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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  Great Car - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By amanticrazy - November 14 - 4:43 pm

  We really enjoy this vehicle. The drive is soft which is just what we want this time around. We travel several times a year for long distances and its the most comfortable ride we have ever had. The gas mileage could be better but we do get 25.6 mpg on trips and 21.5 city driving. All around, we couldnt be happier with the performance, comfort and style of our Amanti.

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  Great Car!!! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By ma1kohler - November 13 - 11:51 pm

  We bought our Sorento new in 05 and it just turned 120K miles. The best vehicle I have ever owned. Other than the 2 dozen or so headlights the Sorento has never been to the shop, ever. We are getting ready to buy a new 2012 Sorento and cant wait.

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  Love My Kia - 2007 Kia Sorento
  By John Dugan - November 12 - 8:13 pm

  Absolutely love my Kia. Excellent performance. Lots of power. Fun to drive. Kia thought of everything with this vehicle. It turns and parks very easily in tight spaces. There is plenty of room for five adults and lots of space in the rear. Gas mileage isnt the best but it is what I would expect given the level of performance/power. Vehicle drives very solid. Handles superb in inclement weather. Only have 1500 miles on it. The only problem encountered was a check engine light coming on which turned out to be a faulty intake sensor. Dealer fixed it in a few minutes and I have not had any other problems.

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  I love this car! - 2017 Kia Soul
  By Jeff - November 10 - 1:35 pm

  This car has most of the things I wanted in a vehicle all put into one. I had been searching and test drove quite a few vehicles and walked away from each disappointed about something. That was not the case with this one. The ride is smooth and the EXCLAIM is very quick. I used to drive a smaller hatchback and got tired of having essentially fall into my car. With the soul, the seats are at waist height and I quite literally just walk into my seat. Just yesterday, I took a friend out in it who owns a truck and he mentioned this very thing. He was saying he has to climb up into his truck and loves that you can just walk into the seat. I said the same thing regarding my golf (as you just read). I also got the Tech Package and I am very pleased with the sound system. It is superb. Definitely not a miss there. The audio controls actually make sense and is very easy to navigate. I test drove some cars that were just way too complicated (looking at you Honda). We dont want complicated while were driving. I want to push 2 buttons max to get where I want and do what I want. The fuel economy is actually lower than advertised, and thats kind of a bummer. I drive mostly (thats 90%) interstate and am lucky if I break 28 overall. The A/C unit is not what Id call amazing. There are definitely better A/C units out there. Other than that... very comfortable. Drives great. Turns on a dime (better than my Hatchback did, but the hatchback handled like a dream... cuz its a hatchback). I am not at all disappointed and would highly recommend it. Also, Kias warranty kind of tells a story of a company whos not afraid to offer a high warranty because they have faith in their product. Seriously, their warranty is twice as good as anyone elses.

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  my car - 2004 Kia Spectra
  By tnbluiis - November 8 - 2:00 am

  Its a cute car fun to drive and really cheap on gas

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  Cadenza-Simply a beautiful car - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By achero1 - November 6 - 3:29 am

  KIA of Somersworth is a great local dealership. Brian the Sales MGR does a great job without the heavy sales pitch. Ive been looking to trade in my 2013 KIA Optima SX for the new KIA Cadenza. Took the Cadenza for a test drive , the first thing that comes to mind is " what a beautiful car" Through out my initial drive of the Cadenza you just keep saying this is incredible. The interior is nicely appointed with high grade materials. There is a lot of attention to details right down to the stitching of the leather seats. The instruments are easy to use. The Cadenza Premium with a MSRP of 35k comes with a lot of nice features from Navigation heated seats,293HP V6, 18 inch chrome rims,infinity

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  46000 and going strong - 2001 Kia Spectra
  By Bob Bell - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for over three years. The more I drive it the better it gets. It is the best highway car I have ever had and with Dunlop SA-2 tires it handles like a sports car. It can cruize on the interstate with the best of them and still get great gass mileage.

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  Awesome - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By MelanieGG - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Has all the features of LUXURY autos. I miss the idea of flat seats in the back if I needed them but when would I actually use them when I have 3 kids? So it doesnt really count anyways. The gas mileage is bad but everything else makes up for that!

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  Kia...I would have nevr imagined so much - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By fjnlcpc - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Has it all from ride to look to dependability and a feeling of safety and no fear of the elements while driving.

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  Surprised - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By chipface - November 3 - 10:13 am

  Went shopping for our first mini van on a Saturday. We were armed with prices and knew what each company had to offer. We narrowed it down to the Mazda MVP or the Kia. One drive was all it took. Than we dealt and the price blew us away. It stickered fully equipped at over $27,000. We got it for just over $20,000. And still had rebates left.