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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  Fuel - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By nevik - October 17 - 11:23 pm

  The only thing I am disappointed in is the fuel economy. It doesnt even get close to what the sticker says. I can see a couple miles less but when you get 8 to 10 miles off, thats a big difference. I based my decision to purchase this SUV because of the fuel economy it was supposed to have.

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  Great little car - 2004 Kia Rio
  By stanley p tibbs - October 16 - 10:00 am

  This has been a very good little car . I have had absolutely no problems with this car . Ive put over 18000 miles on this car in less than a year. The gas mileage has been as high as 41 mpg, never below 33 mpg.For a low price car ,you just cant beat this little car.

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  Wish it were better - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By ROYMAN - October 13 - 2:00 am

  I have a 02 Sedona EX, purchased 7/28/02 . I like many qualities about the vehicle but feel,that Kias quality control is non-existent. I have spent nearly as many days in the shop as in the driveway. Lumbar seat switch stuck on and depleted the battery, requiring using roadside assistance. Then power steering pump, A/C partial replacement, replacement of entire left rear trim panel, transmission irregularity and lastly, rust on the tailgate requiring repainting and 3 day tie up.(I live in Florida).Not a good experience at all. The mileage is horrific (which I knew when I bought it). Should have at least 16" wheels,

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  I Love My Kia - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By J-Girl - October 8 - 10:00 am

  After driving a Toyota for several years, I needed a new car. I ended up buying a Kia. I needed the peace of mind of the warranty and the smaller price tag. I loved my Toyota, but I have to say that I have been equally happy with the Kia performance. Sure, the inside is not a luxury car, but it drives great and really has a zip to it. The storage is incredible. I am not too impressed with the quality of the tires. I have already put about 7K miles on them and I think that I will probably only get another 7-10K by the looks of them. I think it is an ideal economy car for a college student or your first car.

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  Great economical all-around hauler - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Mike D - October 6 - 12:13 am

  PROS - EX 6 cyl new 2008 leftover stickered $23,000+ bought early in 2009 for $16,000 total (no trade, and included tax, title, and registration). WOW! - Mileage - 24+ mpg mixed driving and 27+ highway (usually running around 70 mph). Were easy on the peddle. - Tows a 1,000 lb pop up trailer effortlessly - costs 3 mpg - Solid build, reasonably quiet - 3rd row split bench seat lets us haul 6 - 4 adults, two kids in car seats - 6 people total - AND a big stroller -- plus a few other things -- in relative comfort. IFFY: - Looks are unremarkable - Road-handling and performance reasonably satisfying (it is a midi van after all!) - Front seats not very comfortable

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  not bad - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By listed - October 4 - 5:20 pm

  Overall good. Good noise reduction. Good build quality. EXTREMELY poor FUEL ECONOMY -- only about 26 on the highway and 21 in city. Radio stinks.

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  A good solid car - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By TANSTAAFL - October 2 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my Sephia for 3 years and 45,000 miles have never had any problems or had any real repairs to perform (other than scheduled maintenance). It has always been reliable and responsive. I had looked at a number of other cars but this one was the best deal and has proven to be a winner. Only real problem I have had is that people like to back into the car with SUVs but I think that is my bad luck and wont blame KIA. I would definately buy another car from them.

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  2013 KIa Hatchback - 2013 Kia Rio
  By soccer_ref - October 2 - 9:04 am

  Looked for a car to replace 2000 Toyota Echo. Shopping for price, dependability and fuel mileage. Drove Yaris, Prius C, Nissan Sentra but settled on Rio hatchback. Sold on styling both inside and out, price and warranty. Fuel mileage is okay, not special. 38 to 40 mpg is tough to swallow coming from 42 to 45 mpg. Didnt see the Yaris being any better. Prius C was too pricey for what I wanted. 6 speed manual transmission is good, though the gears are quite close together. Normal driving is easy to skip gears. Bought manual because paying for an automatic is a rip off.

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  scratches driving me to drink - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Steve Luciow - September 27 - 3:03 pm

  I love this little car. Ive had it for 6 months but the interior looks like its 10 years old. you cant breath on these doors without scratching them. Its got 9000 miles on it,and I only had to replace the fuel pump. I have a case pending on the door problem since January and the problem is still not resolved, they keep telling me theyre working on it. Good luck to anybody who has kids and buys this car, the interior will look 10 years old in 1 week!

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  My review - 2002 Kia Optima
  By BONZJONZ - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Coming from a 1990 Ford Ranger, the Optima is definitely a step up. The mileage is very good for the long trips that I have to take.