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:

• 

  2003 Kia Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By NPierce628 - December 26 - 10:00 am

  I had an extended size van, so I am having trouble getting use to the smaller space, but love the way it handles like a car. Looks almost like a Lexus. Sharp looking.

• 

  2009 KIA Sportage best bang for the buck - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By drew - December 25 - 7:20 pm

  I did a lot of research between subaru, honda, toy and suzuki. You cant beat the quality, safety features (ESC, traction control, 6 airbags,all 5 star crash rating) and the 5 yr 60 mile bumper to bumper, 10yr 100k drive train warranty. I choose the 5 spd 4cyl to get the most miles per gallon. I find the 4 cyl. has plenty of zip plus its fun to drive. Living in New England getting a 4x4 was equally important. This is my second KIA, I find the quality is excellent. The sportage also has plenty of storage and room to handle my 3 kids and their gear. I owned a 07 Honda, i find the finish superior on the Kia. Maybe not as refined as a honda, but this is a very capable suv and 5000 less.

• 

  the jurys still out - 2010 Kia Soul
  By newman - December 23 - 7:33 am

  After searching and researching for a small car for several months I got a soul +. Had it a week and the car was pulling to the right, took it to the dealership for repair and they gave me the run around, took it back in a week same problem rotated the tires; which seems to have helped (till the tires wear) bought accessories from dealership and they didnt fit the model had them install them. Attached a bike rack on the back and that was not good, car doesnt seem to be that strongly built ( for bike rack @least). Im not sure if I might have made a mistake or just gotten a lemon by buying this car before getting the bugs out. Thus the jurys still out.......

• 

  Very solid - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Kaye - December 22 - 7:03 pm

  The ride is smooth. Some might complain about going over bumps, but in reality, who drives on bumps all the time? When on the freeway and going 75 mph, it is very smooth. On streets and avenues, the ride is comfortable. I have driven in BMWs X5, Lexus and the ride difference is minuscule. Im not interested in a bunch of bells and whistles, I want a good radio, blue tooth and iPod hookup. And it has all of that. This SUV gets me from point (a) to point (b). In reality, that is all you want.

• 

  Not an all weather vehicle - 2011 Kia Soul
  By jermany1104 - December 21 - 9:01 am

  Ive had my Kia Soul + for almost one year. Being 6 ft tall, there is plenty of head & leg room. The car has great pick up & passing & merging are never a problem. I love how the back seats go down for extra storage. However it hadnt snowed since I got the car & Im not happy with how it attempts to drive in the snow. The car would not drive up my hill, wound up sideways & had to be backed down the hill. Driving on the flat surface wasnt any better. I was told that the tires may be sport tires & may need to be changed, but I hate to change tires on a new car already. Im pretty disappointed with this, since I live in an area where it snows in the winter.

• 

  Unique - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By jojo - December 17 - 2:00 am

  We have driven our LX v6 Sorento for 2 months now. It averages about 19 mpg in regular driving and 21 on the highway, lower than expected. The car is well thought out and has great style. The front suspension is louder than my old drum set when going over even the smallest bumps, this needs to be recalled for this reason.Kia knows it is a problem since the new SX uses a different suspension system. Kia think of us and offer a fix to the LX suspension. Other than that a nice SUV.

• 

  Happy so far! - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By sahill1380 - December 14 - 9:20 pm

  I purchased my Sorento in January and have had no issues. I get 25mpg around town and 29mpg on the highway, much better than my Sedona. Many family trips and its delivered on all the promises.

• 

  Great for the money - 2003 Kia Optima
  By Btnfly30 - December 12 - 9:50 am

  For the money I could not do better. Comfortable, reliable and stylish for 12,000 dollars.

• 

  Great Engineering - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Ernest Dockery - December 10 - 10:20 pm

  KIA has their engineering down pat. I had no problems until after 100,000 miles and then the car seemed to start coming apart. First the windshield wiper control arm came apart then several of the sensors quit working and lastly the bolt on the harmonic balancer sheared causing me to get a new engine. I love the way the car drives but the reliability stinks.

• 

  2012 Kia Sorento - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By heydes - December 10 - 8:22 pm

  I am in love with this vehicle. We get a lot of looks and people commenting on how nice the car looks. I am very happy. I like the option of the third row. We only have two children and the car works out well for our family. The second row is a little smaller than I would prefer.