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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  Great midsize car - 2007 Kia Optima
  By markb - December 1 - 2:23 pm

  So far, a great ownership experience. Quiet ride. Gas mileage is improving, I am up to 21mpg in city driving 4-cylinder. Kias road hazard tire policy already saved me over $246 when I picked up a sidewall nail. ESC package is very handy to have on rainy mountain roads and CA freeways. Sunroof wind noise is very low up to about 50mph. I feel confident while driving this car. Front styling shows character. Rear styling is "nondescript" midsize. You can park this car anywhere. Most people are very surprised once they get inside.

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  Excellent - 2008 Kia Sportage
  By Kenny - November 30 - 5:10 pm

  I drove Honda-CRV and Toyota-RAV4. But I choose Kia-Sportage this time because of my budget which is $5,000 cheaper. I am not sure the durability of this car compared with the above Japanese cars. However,My Sportage has been better than CRV or RAV4. Sportage seems stronger and much more comfortable than CRV, and much less noisy than RAV4. I love my sportage so far.

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  Overall pleased. - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By kiaveteran - November 30 - 4:13 pm

  I bought this car when I was driving a predominantly city commute, and the gas mileage was rather disappointing (no higher than 29, mostly 25-27). However, Ive moved, and I have a more rural cruising commute, and gas mileage has gone up to 30-32. Nice comfort, interior and storage space for a small car, and reliability has been excellent. I get in, and it starts up the first time every time. A little too much lean in the corners with any semblance of speed, but a comfy ride. A great commuter car, and the safety features are a class above the price class. Kia is worth checking out, and it seems the word is getting out about that.

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  Great Car but not as great mpg as they advertise ! - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By daneza - November 30 - 4:02 pm

  I bought this car for the appealing advertisement : great price, great mpg for a large SUV. Very quiet, very comfortable, lots of features (i.e. ipod, ventilated seats, a third row, AC on second row and third row, improved safety bags, etc). The sticker advertise 24 – 34 with large prints and small prints up to 38 ! We said: for sure we can get out of it at least 30. I drive over 500 miles / week with a 90% highway. I already put 3000 miles on this car and the best I could get out of it was 25 mpg. On the instantaneous mpg display I can go up to 30, but the pure math of dividing the total mpg per tank with total amount of gallons of gas is the final mpg of a car. That is 25 mpg so far!

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  Very happy after 4 years - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By jmace57 - November 30 - 9:46 am

  Granted we only drive 7500 miles per year, but we have been very happy with our Sorento. In 4 years, only one warranty item - a piece of rubber molding in the passenger door. Pretty poor gas mileage, but we knew that when we bought it. The only other complaint is that the sheet metal seems "thin" - very easy to get dings. It is just the right size, lots of features, comfortable...and for us, bullet-proof reliable.

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  Kia Rio -Very Good Value - 2004 Kia Rio
  By geolehman - November 29 - 10:00 am

  Love to drive this car. In over a year and a half have had two very minor repairs. Drives and rides like a small, but not tiny, car and gives a pleasing roar if pushed. Suspension, brakes, and power are more than adequate. It is delivering 32-38 mpg on the road at aggressive to gentle driving Overall average is just shy of 30 mpg with a lot of sub-zero winter city driving. The base Rio at $8,000, when discounted, is a better deal even with its undeserved steep depreciation. I had low expectations of a car at this price. However by my experience the Rio is a very solid well put together machine, which delivers more than just basic transportation.

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  Classy car - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By judyandjim - November 29 - 10:00 am

  I went to the dealership for a test drive. Two hours later I was driving it home. This is one classy looking car! It looks like a cross between a Mercedes and a Lincoln, but at less than half the price. It has every feature and option I could ask for, plus a beautiful exterior (Ive had many complements) and a quiet, refined interior. Its clear that Kia has gone the extra mile to build quality in their top of the line model.

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  2011 Kia Sorento EX AWD 3.5 L (6CYL) - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Steve - November 27 - 10:16 am

  I bought the Sorento because I liked the style and features including AWD for the cost. Also that Kia built a state of the art facility in Georgia which provides American jobs. Like any new vehicle, the first test drive seems pretty good. Soon after I bought it it didnt take long for the buyers remorse to set in. Within days the transmission seems to twist or knock harshly half the time you start the engine. The brake pedal is hard and wont let you start without pumping it to release? When parked on a hill the vehicle the transmission seems to not engage like the brake is still on. It also surges forward a bit while driving on the freeway and the gas mileage is not near what advertised.

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  WORTH THE BENJAMINS!! - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By CrazyJoe - November 27 - 10:00 am

  LOOKIN AT THE PRICE IM THINKIN "MAMA MIA" I GOTS TO GET MYSELF INSIDE THIS LITTLE KIA TAKE IT FOR A RIDE "IS THAT CARMEN ELECTRA?" NO! THATS JUST MY REFLECTION IN THIS LITTLE KIA SPECTRA IT MAY NOT TOP THE LIST BUT IT BOTTOMS OUT THE PRICE SO IF YOU LOOKIN ROUND FOR A RIDE THATS REALLY NICE HOP INTO THE KIA AND TAKE A LITTLE SPIN CUZ THE RIDE VS THE PRICE WILL BE WORTH THE BENJAMINS!

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  Love this car! - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By A2003S - November 27 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for a month now and I was able to get it at a great price! I absolutely love everything about it, especially the style! I am very pleased with this car and everytime I look at it, I am proud to say I own it!