2003 and the overall design is exceptional. The tires (Goodyear) are a significant upgrade on the quality tire that Kia used to use as OEM tires. Overall, an impressive job and the car is fun to drive. Oh yes, the trunk space is very good. My 2001 Sephia was ok, the 2003 Spectra was much better and now this. Kia keep up the good work.

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  Awesome Car - 2002 Kia Optima
  By paqman21 - March 15 - 10:00 am

  I just recently traded in my 2000 Kia Sportage and I was not too happy with it and wasnt sure if I was going to go back to a Kia or try for something else. I test drove the hyndi elantra and there were just too many options on the Optmia I coudnt pass it up. I am so glad I gave Kia another chance. My girlfriend and I love it. Best family car for the money out there. I could not believe I got that much car for peanuts. I would advise anyone to purchase one.

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  Forte-tastic!! - 2010 Kia Forte
  By ddgotrocks - March 15 - 2:36 am

  Drove the Soul (which is GREAT looking, but a bit too small for my needs), the Honda Fit, & a couple others on my radar as well. Forte won, hands down--simply no other car on the market gives the same bang for the buck. Terrific handling and cornering, & features for price cant be beat. Bluetooth: way cool. Sirius satellite: one of those things you didnt know you needed til you have it. Ipod connect: sweet! (note, you can get the ipod connector on ebay all day long for less than $20, including shipping--nearly $40 thru the dealer) Trunk is so big, its almost magic. Ride is quiet and smooth, plenty of room in back seat. Kia is here to stay--Detroit, take note!

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  Beauty & The Beast - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By Bob Koch - March 14 - 11:13 pm

  Lots of performance and economy. The 262 hp V-6 has plenty of power. I have driven my KIA 14,000 miles, all in-town except on trip of 1200 miles. Mileage from the first tank of fuel has been 24 mpg. Highway mileage went to 28.3 mpg. I drive moderately for economy. Compared to my old SUV, this is a race horse. Very,very pleased.