#1 Cochran Automotive

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Driving Impressions

The Kia Spectra is not a hot hatch, but its performance is respectable. Power output is generally well above the competition's. Acceleration is good, better with the manual than with the automatic, of course, but the automatic offers more than adequate power even for high-speed, long-distance cruising.

Downshifts with the automatic transmission could be smoother. Also, we found it too easy to select third gear instead of Drive when shifting out of Park or Reverse, not that unusual but something to watch.

The Spectra is an economy car with a four-cylinder engine, so occupants are going to hear engine buzz under hard acceleration in the lower gears (with both the manual and automatic transmissions). Only while cruising in the top gears do things truly quiet down. For the most part, wind noise is minimal except for an occasional low moan from the front passenger's side window in strong, left-to-right crosswinds.

Ride quality is solid, not too firm. We found a daylong 400-mile drive wasn't unusually tiring.

Handling and steering are good in the LX and EX, considering the car's height and its tallish tires. Put another way, the alloy wheels deliver more in looks than performance. When pushed, the car eases into understeer (plowing), which is common for front-wheel-drive economy cars.

We haven't tried the Spectra5 or the sporty SX sedan. Both come with a strut-tower brace to stiffen the unit-body, and heavier-duty springs and shocks biased more for handling and less for ride comfort. If nothing else, their P205/50R16 tires (compared with P195/60R15 tires for the LX and EX) should sharpen steering response and pump up cornering power.

We found the brake pedal a bit mushy, but not enough to cause concern.

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