...Spectra is a hatchback derivative of Kia's Sephia sedan. The Spectra provides the same roominess as the compact Sephia, plus the cargo-carrying versatility...starting just a few hundred dollars over the Sephia's starting price. The base Spectra...

...That's from consumers who have phoned, written and e-mailed me with complaints about models such as the Kia Spectra and Sephia passenger cars. I almost gave up on Kia. I'm glad I didn't. The South Korean automaker, now owned by Hyundai, is improving...

...possibly late next year. The Sportage augments the mainstream Sephia compact, Kia's only passenger-car offering until the introduction...the sporty Spectra four-door hatchback, which shares the Sephia's power plant and underpinnings, and the all-new Rio subcompact...

...the almost-as-new-Spectra, a compact, and also below the car on which the five-door Spectra sedan was based -- the Sephia. Kia dealers also sell a small SUV, the Sportage, and are due to get a midsized car, the Optima, in December. The Rio's...

...Club judges said the $12,100 Accent GL was tops. It outscored the $13,800 Toyota Echo two-door and the $14,200 Kia Sephia LS sedan, made and marketed by Hyundai-owned Kia Motors Corp. The top midprice vehicles were the $23,000 Volkswagen GTI...