Kia has achieved a stealthy success in America by marrying good value and attractive appearance. The redesigned Spectra is the latest example. The creased, chrome-dipped exterior looks as good as anything Japanese, as does the interior, with its smooth dash, two-tone color scheme, and generous dimensions (although we'd like more supportive seats). The headline-grabbing value item is the air-bag count, with side and curtain air bags standard on both the $13,160 LX and the $14,290 EX.
The Spectra shares its platform with the Hyundai Elantra, so it gets Hyundai's 2.0-liter DOHC four with variable valve timing (a Kia first). The sound quality can't match that of the best Japanese fours, but at least the noise is well suppressed below 3000 rpm. The output of 138 horsepower and 136 pound-feet of torque is solid for this class, but unfortunately, the Spectra packs on a couple hundred more pounds than its competitors. Still, acceleration with the manual gearbox is fine, but those who go shiftless will also go slowly, as the four-speed automatic suffers sky-high gearing: first is taller than the manual's second; fourth is taller than the manual's fifth (and that's before the higher final-drive ratio is factored in).... Read full article