2005 Kia Spectra Driving Impressions Review at Automotive.com
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Kia
Spectra
2005

2005 Kia Spectra Review: Road Test

Below is a full, detailed 2005 Kia Spectra review and road test from New Car Test Drive. A full evaluation of price, equipment, the driving experience, and specs are all here in a structured, easy-to-navigate format from journalists with limitless ex ...     read more
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2005 Kia Spectra Review

A nice little car that's easy to live with.
Driving Impressions
The Kia Spectra is not a hot rod, 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. (Models with automatic transmissions sold in California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont offers slightly less power due to those states' stricter emission standards; on the other hand, they qualify as Super Low Emissions Vehicles.)

Downshifts with the automatic transmission could be smoother, however. Also, we found it too easy to select 3rd gear instead of Drive when shifting out of Park or Reverse.

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. Which they do, and quite well, as road noise and other mechanical sounds are remarkably mute, in the base LX as well as in the up-level models. For the most part, wind noise is minimal, too, except for an occasional low moan from the front passenger's side window in strong, left-to-right crosswinds.

Review Sections
• Introduction
• Lineup
• Walkaround
• Interior
• Driving Impressions
• Summary & Specifications
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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, these sporty models' P205/50R16 tires (compared P195/60R15 for the LX and EX) should sharpen steering response and pump up cornering power.

The brake pedal in the test car was a bit mushy, but not enough to cause concern. Next Page


2005 Kia Spectra
  
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