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 OK - 2012 Kia Optima
  By soadokdls - May 16 - 2:43 pm

  I really like the way the car looks and some of the great features you would never get with a similar car but there are definitely things that I am not impressed with. The UVO system they have works well intermittantly and they claim the issues I have with the phone is bc Im using my iPhone cable instead of their $40 cable which is total BS. Also, I had a 2010 Toyota Camry V6 prior to this so the HP is the same, but since the Kia is a 4 cylinder the power just isnt as good. Oh, and my insurance also doubled!!!! My insurance company claims the Kias ISO rating is 30 and my Camry, which was $2k more, was a 16. How is that freakin possible?? Has anyone else experienced that?

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  Update - 2009 Kia Borrego
  By LAJ - May 14 - 8:22 am

  I drove this car for 91,000 miles and five years. It was a reliable, trustworthy car. Never gave me one issue with the engine. Always started. Inexpensive to maintain. At about 75k, things started breaking. The CD player quit working, the button for volume became tricky as well. The AC was not always great in the back,so sometimes we burned up on long trips. The Door locks broke, and the paint began chipping and flaking like crazy. Despite this, it was a great car mechanically. It was a trusty beast, and if not for the fact that my kids started moving out, Id probably still drive the gas guzzler daily. It was just that reliable. Of course, Id have to insure I did not lock the doors, or cared about having a car with paint, all while burning up and checking apps for cheap gas. It gets to ya, its like a good old work truck thats ugly as Heck, but you went to your first job in it, so you keep it. I had a hard time trading it in. I kinda felt sorry for it. I guess thats what happens with good cars. I guess this is a great car if you just need to drive a little bit, or you have a kid who just needs to go back and forth to school, and gas moneys no big thing it they are safe. All in all, its a reliable family hauler thats cheap to maintain. I truly believe someone can drive it 200k with very little issues. If thats all that matters to you, this is the car for you. Just make sure you never lock it or leave anything valuable in it. :)

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  warrenty issues - 2013 Kia Optima
  By ibergeron - May 14 - 3:22 am

  the Kia Optima we purchased was our third, we had an Amanti, we purchased a Sorento for our son, and now we have an Optima. the car ran great but it blew the engine. the repairs approved was a re-manufactured engine. Every mechanic I have spoken to said that a new engine in a 1 1/2 year old car with 21,500 miles was the correct repair NOT a re-manufactured engine. If you want a vehicle that will be repaired properly, stay AWAY From KIA.

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  Excellent Vehicle! - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By Cyph - May 14 - 2:00 am

  I just bought this vehicle last month and I love it. Compared to many other SUVs in its class,it was the best value for what you get! It drives smoothly and is very roomy. I recommend it!

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  Little Red Wagon Convertible - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By Shammy from AZ - May 12 - 12:06 am

  Have a Red 2001 2 door automatic Sportage with 2WD. I bought it used and love it! The truck is reliable. I drive 80 miles a day. A blast with the rear top removed. The seats are comfortable and you have a good view of the road ahead. The 2.0 Mazda engine runs strong and the acceleration is fast enough to pass traffic. The 4 speed automatic shifts smooth except when the truck is cold ... then it locks out overdrive until warm. Does ride like a truck but that is expected. The frame is tough as I live on a dirt road with lots of ruts and bumps. With the exception of squeaks and rattles this truck is holding up very well. The previous owner maintained it well. Hoping to get many miles out of her.

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  Nice car to own and ride - 2017 Kia Forte
  By Morteza - May 11 - 5:35 pm

  I leased 2017 KIA forte LX for only 79$ per month for 3 yrs. I am very happy about the car. Fuel economy is great, interior is good and when it comes to exterior it does not look like a cheap car at all. Brake system exceeded my expectation. However,My comment on performance is different. Acceleration for this 2.0 L engine is weak. When it comes to merging into traffic make sure you have enough room with incoming cars because you are not able to speed up quickly! But overal it is such a good car to ride and worths every penny you spent.

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  four months in - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By cmadden - May 11 - 2:17 am

  I traded in a 3 series BMW for my 2014 Kia Cadenza Premium model. This has a much better ride, but is slower off the starting line. The front wheel drive 3.3 liter V6 produces 298 horsepower and 255 ft-lbs of torque. Doesnt belong on a race track, but fine for city driving. The ride in comfortable with above average seating front and rear. Exterior styling bold and is almost identical to their $54,500 K900 model.

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  03 Sedona - Reliable - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Brian - May 7 - 10:40 am

  Owned since September 2003 and have put 42,000 miles on it. The only time its been back to the dealership is for the 2 recalls. We dont baby our Sedona either. We regularly take trips of 400 miles (each way) towing a 2500 lb trailer, with a cargo carrier mounted to the roof rack. Its a little sluggish going up mountain passes fully loaded and towing, but that is to be expected. Swapped oil in engine and tranny to full synthetic after 15,000 miles and picked up 3-5 mpg on the highway. This van has never failed us, even in -30 degree weather. The only thing I dislike is that it has too much low end power when driving on ice, even with studded tires. Very easy to spin the tires on ice!

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  Sedona - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By cconaf2 - May 7 - 10:00 am

  I Have 13000 miles on it with no problems. My grill has a spot that is pealing the black paint away. I have driven from DC to Texas with no problems. I think it has good acceleration. Just wish the gas malage was better.

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  My 2 year 56k mile review - 2014 Kia Soul
  By Hunter - May 3 - 12:30 pm

  I bought my lovely 2014 Latte Soul Base A/T back in March 2014. Had a whole 31 miles on it! (guess from other test drives) Got it for $14,222 with a few extras like mudflaps, SOUL floor mats, and maybe a few other dealer add-ons. No real mods besides my Amp and 2 12s I pulled from my 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Still running great! She has been to Tennessee (Only once) My Jeep went to Tennessee 100 times haha, South Carolina, and Virginia / VA Beach so far. About 4 Virginia trips to VA Beach so far (In a few weeks it will be going back I have took numerous photos of my soul, along with one I took in the fall of 2015, has been shared and spread across several dealer websites AND was posted by KIA Motors America on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media accounts last month! Here is the link to their Twitter Post, https://twitter.com/Kia/status/697901801337720832 Also Ill post a link below with some of my favs Ive taken. My Soul now has 56,000 miles, I had a check engine light at 21,000 were a sensor on the transmission threw a code, but fixed it self, but dealership replaced it anyway, along with the few recalls thats came out. I do currently have 2 issues and 2 concerns. 1st main issue is the sun glasses holder, at random times it has a rattle like something broke off in it and is rattling around, but noticeable only really on roads that are not as smooth but is very annoying at times. Sometimes it makes noise sometimes it does not. 2nd is what sounds like coming from the back when going slowly over speed bumps or really bumpy roads like its the suspension but not sure. My 2 concerns is when turning off my car I hear a bubbling gurgling noise, I just recently recalled hearing it again since having to use AC. 2nd concern is my AC sometimes has a mildew smell but usually goes away after 30 seconds. Almost forgot somewhere around 30k my Poor rear passenger side window got shattered ohhh the glass everywhere, I think it was my dads fault as we suspect a rock may have flung up from the lawn mower, he felt bad and bought me a replacement from a wreaked Soul in Texas. (he owns a body shop) Picture in my gallery below. My Soul soon will need new tires, still running on the stock tires. My Soul made me proud last month, we had a Ice storm really bad here in NC, So many wreaks even right in front of me I seen people loose control of there vehicle but being safe my Soul got me through everything safely. - Video from my Dash Cam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmv_6cChc_s Local media used this video. Overall I love my Soul and hope she makes it to 200k+ She might in the near future get registered in the State of Virginia in a few weeks will be spending some extended time there. Here are all the pictures Posted Here (The ones I like anyway) And a recent one from today! - http://hunterspad.com/?page_id=99