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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  Decent car - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By princ_e_pal - March 11 - 4:23 am

  Ive had our Sorento now for about 4 weeks! Since then, Ive replaced the same brake light 2x. I guess there is a recall out for the switch but need to take it in sometime. Also, heard that LED bulbs will fix the problem since they take such low voltage to work. The airbag light has been on and I guess it could be an issue with the sensor in the seat or seatbelts. Take it to a reliable autobody place! They can solve most of the issues that the KIA dealer will SCREW you over. Im about 6 tall and feel like the sorento is a "chick" car. the seats sit up high and dont really adjust so I need to scrunch down to see out the window under the mirror. It does handle well and has power.

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  Excellent SUV but one major flaw - 2014 Kia Sorento
  By sprintrps - March 10 - 9:56 am

  The Sorento EX has it all for the price. I am 65" and it has plenty of room with easy ingress/egress for me. The SUV is fast, quiet and very solid. There are no rattles or squeaks. I am a conservative driver and my around town driving has measured 22.9 mpg. Very happy with that. The transmission is not smooth, shifts at strange times, downshifts with an impact and "clunks" the first 1st to 2nd gear shift of the day.

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  Not to Shabby - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Chuck - March 10 - 5:23 am

  I bought this car w/ 49000 and now have 100000. I have had two wrecks with it and it looks terrible from the outside but I dont care since im a poor college kid. I love the fact that it has no auto locks, auto transmission, or power windows bc ALL of those features eventually go out so that was a plus for me. Of course great on gas, little to no maintenance, and great leg room being that I am 65". I have slept in it on numerous occasions on vacations with the seats folded down and is doable. At 98,000 my fuel pump went out and it cost me about $100 for me to replace myself. Timing belt lasted until 98,000 until i replaced it myself-$40. Fuel pump got clogged very early-$15

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  First car I loved - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By cswartz - March 10 - 1:53 am

  I had the Amanti 6 years and then had to sell. I loved that car but in the last year we put in over $3,000 for catalytic converter, some kind of band, headlights, testing, electrics and other misc. then got the news our transmission was going and another $2,500. Less than 92K miles & only 7 years old. I wanted to pay for repairs but husband told me to face the fact the car was going to nickle and dime us. I actually miss that car. For the price I originally paid, the luxury and style it provided, it couldnt be beat. This was my first foreign car, and probably the last.

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  The Power to Surprise? How about Amaze! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Baltojeff - March 9 - 11:50 am

  This is a very well built vehicle. The first thing I noticed was the quality of the interior. It was completely above my expectations for a KIA. Very "touch friendly" and well laid out. The leg room in the 2nd row was probably the clincher. I cross-shopped the RAV4, CR-V, Pilot, Highlander, Equinox, CX-7, Santa Fe, Outlander and a couple of others. There was just no comparison. I also have the 7 seat model (which satisfied our need for 6+ seats), and even loaded it is very comfortable. The driving dynamics are also much better than expected. Great pickup on the v6, easy highway cruising, very commanding view of the road. We took a 900 mile trip the day after we took delivery. Grade: A+!

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  Kia Rio - 2004 Kia Rio
  By Jlemma - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Outstanding little car. I drive this car daily. I am in sales and drive about 15000 miles a year. I have as yet to have a problem with this car. Fantastic stock stereo/CD player,

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  Kia Sedona - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By TBbeck10 - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Nothing too fancy, but reliable and a good value.

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  Wont buy another - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By g graves - March 3 - 9:55 pm

  This is my 5th Kia and Im done! The gas mileage is in the low 20s for city driving. The radio reception without Sirius radio is poor. When temps are in the teens the engine has a hard time turning over. It always starts but it seems to struggle. We havent had below zero temps yet so dont know how that will go. Dealership cant replicate the problem. The major problem with this vehicle is that the steering wheel has locked up 3 times in the last 2 months when I turned it off. The key wont turn, the steering wheel wont move, and the gear shift is locked. The steering wheel needs to be perfectly straight when the car is turned off or I may be stranded. Love Kia vehicle assistance but this is a MAJOR pain . The dealership is zero help with this problem. The tow truck driver has gotten the steering wheel turned but offered no suggestions. The 1st Optima I owned also did this.

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  2007 Kia Rondo EX - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Hopx4 - March 3 - 7:50 am

  First let me put my review in perspective by saying that I bought the Rondo as wagon for commuting and recreational activities; I didnt need a third row and this is not my primary family vehicle. I thought I wanted a small/mid-size SUV until I tested them and discovered that they lean in curves too much for my liking, and what I really wanted was car-like handling with SUV space/flexibility. The Rondo is the vehicle that offered that combination with a higher seating position and decent gas mileage. I like the Vibe/Matrix, but the engine was not powerful enough, the backseat had no leg space and the cargo area is much smaller than the Rondos. Great deal for the money!

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  Reliable, good handling, low mantainance, fun. - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By kingwong234 - March 1 - 10:49 am

  I own one since 2005, after 8+ years, 220,000km it still running great! Ill make it 30kkm+. Changed oxygen sensor last year, new stunt, changed front bearing half year age; brake and rotor.... Never down, just oil change and the timing belt. Cd player fail after 2 yrs, got a new one for free. Cheap but comfort and quiet. Small outside big inside, big leg room. Fun to drive, not the best for gas. Want to find a better car after this one, may be a Camry or KIA again.