The Kia Rio5, with a starting price of $14,595 ($13,750 with a manual transmission), is effectively the cheapest wagon in America. And when you drive the cheapest wagon in America you expect it to feel...well, cheap. But the Rio5 doesn't feel cheap. In fact, it feels pretty expensive -- certainly more expensive than our loaded test car felt, even with its as-tested price of $16,260. The extra cost comes from the power windows, power mirrors, power door locks (with keyless remote), anti-lock brakes, carpeted floor mats and tweeter speakers. 

Now some of you may think items like power windows and keyless entry are necessities in 2007, but I would argue that none of those options are really that big of a deal, at least not if you're truly shopping on a budget. I'd probably get the anti-lock brakes, for $400, and head out the door with my Kia Rio5 for a cool $15,575, including destination. Our TMV for a black one, in a Southern California zip code, comes in at $15,088.

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We all know Chinese cars are coming, and while no U.S.-sold brands are anxious for extra competition, some are more vulnerable than others. After looking at Automotive News' coverage on the future of Hyundai and Kia it's clear both brands want to be well beyond the "great car for the money" phase before the Chinese arrive. Personally I think they've already gotten there, as I don't see the need to qualify a Hyunday/Kia purchase with a "not bad for the money" or "at least the warranty means you're covered" remark.

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I just got back from an 800-mile drive in our long-term Sedona. You can read the details on our long-term blog, but the short version is that this minivan is yet another example of how Kia is stealing sales from long-time players. The van may not be the best in the category, but it's not far off the leaders, and (as usual with Kia) the price makes it quite the value proposition.

We're having a chat tonight with Len Hunt, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Kia Motors of America. If you've got questions to ask regarding the state of Kia's product offering in the U.S. you can ask the man in charge directly between 6 and 7 Pacific Time. Is there really a truck in Kia's future? How close is the relationship between Hyundai and Kia in terms of parts sharing? How many times has he heard the "Ka-Ka-Ka-Kia" joke?

You can ask Len Hunt these questions and more tonight.

I just drove the all-new Kia Optima EX V6. It's technically a 2006.5, and let me first say that these annoying "half-year" designations always play havoc with our vehicle data categories and Web site display rules. Usually it's just the Germans who play these games, but apparently Kia wants to be like Volkswagen. Regardless of its year designation, the new Optima is, overall, an impressive effort. I can't sit in the cabin without thinking Honda Accord, which isn't a bad thing. The look and feel of the materials and controls is very Honda-like. There's a weightiness to the dials/switches and a richness to the textures and surfaces that some other car companies (cough-GM-cough) could learn from. The bright gauge cluster display is also more impressive than you'd expect from a $20,000 sedan. It's still not quite up to Honda standards in every area, but close. For instance, the center console is a very basic hard plastic. But, the texture and paint give it a higher quality look. You have to actually tap on it to confirm it's really just hard plastic. Those are the kind of subtleties that could go a long way in other cars (cough-Caliber-cough).

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I still haven't driven this car (a test vehicle will be in our offices shortly), but if you read our First Drive you already know we liked it. We did, however, get a "walk around" with company reps recently. That's an industry term for when the manufacturer's product people walk around a new vehicle and give a relatively detailed explanation of what's new and different. I got to sit in the van, play with the folding third-row seat (possibly the best folding system in the segment) and generally try out everything except the driving dynamics (which will happen in few weeks). This thing looks good -- really good. It's much bigger (passenger volume is up 15 percent) but it's also lighter and more powerful. The interior layout provides adequate room in all seating postions, even for adults, and the price/feature ratio is still very potent -- though it's now priced much closer to the competition. The styling is also a pretty blatant Odyssey rip-off, but that's not a bad thing. I used to be troubled by how excited I got over great minivans (and how angry I got over bad ones - ahem, Ford...). But now I've just surrendered to the fact that with age and kids comes appreciation of big sliding doors, conversation mirrors (the big, convex ones that let you spy on the kids) and fold-away seats. Can't wait to drive it.