Before you read this review, I urge you to have a look at the picture above. This pic gives you one of the best views of the car. What I'm reviewing here is the Kia Spectra 5. The *Spectra* is of a similar length, has exactly the same wheelbase,width and height, and also shares numerous features with the Spectra 5. The only real difference is that the 5 is a five-door, or a hatchback/wagon if you prefer.
Touchy-feely
Step into the Spectra 5, as I did this afternoon, and the first thing you'll notice is the steering wheel. Naturallly! The Spectra 5 I test drove was the top-of-the-line, without aftermarket leather,tinted windows,a sunroof or ABS. It did however sport a very nicely upholstered steering wheel - one of the most comfortable I have ever felt. They have obviously gone great lengths to make the wheel look and feel as nice as it does. Like the gear shift knob, it is wrapped in leather. Of course, the top of the knob was not leather, so I couldn't really feel it when changing gears. According to the brochure, the emergency brake is also supposed to be leather-wrapped...I don't recall feeling it or noticing it as such, but obviously I am mistaken. In terms of comfort, the cloth seats didn't compare well to the steering wheel. They were adequate, and provided firm support, but they certainly were not anything special. Having said that, I did not feel uncomfortable at all during or after the test drive, and I have a sensitive back, so that says something in itself. The cloth fabric lining the door was of the same material,and added a nice touch overall. While I didn't sit in the back, it looks like there is plenty of space back there in the Spectra 5. It wouldn't surprise me if there's just as much space as you'd find in a Ford Focus wagon. The 5-door car is slightly shorter in length, but with the trunk open, it certainly doesn't seem that way. It looks like there's plenty of space for golf clubs, sports bags or water coolers. The rear seats also fold flat.
Interior
Besides the 'hand-candy', I was also impressed by the layout of the interior. You'll find that the power window controls are to the immediate left of the driver,as usual. Three separate knobs in the middle of the car operate the climate control on the inside, and just above that are the audio controls. This, in my opinion, is one of the nicest parts of the car. The control layout is very clean and simple. Once you've owned this car for a day or two, I'm sure you'll never have any trouble with adjusting the wrong dial, even while you're on the road. The model I test drove had air conditioning,cruise control and power everything among other features. We didn't turn on the air conditioning during the 30 minute test-drive, but the climate controls were on. The car heated up nicely within 5 minutes of starting it up. The heating/cooling vents are also well located, with one above the headlight switch(to the left of the steering wheel),two in the centre console,etc. They look very natural where they are. As far as the cruise control, it's located in a stalk behind the steering wheel,on the right-hand side. I much prefer audio and cruise controls on the steering wheel. Unfortunately, with the Spectra 5, they don't come that way. If this is something that really bothers you, perhaps you can add that feature with an aftermarket kit/installation of some kind!? Obviously, I have no idea, but it is food for thought. The cd player controls are somewhat squished together, but changing the volume or the station should not be a problem. This model also features 6 speakers(2 of them tweeters). Unfortunately, on this test drive, I preferred talking with the salesman to listening to the radio, so I don't have any experience with it, unfortunately. It would have been especially difficult to turn the radio on, since I was really enjoying the guy's compliments about my driving. :)
Gauges
Strangely enough, the Spectra 5's Canadian website, http://www.kia.ca/spectra5/en/index.html , does not have any pictures of the dash with the headlights on. Neither does the brochure that the dealership provided me with. I can't honestly blame them. The dash turns an ugly green when the headlights are on. Again, you won't have any problems seeing the engine speed(RPMs) or road speed(reads in Kilometres&Miles per hour); it's just not pretty at night. The tachometer and KM/hour readings are large, so even if you need glasses, you might be able to read them without your glasses on. There are also readings for the temperature and fuel tank.
On the road
As far as the engine and transmission go, I was very pleasantly surprised. The Spectra and Spectra 5 share a 2L, 4 cylinder engine, that is, at least with the manual tranny, a joy to drive. As per usual for cars in this class, the automatic comes with 4 gears, and the manual with 5. Starting out, I had some difficulty changing gears, but I attribute that to the fact that a)the car hadn't warmed up yet, and b)I had not driven a manual in about a month. I think the rough shifts were more a result of the latter. I had the chance to test the car in city and highway conditions. At slow speeds, and with the tachometer under the 3,000 RPM level, the engine is quite silent. Once you brake that barrier, it does get considerably more lively, as one might expect. So too does the acceleration. I was pleased with the kick in first and second gear, but it wasn't until second,third and fourth that the car really started to zoom. When merging onto the highway, I had less than 150 metres of space to do so. Coming round the corner before the highway, I shifted down into second gear, put my foot down and easily shifted into third as the tach climbed. The acceleration seemed almost effortless, and I got up to speed in no time, merging quite comfortably before the lane ended. Before the Mazda 3 that I drive now, I had a 5-speed, 1993 Honda Civic. I can assure you that, given that car and the same situation, merging onto the highway would have been very difficult to say the least. I would have had to push the car, and even in doing so, I'm not convinced that I would have been able to merge as safely - if at all. There's no doubt about it : there is plenty of power on tap. The published specs for this car are 138 horses at 6,000 RPM and 136 lb-ft at 4,500. Even in fifth gear, the car pulled forward strongly, much better than I expected. I accelerated from 80-100KM(50-60mph) in 5th gear very easily. Even though the model I test drove did not have ABS(optional;comes with a power sunroof), I gained confidence in the brakes throughout the test drive. The brochure reminds me that these are 4-wheel disc brakes. After driving this car, my feeling is that there's no need for ABS in the Spectra 5. Sure, you might be able to stop sooner with ABS, but the standard brakes do such a good job I wouldn't miss the upgrade(unless in an emergency). I didn't put the brake pedal flat to the floor, but I got a good sense that, had I done so, they would have stopped the car with ease. I have no complaints as far as handling/ride quality is concerned. We didn't take a particularily bumpy route, but with the few pot holes I drove over, they didn't present much of a problem. The car's handling is above average, and I had fun taking corners at speeds of 30KM with ease. Turning the wheel left and right quickly one after another was also enjoyable, as the car handled very well. The shift was so instantaneous, that I imagined the wide smile that must have appeared on some professional car reviewers' mouths as they took the car through slaloms. In terms of fuel economy, the Spectra and Spec 5 aren't leaders of the pack. In fact, after seeing the numbers for this car, I had to double-check that it was in fact a 2L engine. For the manual, you'll get 9.5 and 6.6L per 100KM in city/highway conditions. This translates into 25/33 mpg(US figures). The automatic gets 9.8 and 6.3L(24/34). Yes,you read right. The manual is more thirsty on the highway, and the automatic does slightly worse in the city. I pointed this out to the salesguy,and it surprised him too. I'm guessing the difference is that the manual is slightly higher-revving. Speaking of which, I enjoyed the sound of the engine as the car accelerated. As I mentioned before, it was pretty quiet until 3rd gear hit, and once I exceeded 70KM in that gear, the car let me know about it. It told me that it was time to shift. Understand, the car doesn't give a satisfying howl like an Infiniti G35, and it doesn't sound like a tank like those older Camaros. Regardless, it's nice to hear that the engine is working, and working well. The fuel tank is a good size at 55 Litres(14.5 gallons), 10L larger than that in my 3.
Protection
Safety wise, you probably already know that this car has 6 airbags. That's the first thing they tell you in the TV ads, and according to the brochure, "the most important feature of the all-new Kia Spectra is the peace of mind you get knowing safety is our main priority." Given that quote, and the fact that there are six airbags, you may be surprised to learn that the Spectra got a rating of POOR, the worst rating available in a front crash test. In a 40 mph test, the test dummy suffered leg, head and chest injuries in the crash. According to the insurance people who did the test, Kia has some catching up to do with its competitors. From the same article, Kia is paraphrased as having said that they were "comfortable" with the safety that the Spectra and Spectra 5 provide, and confident it would be up to par in case of any accidents. That is laughable to say the least. The Mazda 3 and Hyundai Elantra both earned the highest ratings in the most recent tests. Really, what good is "America's best warranty" if you're dead, or seriously injured in a minor accident such as this? Granted, it might not be a minor accident at 40mph, but if other cars are getting significantly better ratings, something must be wrong. Given the fact that the Mazda 3 only has 2 airbags, and the Spectra has 6, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the two cars to perform comparably in such testing. From google, another site that came up was automative.com, which lists the Spectra's ratings as follows(out of 5 possible stars) : for front-impact, 4 stars for the driver and front-passenger; for side-impact,4 stars for the front occupants, and 3 stars for the rear. Obviously, the overall ratings are not only based on impact, but also for the injuries sustained by the crash test dummy, among other things.
From the outside looking in
I haven't spent a great deal of time looking the car up and down from the outside, but from the pictures I have seen, I'm impressed. Kia describes it as sporty looking, and European in its styling. While I wouldn't put it in the Mazda 3's class in terms of looks, it's certainly not ugly either. I would say it's a clear step above the Sentras and many Civics of the world, and its comparable to the 'cute'-looking Corolla. If I saw a Spectra on the street, and I didn't know any better, I might have thought it was an Acura EL. If it went by a little faster, I might even mistake it for an Acura TSX. The Spectra 5's look isn't quite as good from all angles as the Spectra, but it's still decent.
Summary
Overall, I'm very pleasantly surprised with the Spectra 5. There are very few on the roads where I live, here in Vancouver, Canada. There are several reasons I would buy this car, or seriously consider it if I were in the market. The interior is superb, with a neat layout. The steering wheel and gear knob are comfortable enough to melt in your hands, in that chocolatey kind of way ;) . The styling is cool, and different. While it may not be as feature rich as the 3, it certainly provides just as much bang for the buck. Although I'm not happy about the safety of this car, or Kia's response to the tests, I'm still giving the car 4 stars out of 5. To my mind, it's the most complete car to come out of Kia ever, even if its not the safest. If you're a safe, cautious driver, and you have experience and use caution in all situations, you need not worry. One should also take into account the number of Sunfires and Cavaliers on the road, despite their poor published crash test results. Clearly, either people care more about the initial cost of their cars, or they aren't particularily concerned with crash test results. Not to mention their lack of concern for a car's quality and reputation(good on yer, GM!). The Spectra is a joy to drive, and while it may not be the most fuel efficient, it is most definitely a car well worth buying and filling up.
Model Year: 2005
