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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  Just bought and hot to trot - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By new sorento owner - January 19 - 2:00 am

  I love this truck, for the money I spent, I am so glad that i didnt pick one of the other trucks i was concidering.Not that the others were bad and belive me i drove almost everyone of them. but to tell you the truth none of them would even come close to the performance and styling that i have found in my new SORENTO

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  Excellent for the $$ - 2010 Kia Forte
  By dj - January 18 - 12:30 pm

  Excellent exterior styling. Big difference in sx model. More power 5 sp. Auto. Nice wheels. Some cheap plastic that scratches easy on doors. Nice leather.

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  My SX experience - 2011 Kia Optima
  By 72roadrunner - January 14 - 8:29 am

  I love this car. Handles great and has excellent power whether using ECO mode or regular mode. I am getting 30mpg overall combined city and hwy with about 50/50 of each. This car has the interior room of a much bigger car. I have extra long legs and I still fit in this car great, and there is room for someone to sit behind me with my seat all the way back the way I need it. This isnt true for many cars. The truck is also bigger than other large cars I have driven/owned. I love that people cant figure out what kind of car this is at first glance. That will probably change as more show up on the road, but for now I feel I am driving an exclusive luxury automobile, that runs on regular!

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  This is a great car - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By bobdabuilder - January 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car 9 months ago and have loved it since. The dealership I bought it from overcharged me, but thats okay... I couldve bought a honda for more and gotten less. This car is well worth the money, and despite other reviews Ive read, has been extremely reliable. My only complaint is that some of the plastic parts in the interior were poorly designed and are already broken. Remember to change your oil every once in a while and stop ruining these great cars.

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  One good little car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By barkel - January 14 - 2:00 am

  At first I was not sure about buying this car, but after the test drive I was excited about the power, handling, and above all the price. Kia really backs up their product as well. My wife has a Honda Civic, and the Kia on average get very close to the same gas mialage, and it has more spunk and comfort overall. The civic has had numerous interior problems which we had repaired under warrenty, but not a single problem has been had from the Kia.

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  Great Car! Great Price - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By happyblonde - January 13 - 2:40 am

  You cannot beat the quality of this little mini-mini van! We purchased the V6 version, and the pickup is great! Lots of special features like air vents in the back seat, plenty of cupholders, storage-did I mention the back seats recline a little (which is great for long trips). We purchased this used with 10,000 miles on it-but its still like brand new. I could go on and on about how much we love this car-from plenty of storage room, the quietness of the car and leg room-this car is a must have for small families. Dont be put off by the Kia name (which is owned by Hyundai, by the way). This car is just as good as a Toyota or Honda-for thousands less!

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  Luv my kias - 2011 Kia Forte
  By 04spectre - January 13 - 2:25 am

  Traded in our 04 Optima EX V-6 @ 133,000 for our Forte. The Optima was a great car. Only had to replace the starter. Absolutely luv the forte. Spirited 2.0L, great 6sp auto. Outstanding gas mileage, on a trip from Jax, Fl to Philly it avg over 40 mpg during 1 tank run, i.e. 403 miles and only took 9.7 gal to fill. Averaged 37-38 mpg on the trip. A definite gas saver over the 2.7L Optima. I am 61", 256#, a little cramped but otherwise REALLY like this car. Started out with a 2001 Sephia, bought 02 Optima EX V-6 for Mama, Traded both cars in on the same day in Dec 03 for an 04 Spectra and the 04 Optima. Still have the Spectra @ over 103,000 miles.

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  Koup is Killer - 2010 Kia Forte
  By mississippikoup - January 12 - 11:00 pm

  This car is more than I expected. I never thought I would own a KIA. I was looking for a sports coup. Looked at Mustang, Camaro, scion tc, and Honda. Mustang and Camaro had great power handling not so great. Scion tc is a Toyota that is a much as I will say about that. Hondas nice but the interior was dull. The Kia has the looks and handles great and the features you get for the price is outstanding. The 2 liter give it enough power and the gas mileage is very good. In the short time I have had this I cant believe the complements I have received. The price was great List was $17,600. I paid $15,200.

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  Love it, some minor annoyances - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By peter j martin - January 11 - 8:00 pm

  Bought it 2nd hand with 125k on it, engine light stays on, presently at dealership to have it checked. Initially mirrors did not function properly but dealership replaced the console in arm rest, ok now. Love the car, gas mileage could be better however it is a heavy car with a big v6 engine. Could have come with a compass & gps system, have added both myself, with this said it comes with everything else you could possibly need.

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  Finally - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By Brad Bachman - January 10 - 9:56 am

  Finally an import that I fit in. I am 64" and have finally found an import with plenty of leg room for me. Not to mention that the 2011 Kia is well appointed and fun to drive. I miss the power of my 300c but not the poor fuel mileage. Oh yeah it has a great panoramic roof. Look forward to driving the Kia everyday. The Kia I bought is the 2011 Sportage EX