James:
When I respond with “a Kia” when asked what I am driving, I’m typically presented with a similar response. It goes something like, “Oh, I’m sorry,” or “Too bad.” That’s the reputation Kia seems to have, but then I have to respond with, “It’s actually pretty nice,” which is rewarded with blank stares. I guess it is a process.
Either you meet a lot of uneducated people, or I meet a lot of educated people... In over 4 years of owning a Sportage, I've never been told anything remotely close to what you just said here. If anything, they don't know what a Sportage is, so I just say it's the same thing as the Hyundai Tucson, a small SUV. Some people are surprised to hear that Kia is now partly owned by Hyundai and that they share a lot of their designs though.