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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  WOW!!! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By yolo - December 23 - 5:10 am

  A truly amazing van! No initial problems and I am very impressed with the fit and finish, great ride, power, 5 spd. auto tranny, comfort, braking and handling. I dont understand the 15/20 mpg. I have been getting 23-25 mpg in city and highway mix and the engine is not even broken in yet. This was a wonderful surprise!

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  Getting my second one... - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Amir - December 21 - 9:26 pm

  This is my second car, after our first success with a Kia we bought from Canada, this is my second choice, getting another one the same make. it went over 1100miles one shot without a hiccup...topping 425miles per tank, during trips I only stop for gas if the trip is really long. pretty roomy and big on the inside, the biggest of its class insidewise. As for performance, well dont expect to get much out of a 2 liter engine, 80-90mph isnt hard, and it wont say NO WAY, but Ive seen cars do better at these speeds, it rides smoothly and brakes well, with 4 disc brakes ABS, and a cruise to forget about the pedals for a while. Heated mirrors are useful comparing ot a dodge neon. alloy wheels.

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  love it - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By kittykat - December 21 - 2:00 am

  I am a new owner..only 700 miles so far but, it is wonderful! rides great, looks great, (in and out) has lots of features for safety and convenience...Ive had so many compliments about the look from total strangers....and best of all the price cant be beat for all that I got....i am more than pleased...

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  Kia Optima: Optimum Protection - 2004 Kia Optima
  By Optima Queen - December 21 - 2:00 am

  My Kia Optima saved my life! An elderly lady that swore she hadnt been drinking ran a red light on a major state highway. I was hit in a 50 mile-an-hour side collision(drivers side) with her Taurus wagon. The side air bag deployed and cradled my head and torso. I managed to get out of the passenger side door. Not til later did I notice that the doors were peeled outward on the drivers side from the impact. I learned that Kia constructed the door pieces so that upon front or side impact, the doors would not intrude into the safety cage. Thanks Kia! I am know looking forward to another Optima or Amanti instead of a hospital bed.

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  My 2nd Kia - 2006 Kia Optima
  By NavyCarlos - December 21 - 1:16 am

  Great car and value for the money. Toyota Camry may have just won the award, but this car surpasses it in almost all areas. Also have a 2003 Kia Sedona and can attest to the reliability and sound quality. The car was really designed nicely with many features standard that are only found on luxury cars. The car is very stylish and looks great.

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  My Ruby Red Jewel - 2006 Kia Optima
  By Albert Gibes - December 20 - 5:46 pm

  This car replaced a Buick Century and I must say it has many better features than my GM auto did. It is roomier, much better protection for all riders, handles like a dream, and has the very best finish Ive every seen on a new car. Ive owned many new cars in my lifetime (Im 75 years old) and this KIA is the best!

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  Great Car! - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By DRJJJJJ - December 20 - 6:30 am

  We have owned this car for about 2 weeks and have just wonderful things to say about. The car looks and feels like many upscales models of other manufacturers. Very luxurious interior, not to mention a smooth, quick ride. Great value for the money and with the long term warranty you cannot go wrong. Kia has proven themselves are worthy competitor with this car!

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  Great Sport sedan and GT car. KIA Quattroporte. - 2018 Kia Stinger
  By Ramesh - December 18 - 2:14 pm

  Before anybody buys this car, they should know that, this is not a sports car, this is a sports sedan. This is not a luxury / premium car, this is a sports sedan. This is not a status defining car, this is just a sports sedan. And, Stinger does this job impeccably. When you shop for 50K car, you sure would have researched or test driven, audi, BMW, Merc or lexus. But you have to decide can you pass the above luxury brand dealers, and go to Kia dealer to buy this car. I did, and glad I did it. It has gorgeous looks.. Believe me, every day (yes, every day), people, either on traffic signals or in gas station or in parking lot, have asked me about this car and complemented a lot. It has Maserati look. Drive is amazing. For me, after test driving, S5, BMW 440Xi and C43 AMG, there was something in this car, I fell in love with. It is for sure, at least (if not more) 15K less than similarly equipped above brands. They have great materials in and out overall, even though there is some lack of achieving the level of above premium brands. I cannot write how much I like about this car, as it may take a lot of space. I can write little about what I dont like in it (very few, if any). I dont like the KIA label (I have always owned BMWs), fuel economy (but for this level of performance, it is acceptable) and major one being, the interior noise which can be refined a bit (I think this is common to all sports sedans like S5, AMGC43 and BMW 440Xi with M sport).

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  Rio5 SX Wagon - 2008 Kia Rio
  By Giancarlo - December 17 - 6:53 am

  I traded in my Hyundai Tucson for a car I could use for my working commute. Rio5 SX was a straightforward choice. The car is compact but surprisingly comfortable and spacious. The engine is up to the task considering is a 1.6 L and the car is very fun to drive. In my first tank of gas Ive got a good 33 mpg in mix condition (traffic/highway) typical in a commute scenario. Very, very satisfied with this choice that I recommend to anybody in need of a good, reliable commuting car.

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  Awesome car - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By redban - December 16 - 7:23 pm

  I had a Honda Civic for 10 years. And this was the only car that could replace it, since Honda has gone down the hill and they dont have any good cars anymore.