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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  Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By K. Herland - June 18 - 9:23 pm

  Nice to drive, well built, great service plan. Great buy. Very nice looking vehicle.

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  My red hot kia rio - 2002 Kia Rio
  By My red hot kia rio - June 16 - 12:23 pm

  I got my kia used for $2000.00. My check engine light came on after four days. So I took it to auto zone. It was the mass air sensor. Then I took it to kia they told me it would be $360.00 to fix. I started asking around. You can buy cleaner for the sensor. It will fix the problem most of the time. You can get the mass air sensor cleaner at autozone for $7.00. If you take the air filter out spray the cleaner there with someone giving the car gas for about a min. This safed me $360.00.

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  soul good - 2014 Kia Soul
  By kathleen regan - June 15 - 6:05 am

  I love my Kia Soul there are just a few things I would change. Make the steering wheel a little longer and able to tilt up higher. Auto lights with definite auto turn off when you turn car off. Watch out when you buy one as the 2014 may have a headlight problem I think my does also and it is not on a recall altho I cant imagine why not. Other than that I am very happy with my purchase.

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  Update to review of 07/11/2009 - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Frugal Driver - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Still very happy with vehicle. TIRES: OEM spec. 215/70/15 with a passenger grade is rubbish. Upgrade to 225/70/15 in a light truck/SUV tire. Currently using Michelin LTS MS. Ride quality and rubber longevity greatly improved! Transmission: buy dealer fluid for this van, have independent change it. This vehicle has a tranny cooler, so if you are hauling in hot weather, you are fine. Gas mileage: 14/16 city, 20-24 highway. That including towing 3500 lbs (as rated) and carrying weight.

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  I Own One, I Like It! - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Manny Diez - June 10 - 5:26 am

  This car was designed to impress the passengers more than the pedestrians. While the design will not win any awards, I like it because it has a stately look to it. Tall greenhouse, aggressive front end, impressive stance. Its a pleasure to drive as long as you dont expect to beat the Chrysler 300C next to you at the stop light. I traded a Caddy Seville in on this car. I like the ride and features in the Amanti better.

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  Just getting started - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By toddr - June 9 - 2:00 am

  We jsut got this rig and it seems to be solid for the price. We really looked around and in the beginning mileage was a major factor but as we atarted to look for the price and wiht the warranty we get with this vehicle we decided to give up a couple of miles per gallon and give it a try. I read all of the reviews about the road noise and I think Kia must have also because the 2004 seems to be solid in that area. I think it is a great buy for te money and would recommend it to anyone. Another side note is I have already had people from a distance think that I was driving a Lexus SUV!

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  Better than expected - or reviewed! - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By gphvid - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Purchased this SUV after extensive research and price checks. Yeah, it could use a little more power, it is actually no problem with what it has. I got mine in the Limited version with all the options and still got it under $18k delivered. After 17000 miles, the ride is consistent and balanced and handles most road problems very well. Remember, this has a truck chassis, so it will be a little rough at first.

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  Great value for the money - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Kevin - June 7 - 8:10 am

  I purchased the EX 4WD new in March 06 and have gone 7,000 miles with absolutely no problems of any kind. Ride is firm but stable. Transmission is very smooth, fit and finish inside & out is excellent. Roomier than it looks.

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  Great Car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By 6Dogwood - June 5 - 3:46 am

  I sold my Corolla and was looking to find a great replacement. Well, enough said. This is a great car. It can carry four people very comfortably. However, economy is a hard pill to swallow. I am averaging 21 mpg and this is taking some getting used to. My corolla averaged 28 mpg. I thought this was a problem with the vehicle but turns out that after reading other reviews this is normal. Overall I am pleased.

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  Nice van, has been reliable - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Tim - June 3 - 4:56 pm

  Bought new 2/2005 and now has 49K miles. Mileage has been 16-17 city & 22- 24 hgwy. Only trip to dealer was for switch on power seat. Need front brakes/rotors at 45K. Overall, van had been comfortable, safe and reliable.