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Wasn’t long ago that buying a Kia was a gamble akin to going “all in” with a pair of deuces.

Kia vehicles are built in South Korea, or as those in the industry call it, “the emerging Japan.”

Thoughts of Kia’s reputation and how the body would shake after slamming a door popped into mind when a 2005 Kia Spectra5 arrived for testing.

But Kia has made some wise moves the last few years, such as paying more attention to fit and finish and reducing noise levels to improve the perception of quality. And it has expanded its lineup to include cars, sport-utility vehicles and a van.

But three decisions stand out. For starters, Kia partnered with Hyundai in 1998, another South Korean automaker known for being on a quality, and therefore, sales binge.

In 2002 it changed one of the worst names ever attached to a vehicle-Sephia-to Spectra. Not that Spectra encourages folks to drop what they are doing and run down to a Kia showroom, but it’s so much better than Sephia, which sounded like a contagious malady.

And in 2004 Kia got people to sit up and take notice when it brought out the Amanti, a fashionable sedan with all the amenities of Toyota Camry or Honda Accord for a couple thousand less.

Kia insists Amanti is a $5,000 less expensive rival to luxury Lexus ES330, though we see it as a competitor with the Camry and Accord.

Whatever the target, Amanti offers consumers an alternative in the midsize sedan market. It also is a magnet to draw folks into showrooms, where they are exposed to the rest of the lineup.

But we digress.

The 5 designation on the Spectra5 we tested refers to the so-called five-door, or hatchback, body style. It joins the four-door Spectra sedan with trunk that bowed in 2004.

Some might see a styling relationship with a station wagon, but we see it more closely associated with the hatchback Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix, which Kia does, too, by calling it a sportback and begging those who use the term wagon to wash their mouths out with soap.

The Dodge Caliber concept (Business, Feb. 11), which will be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show next month to herald the replacement for the Neon, is another member of the sportback crowd.

Unfortunately, while the Spectra5 is equal to Vibe and Matrix in fashionable styling and convenient cargo access through the hatchlid, it falls short in one important category: It’s offered only in front-wheel-drive. Vibe and Matrix also have all-wheel-drive, which certainly would come in handy in the Snow Belt.

The hatchback opens wide for easy loading or unloading, though both would be easier without the clumsy cover strapped to the lid that hides the contents inside.

Rear seat backs easily fold so you can slip more cargo inside.

Ride is on the firm side and consistent with an economy car. You feel ripples in the road usually not experienced in larger cars, the price you pay for high mileage and low price.

Handling is a cut above the typical economy car, however, thanks to a sports-tuned, four-wheel, independent suspension with gas-tuned shocks, front and rear stabilizer bars and low-profile, 16-inch, all-season radial tires.

Spectra5 holds its ground well in corners and turns without excessive lean.

Spectra5 is powered by a 2-liter, 138-horsepower, 16-valve 4-cylinder that delivers 136 foot-pounds of torque. Obviously the 2-liter isn’t designed for leap-from-the-light performance, but rather to deliver optimum fuel economy.

The mileage rating is 25 m.p.g. city/33 m.p.g. highway with the standard 5-speed manual. A 4-speed automatic is a $975 option. With it, the hatchback is rated at 24/34, which makes the mileage difference between manual and automatic a wash.

While it looks good, delivers very good mileage and is priced right, there are a few gripes with the Spectra5.

One is that you can get anti-lock brakes, but traction control isn’t offered.

And to get ABS, you have to get a package of options, including power sunroof and cruise control, that runs $1,350. ABS doesn’t stand alone.

And Kia engineers need to fiddle a bit with the aerodynamics. Pull back the sunroof shade and open the driver’s side window just a crack, and the commotion begins.

The wind coming through the window strikes the sunroof shade and produces an odd crackling sound, similar to the noise when a drain suddenly unclogs and the water rushes down.

Another gripe is that the outside mirrors are very small and provide a limited field of vision of those approaching along the side.

On the plus side, side-curtain air bags are standard front and rear, a safety item usually reserved for high-priced models.

The Spectra5 starts at $15,150. Standard equipment includes those 16-inch radials, four-wheel disc brakes, side-impact air bags upfront and the curtains, air conditioning, heated and body-colored sideview mirrors, AM/FM/CD player, power windows with driver’s side automatic down, power locks with remote keyless entry, tinted glass, manual seat adjustments, dual cupholders front and rear, tilt steering, rear spoiler, fog lights and body-colored side moldings.

Looking ahead, Kia in March brings back the Sportage sport-ute for 2005. It has been out of the lineup since 2002.

The old Sportage was truck-based. The ’05 model is car-based and derived from the Spectra sedan platform. It offers FWD and AWD, which makes you wonder why Spectra5 doesn’t.

Kia unveiled a redesigned Sedona van at the Chicago Auto Show. It will arrive this fall. Four to five months after that, the Optima sedan, which bowed in ’01, gets a redesign.

Kia sales rose 14.1 percent last year, to 270,055 from 237,471. No projections, but with the new hatchback Spectra and Sportage, Kia is looking for a hefty increase in 2005 sales.

If the crowds that filtered into the Kia display at the auto show are any barometer, Kia should do well.

Looking farther ahead, Hyundai’s first U.S. assembly plant in Alabama is about to start turning out the next-generation Sonata sedan in March and the Santa Fe sport-ute six months later. But there are no plans to add Kia vehicles to the U.S. mix though the Optima shares a platform with Sonata.

“We need a higher level of sales to justify U.S. production,” said Kia spokesman Kim Custer. “We’re at 270,000 now and would probably have to be around 400,000 before any decision [on U.S. output] is made in Korea.”

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TEST DRIVE

2005 Kia Spectra5

Wheelbase: 102.8 inches

Length: 170.9 inches

Engine: 2-liter, 138-h.p. 4-cylinder

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Fuel economy: 25 m.p.g. city/33 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $15,150

Price as tested: $16,500. Includes $1,350 for package with anti-lock brakes, cruise control and power sunroof. Add $540 for freight.

Pluses: It offers high mileage and low price. Also has a stylish appearance similar to the not-quite-a-station-wagon look of the Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe and soon the Dodge Caliber. Decent ride and handling for an economy car. Ample storage.

Minuses: There is an odd crackling sound when you open the driver’s side window a couple inches and wind strikes the power sunroof shade. It has small outside mirrors and traction control not available. – Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays.