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Kia Spectra Sedan
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Comments
the drivers seat goes as far back as the passenger seat however that is still not back enough for a 5' 8" person like me.. i will play with it today to find out if its broken or not.. but it seems as if it dont go any farther as i have played with it before. mine is a US spec automatic. my knees are aching even after a short drive.. i hope i can move it back further will update the forum if i can...
I just had a thought about your leg room situation.
The Spectra comes with a six-way adjustable driver's seat. The seat bottom goes up and down, in addition to back and forth. There's an additional lever on the left-hand side with an arrow design on it. It's basically a ratcheting lever that lifts the seat bottom up first in the back and then in the front, etc. when the lever is lifted up.
Is it possible that this lever has the seat bottom tilted up more in the back vs. the front, thus making it uncomfortable for you?
If you haven't played with this particular adjustment, be sure to check it out.
Anecdotally, I recently had a 5' 11" friend drive my car, and when he sat down in the driver's seat, he actually had to move the seat forward (from my setting) to feel comfortable leg and arm-reach wise.
So... if you're only 5'8", I'm finding it hard to believe that you can't get comfortable in the new Spectra. Do you have an exceptionally long inseam, and thus legs?
Let us know about the whether you've been using the additional lever to adjust the seat.
-SM
thanks for the suggestion, the seat was sitting higher and the lever maxed out in the up position making the seat forward but not by much. I did try lowering the lever and it made it somewhat tolerable driving position. However now i have to sit very low where as i liked the old position of sitting higher was better. i still could use a lil more leg room. If i havent praised enough about the sound proofing then this cars got one of the best sound proofing of all cars i have ever owned. My other car is an 01 acura MDX. This car is a lot quieter than my mdx on the road. Kia sure took a page from toyotas book. Cars should be shielded from road noise and vibrations... kia is on the right page on this
This car rides as smooth as glass. I hardly feel it when being passed by a semi at 65mph. Also there are several spots on my commute that go through cuts in the rock so that you get crosswinds when you come out from the gaps. I feel hardly any instability in stiff crosswinds, unlike my SUV. It may be different at higher speeds. I feel a slight roll when entering on and off ramps at 40mph but it flattens at 35 and lower.
The fit and finish is excellent. I am impressed with the extras. The A/C has a filter the operator can clean. Auto shutoff of the passenger airbag if the seat is unoccupied. Fog lamps.
OK, it would be nice if the CD player worked with MP3s, but for 13 grand I'll burn my MP3s into WAVs that I can take with me.
So far this is a great car.
Kia vehicles aren't perfect, so you may need your Wanrranty. I have found my Kia retialers to be very fair if a repair or Warranty-item is needed.
Oh, your Kia Spectra sedan is also better looking than all the rest, of that you can rest assured. Even better looking than the Mazda 3. Enjoy your Spectra and come on back and share your Spectra experience with us!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
ok i got a 2004 kia spectra
14000 miles and the air bag light turns on I bring it to the dealer to fix it they took hours....
finaly thay ask me if its ok to pull the center console "were coffie cups are put "
apparently the drink holders leaked
and what is under the Leaky coffie holders ?
the advanced air bag computer !! my coffie was sloshing and the liquids were pooling around the electronic device causing it to rust..
this air bag computer part cost 800$ At first they were saying its not covered under the warranty
When they said "not covered" I fliped out causing a huge scene in the dealership. At whitch point they agreed to replace the part .
So dont drink liquids in your kia or it might cost you big time
this is no joke real
Epilogue:
I email the poster of this complaint to see how the liquid *actually* got under the console, since the cup holders appear (to me) to be leak-free, even if a drink is sloshed into them.
The verdict? The poster's drink cup was dropped and spilled down around the much more vulnerable emergency break handle slot right next to the driver.
So..... be VERY careful with any drinks or other liquids in the front seat area of your new Spectra, and don't allow them to spill onto the emergency brake handle area OR the auto trans shifter slot for that matter!
Else you may have some 'splainin to do to the KIA Service Manager! :-)
-SM
That's effective use of the Internet tool, huh?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Exterior:
Delete fog lights on EX 4-door model
Delete 15-inch factory-installed alloy wheel option on EX 4-door model
(available as dealer installed option)
Interior:
Delete sunroof option on EX 4-door model
Road and Track just confirmed these changes in their recent issue.
I agree with Shawn's statement:
"I really think they made a mistake removing the fog lights and moonroof option from the EX version if this is true. And hopefully the dealers will add on the alloys. Anyway, I think this makes the EX very much less competitive with the competition and the Elantra GLS especially with the removal of the moonroof."
I would definitely regret not having these options on my Spectra EX, and would not like being forced into buying the more "boy-racer" SX to get them. It's these options that help push the Spectra EX into a more upscale experience.
Mechanical:
New 4-speed A/T (except SULEV models in CA, MA, ME, NY, VT)
New-generation transmission is lighter in weight, more durable and provides improved operation
This was definitely news to me. R&T didn't mention this one. I'm not surprised, since erratic shifting was the only problem I've seen mentioned on another KIA-centric Spectra message forum. Most of the problems were solved with some reprogramming of the transmission software. I've experienced no transmission problems at all after 13k miles. I'm really hoping that the new transmission was implemented primarily for the weight savings (thus MPG) and NOT the "more durable" adjective above!!!! :surprise:
I know that KIA's probably trying to improve the profitability of the now "standard" Spectra, but the sunroof, alloy wheels, and fog lights should still be be available at least as an extra-cost feature package on the EX.
I'm the type of guy that likes those features, but doesn't like his front spoiler being scraped off every time I pull into a parking spot.
-SM
I agree I don't like having to choose a Spectra SX to get the options they dropped for 2006. Though I like the Spectra SX because of the 16" rims and sportier suspension I don't like the lower ground effects package - especially on the sedan.
Happy motoring,
Shawn
I just did the first oil change on my girlfriend's 05 Spectra EX at 2600 miles. I was expecting the job to be as easy on the Spectra as the Elantra. Anyway, everything was similiar except for removing the oil filter. The oil filter is in the exact same location (duh since they use the same engine) as the Elantra but the oil filter is cover by a splash guard that runs under the entire front bumper. I had to remove almost all the screws to be able to get at the oil filter. I wish they had made it similiar to Elantra where they had a small access panel (three bolts) to get to the oil filter. Hopefully they design this in when they do the mild refresh in a few years from now.
Happy motoring,
Shawn
but unless KIA can fix the problem I will be forced to use the lemon law. Would appreciate any feedback.
~Blake
~Blake
- My car warms up fast too... it is a treat in the winter as the others were claiming. The interesting thing I've noticed is that the temp reading is *very* consistent. Whether it's below freezing out or 95 degrees, the needle goes up to one notch below the middle and stays there regardless of whether I'm driving on the highway or in stop-and-go traffic in the city.
- Hey Blaketendo: Is your car a 5-speed manual? My automatic turns a lot less RPM's than 3000 at 66 mph.
- No thuds in my trunk. As mentioned, I'd check the spare tire well for any loose objects. Also make sure that the fold down rear seatbacks are securely latched. If the noise persists, you may have to fold the seatbacks down, and have someone crouch in the rear with their head semi-stuck into the trunk area to see if the source of the noise can be pinpointed better. They may be able to tell if it sounds like a suspension issue, or something loose rolling around in the rear inner fenders, etc. This would best be done in a parking lot somewhere. :-)
-SM
~Blake
~Blake
Broadband recommended, and Macromedia Flash required
Well worth a tour... it has many interactive screens showing just why our Spectras/Ceratos feel so substantial and are so quiet. Be sure to check out the NVH tab.
http://www.kia-cerato.com/base.html
It's a sort of a bummer that the North American market doesn't have access to the leather seats and the automatically controlled climate control system!
-SM
...or the Solar Panel Glass. It could also be that North American market doesn't have all of the sound insulation features either as featured in your link.
But so far my experience has been that my 05 Spectra has a really solid feeling and is a very quiet car. It's quieter than my wife's 05 Acura MDX which is also quiet but her's has slightly more wind noise at higher speeds.
I read that the Sorrento had this problem but reprogramming computer seemed to fix problem. If anyone has this problem would like to hear about it.
The rear window defrost button never shuts off. In other cars I've owned, if you turn the rear window defrost on, after 10 minutes or so the defrost will automatically shut itself off. This does not appear to be the case with the Spectra. I've let it go around 15 minutes and shut it off myself. In the grand scheme of things, this is no big deal--just curious.
Anyone notice this?
I think this is normal behavior. My 2004.5 EX does the same thing.
I do think that there's a timeout though.... but it's exceptionally long. Maybe like 20-30 minutes or something like that. I swear that I have had mine turn off on occasion when I'm driving a long time.
But like yourself, I usually just flip it off when everything is clear. Why tax that quality-made Korean battery/alternator when you don't have to? (That's a humorous little dig at KIA based on some battery issues that I've read on some of the other KIA-based forums regarding the perceived short life of the OEM batteries.)
Hopefully our batteries will go the usual 4+ years. Time will tell.
-SM
http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/24hour/autos/story/2765925p-11367744c.html
WASHINGTON (AP) - Kia Motors America Inc. said Thursday it was recalling more than 70,000 LD Spectra sedans because the computer operating the air bag system could confuse a child seat for an adult in the front passenger seat.
The recall, which will begin in late October, involves vehicles from the 2004-2005 model years.
-SM
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I ordered the Euro-Perf, with "sand" on top/bottom and "brown" sides.
I perfed the top/bottom sections as shown in Wheelskins brochure, but KIA perfs the sides on their factory leather covered wheels. So... you need to make a choice. Wheelskins will actually perf the whole wheel for no added cost, so that's an option too. Be warned that the it takes a few minutes to install.... there's over 105 stitches on there to make!!!!
Here's a picture of mine again, for those wondering what the heck we're talking about! :-)
So far I'm *lovin* the feel of a real leather wheel again. I've always had a leather cover on my steering wheel going back to high school. The factory KIA wheel offered good grip, but its surface was a bit rough on the hands. Now when the wheel snaps back through my hands, it's smooth and soft! But... the grip is still good if I latch on. The leather isn't the least bit slippery.
-SM
nice steering wheel cover. Quick question is your stereo aftermarket? mine is totally diff from yours. mine looks like a double din and i was looking for an aftermarket kit to put in a pioneer in place.. if yours is aftermarket could u pls tell me what kit you used.. thank you in advance
My radio is completely factory stock. The 2004.5 Spectra sedans came with a low profile CD player. Thus, I have two cubbies below my radio.
Here's a factory photo of what it looks like straight on:
So far I've had no problems whatsoever with it, and it sounds great by my standards. There's no MP3 or satellite radio capabilities though, which I know are starting to be options to look for.
-SM
Does anyone know if the dealer has the means to fix it now, or do I have to wait for the recall?
I come outside to find frost on the Spectra this morning.... no big deal since it IS mid-October and I'm in Michigan! It's a beautiful clear morning, and the sun is just starting to fall on my car.
I start the car up, hit the defrost button and dig the scraper out of the trunk. The frost comes off the windows quickly, and I hop back in the car.
As I sit there waiting for my kids to come out (so I can take them to school), my eye catches some movement on both sides of the car. I look over and my mirror is smoking! And so is the other one!
I chuckle when I realize that it was simply my Spectra's heated external mirrors doing their thing and melting the frost that had also formed on them. It's been so many months since I've seen frost that I'd forgotten about this feature!
Life is good. :-)
-SM
I am in the midst of digging my '01 Kia Sportage 4x4 to the full, too. I do not have heated mirrors, however. Very cool feature. Kia and Hyundai are marvelous car makers.
spectraman, has Kia hinted at a re-design for the Spectra sedan and Spectra5 at all? 2008 or so? Not that they need one, just wondering if they've mentioned a re-design planned for the distant future.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog/automotive/1820596.html
"....given that Kia is the second fastest growing automotive brand in the last 5 years (with sales up 68 percent), its cars are priced from roughly $11K to $26K, and they all have that awesome 10-year/100,000-mile warranty, it means we're all going to see a lot more of Kia as it tries to build and sell affordable cars for everyman in every market.
Gee, that last part sounds a lot like Chevrolet. And Hunt didn't denounce the analogy"
-SM
Len Hunt is glad to get a crack at running Kia Motors. The new COO of the Korean carmaker's U.S. unit had been tapped to run worldwide marketing for Bentley at Volkswagen. "I looked at my schedule of one posh glad-handing event after another, many of them on the weekends, and I thought I'm too young for that kind of life," said Hunt during a recent chat in New York.
( snip )
At Kia, Hunt doesn't plan to do too much tinkering with the master plan. "I'm not changing the blueprint, because the strategy is right," says Hunt. His biggest surprise, he says? That the Spectra beat Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic on J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Survey.
He does plan to talk to his new Korean bosses about juicing up some versions of Kia's products. A turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Spectra5 is on his wish list.
-SM
Has anyone else noticed this?
If the above doesn't make sense don't worry about it, but chime in with your interpretation of it if you want.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick