The fatter midrange acceleration is appreciated, as is the newly refined sound and reduced vibration at the 6400-rpm redline - think sewing machine or well-oiled food processor, not wood chipper. that's fitted to 4-speed automatic versions in California, Massachusetts, Maine, New York and Vermont. of torque, respective gains of 14 and 17, unless you get the PZEV-SULEV version with 132 bhp and 133 lb.-ft. Gas it on the straights, and you'll find more power than last year's 1.8-liter Spectra, thanks to its Hyundai-designed Beta engine, a 2.0-liter dohc 16-valver with another Kia first: variable timing for its intake camshaft. On the safety front, all Spectras come standard with six airbags - two frontal, two seat-mounted side and two full-length side curtains, which pop down out of the headliner. Whatever the trim level, you get 4-wheel disc brakes (ABS is a $400 option, and not available on the base LX) and engine-speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering. If you don't care for the 5-door body style, the same appearance and handling changes can be found in the SX sedan, due for a later, mid-2005 introduction. At the same time, the 5's praiseworthy bump absorption won't rattle your teeth on the crumbling urban infrastructure either. It's fully consistent with parent Hyundai's master plan to endow Kia cars with a sportier, more European feel. We're not talking Miata-like levels of responsiveness or flingability here rather, enough precision, steering feedback and roll control to make attacking the serpentine stuff a pleasure instead of a tire-punishing chore. Yet the Spectra5's most appealing aspect is actually the sum of several tweaks to shock valving, spring rates and anti-roll bars that act upon its strut-at-each-corner suspension, because it strikes us as the first Kia that's reasonably entertaining in the twisties. steel wheels with 195/60R-15 rubber), it looks the part of a sporty urban runabout. alloys with P205/50R-16 Goodyears (the sedans get 15-in.
With a deeper air dam, flared rocker panels, a tidy roof spoiler, a black mesh grille and standard 16-in. The Koreans are on a learning curve as steep as Mount Everest, and Kia's latest sherpa-hauler, the Spectra5, is eyeing the summit in the entry-level ranks.Īctually, there are two Spectra body styles - a 4-door sedan in LX, EX and SX trim levels, and the hatchback Spectra5, its word/numeral nomenclature a nod to Mazda and handsome styling that looks like the result of a gene-splice experiment involving the Toyota Matrix and Honda Civic Si.
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