I think this page shows some telling information that may help you:
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2018/01/u-s-auto-sales-brand-rankings-december-2017-ytd/
Kia is the NINTH most popular brand in the USA, behind all those mentioned above, that you may already be considering. The fact that even domestic brands beat out Kia show there are lots of options ahead of them in the marketplace. I like cars a lot, and I must admit, I have never considered a Kia a contender for a car brand I was looking to buy. They always seemed kind of "meh" to me. I can't even tell you why, other than I always felt there were better options.
(Full disclosure: I am not claiming I know anything about cars, but I know what I like. I've owned an awful lot of vehicles over the years, new, used, and otherwise; everything from full-sized van conversions and pickups, down to just about every sort of family car, several SUVs, foreign and domestic great road cars, two-seater sports cars, and who knows what else. I currently own a Ford as my urban daily driver, just swapped out spouse's BMW for an Infiniti QX50, and I have a Porsche convertible as the play car for weekends.)
Go with what you like, but don't buy without considering why others tend to prefer other brands.
Dave