(Sneak Peek) - Kia Spectra Hatchback

KiaWebmaster

Introducing the stylish Spectra.

Kia's newest model vehicle due out this spring.

An affordable hatchback with a 1.8-liter DOHC
engine.

It debuts this weekend at the LA Auto Show.

See it here first….
http://www.kia.com/future/index.html

lapurdy

Okay, so we won't complain about Kia using the Forum for shameless self-promotion. But if imitation is the finest form of flatery, Suzuki must be feeling pretty darn flattered. The interior of this "stylish" and "affordable" "newest" model looks, according to the photos, like a virtual clone of the current Esteem.

mzn

Well, it's our only Kia topic so we'll cut them some slack... ;-)

carlady/host

jefster

I posted some info on the Spectra in the 4-door hatchback topic area.
I welcome the Spectra to the marketplace and wish it well. We need some 4-door hatchbacks in the U.S. marketplace. In my opinion, the car looks good inside and out and I just may make my first ever trip to a Kia dealer.

occupant1

I'm still really excited about my next car idea...going to sell the clear titled Geo Metro and buy a salvage titled 1998-1999 Kia Sephia sedan for about $2,500. The Kias have such a poor resale value that even the most minor damage can total it out. Like one has a dent on the left rear door and some scuffing down the rest of the left side, good airbags, etc., and it's only $2,350. All I'll need will be the parts and I can do the parts changing myself so long as I get parts the same color as the car. The place is called Automotive Networks in Fairmount, Indiana. They sell cars to couriers and to professional rebuilders alike. The guy said he tries to keep plenty of late model Neons, Escorts, Kias, Hyundais, and the like around, so we can fix the cosmetics and drive them into the ground. It's not like we are going to worry about resale. A salvage titled car with 180K on it is worth about the same as a clean title car with 180K, which is next to nothing anyway. Automotive Networks (link: http://www.telebid.com ) isn't the only place though. Almost any junkyard has something that is rebuildable to sell that runs fine but needs cosmetic work, or was a theft recovery, or had a small fire, or hail damage, or water damage. The way I go through miles, I need to be doing this. Can't spend $12,000 on a new car to have it be worth $1,500 in five years. Might as well buy it salvaged for $3,000 and sell it later for the same $1,500, if it still runs.

billthecat

I saw a truckload of Spectra's on the way to a dealer just the other day.

occupant1

saw them at a local Kia dealer yesterday morning, they had four, three automatics for about $13,100 and a stick for $12,300 or so. All had air and CD player. I think they already have a $1000 rebate. Having a four-door hatchback would be nice, there aren't too many around, and there's even a topic on them in this conference.

wayneroe

I drove a Spectra this morning. Drove great and is quieter than the Sephia - they've added more seals around the doors. It's a really good looking car and has a lot of trunk space. With the rear seats down, you're looking at more cargo space than a Sportage. This was a GS with air, automatic, CD player, rear window wiper/washer, and a couple more options I don't remember right now. It was priced at 13,5XX. We're shopping with our son - we're already a 4 KIA family ((2 Sportages (95 & 96), 2 Sephias('94 & 99)) and have never had any of the problems we keep reading about. We don't know if he will get a Spectra or wait to see what the Rio is going to be like.

mzn

Have you seen our road test for the 2000 Kia Spectra? Take a look and then tell us what you think!

carlady/host

toyoman

if you look carefully at the specs for the sephia and the spectra, you will see that they're almost identical. Specially wheelbase, width, interior space,ect. I think we just got a new body with the same underpinnings and a hatch instead of a trunk.

143ally

Hey,

Maybe Kia has finally built something that is enjoyable to drive. But have they tested out the reliability. All I see in the consumer comment for both the Sportage and Sephia are negatives. Brakes die out, things break here and there. Maybe Kia did something right during the drive but now, can it last? Or is it going to fall apart in a year like the other ones.

J

mkim1

Working for a car company (starts w/ F), I try to read everything about every car on the road today. And I have to say that Edmunds is one of the best sources for honest opinions, which is hard to find nowadays, especially if you know how we automotive manufacturers entertain journalists during press releases (big-time wine & dining just to get some nice articles). However, when it comes to articles by Liz Kim of Edmunds, I have to agree w/ Gene555 on her biased opinions. Being a Korean myself, I hope Korean car companies do well, but I'd be the first one to point out what they're not doing right. But Miss Kim's comments on her articles (I've read 2-3 so far) are so biased that I sometimes wonder if she is suffering from the typical Asian-American-Princess syndrome, trying so hard to blend into the society that she attacks her own in order to fit in. Don't get me wrong. I think her writing style is very fresh and interesting. I just hope that Edmunds do not give her bunch of cars to review about that she might already have bias against even before driving it.

cwardlaw

I'm curious. How many different cars do some of the people posting in this topic drive in a year, let alone a week? The fact that the editors at Edmunds.com drive HUNDREDS of vehicles per year makes us uniquely qualified to determine if a given vehicle performs up to the standards of the class in which it competes. Prior to her trip to Las Vegas to drive the Spectra, Ms. Kim and the editorial team drove nine economy sedans back-to-back for a week. While we did not include the Spectra or the Sephia in the test, we did put more than 1,000 miles on the Daewoo Nubira and Hyundai Elantra. Is her review of the Spectra subjective? Yes. But the bigger question is: is it a rewrite of the drivel Kia supplied in the press kit and during presentations held at the car's introduction? No. Better still, her commentary is based, in part, on her lengthy time behind the wheels of the Spectra's primary competition. And that's what makes it both useful to the consumer and entertaining to read. If you want to read nothing but good things about a car or truck, go to a dealership and get a brochure. If you want honest opinions ungoverned by advertising dollars or the gifts doled out at press junkets, come to Edmunds.com.

mkim1

I admire your desire to defend your fellow editor. Re-reading Ms. Kim's article, as well as actually going to a Kia dealer to see the Spectra, I have to agree with her that the car's interior does look cheap.

I apologize if my comments earlier hurt Ms. Kim's feelings, but let's face it. She definitely doesn't like the car. In fact, I bet that she's a Honda Civic driver, just like many young Asians in California. I don't blame her. Having owned a '87 CRX & a '93 Civic myself, I know how good these Hondas are.

The thing is, the Spectra does not compete with Civics and Focuses. The typical Civic buyer would never look at a Kia. And the typical Kia buyer is so cash strapped (or value driven) that he/she will dismiss pricey Civics and look at Hyundai Accent or Geo Metro instead. I wished she would look at the value the Spectra represents (GS w/ A/C & Cassette for only $11,395) to the target customer and how it can out-accelerate a Civic DX.

I understand why she would've been biased against the Spectra, but I don't think that gives her the right to be so one-sided in her writing that the tone of the writing almost comes out condescending. All I'm pointing out is that readers might not see her articles as unbiased source of information.

p.s. As I mentioned before, I do like Edmunds' unbiased reviews, especially your articles. I like the way you show pros and cons of each vehicle without having to hammer it down. Keep the good articles coming!

chuck581

I bought a 2000 Kia Spectra GS last week and I am very pleased with my purchase. I baed my purchase partly on my own experiences. I purchased a 1997 Sephia RS new and had no problems with the car. It was a very basic car without many options other than auto/AC but it served me well. I had 44,000 miles on it when I traded it in. I had no significant problems with the car and had only to do regular routine maintenance. This was pretty amazing considering that everyone I know that purchased a new car around the same time as I did experienced more problems---and spent considerably more. Personally I think the basic Kias are a good value (especially if they are not loaded up with lots of options) for anyone who is looking to get the most for their money.

billthecat

Anyone??

mzn

yes?

carlady/host

gtkach

Hi all,

After running my 88 Festiva into the ground, I broke down and purchased a Spectra. I got the base 5 speed with AC being the only add on. The 5 speed was more peppy than the auto-transmission. I paid $11,200. I started looking at a similar pre-owned '99 Sephia with the same options and 24K miles for $7900. I felt that for only $3k more, it was worth going with a new car. I hope this car serves me as well as my Festiva. Time will tell.

banjopari

i read a lot of car magazines (i like caranddriver the best) so I was absolutely shocked and amazed at the low quality of writing in the liz kim article. It didn't have any of the tone of an objectively, written and professional journalistic article. my god. if she represents the typical "experienced" edmunds editor, then edmunds is a hack player in the auto writing business. it's one thing to be objectively critical, but kim's writing is venomous and silly. i was wondering if she had a personal bad history with the kia corporation. i can't believe the edmunds editorial board, if there is one, actually proofread her article and let it pass. the article is so subjective and so biased as to be worthless. i really doubt car&drive or even motor trend would've approved such a badly written article. give me a break, edmunds. perhaps edmunds should stick to just giving out invoice prices and let the pros write the editorials. bottom line, liz kim is a joke...whoever this sophomoric writer is. shame on edmunds.

mkim1

Ditto. See? I wasn't the only one who felt that Liz Kim's article was biased...

marby

Sure the Spectra is a nice looking car,but I will always be upset that Kia never brought the Pride (Fesiva) or Avella (Aspire) to the USA.I buy only very small, high fuel efficient cars.. I still consider the Spectra to be a tad too big and thirsty. With Chevrolet discontinuing the Metro and Suzuki the Swift. We are left with Toyota's new (but excellent) Echo, Hyundia's Accent and the "yeechy" little gas hog the Lanos.

occupant1

The Sephia and Spectra aren't that good either. Any car that gets better mileage with automatic transmission needs the final drive ratio changed. Automatic in the Sephia is 22/31, manual 23/29. Why?

Even the new Kia Rio sedan gets 27/32 with manual transmission. The automatic Lanos, Metro, Accent, and Echo all get better mileage than the stickshift Rio, let alone the Sephia or Spectra.

I had an automatic 1995 Metro for a while and it consistently got 30 city 34 highway just like the ratings, all the way until 112K!

Even my 1994 Cavalier automatic gets better mileage than the Kias. They seriously need to make their final drive ratios taller. I mean, 4.39:1 in a front drive stick shift with fifth as the only overdrive? Metro sticks have 3.61:1 I think, and heavy as they are with federal regulations they still get over 40mpg these days. Automatics have a 3.79:1 ratio, but only three gears, and no lockup, like the old 60's American cars, and they do better, too!

For my $8399, I'll buy a new Metro!

marby

An ECONOMY car of today should get 40+ mpg on highway !!!

sach1

Her review was so pre-conceived as an anti-Kia piece that she has no journalistic credibility. Want more proof? Check out the New for 2001 section that has a link on the opening page, and read her comments about the Toyota Echo. Edmunds does itself a disservice when it allows personal biases (how is her comment about the "lame Echo" related to a factual overview of upcoming model year changes?) to intrude upon onjective journalism.

marby

But if they were tops in their class they woldn't write for Edmunds !! They said (Edmunds) that a bicycle moves faster than a Ford Aspire, I drive my Aspire 75mph !
HOW DARE THEY INSULT TOYOTA !!!! mind you that they make the most reliable cars in the world.

ASHES TO ASHES,DUST TO DUST. IF IT WEREN'T FOR GM,FORD and CHRYSLER MY TOOLS WOULD RUST !!!

marby

thats WOULDN'T even the spell checker missed it.

jbach1

Who is the moron that insulted Toyota ?

giowa

Check out page 136 of September 2000 issue of Car and Driver for their review of Kia Spectra GSX. Too bad it was an automatic without ABS. Went 0-60 mph in "a leisurely 11.9 seconds" and a 19.0 second 1/4 mile. As for braking without ABS, hope you have good life insurance: "You couldn't wish for much more. Except, maybe, the optional Kelsey-Hayes-designed anti-lock brakes--an $800 option that would certainly improve OUR EMBARRASSING 70-TO-0 MPH BRAKING DISTANCE OF 236 FEET." (emphasis added) Their observed fuel economy was a miserable "17 mpg".

Looks like Kia might need to send this one back to drawing board. Takes almost a football field to stop, takes forever to get up to speed, and gets about the mileage of a Cadillac. At only $15,279 (without ABS but with pwr mirrors, CD, rear wiper-washer, and the Cruise Pkg), not sure I'd call it a bargain or a winner.

lowm

These cars are very poorly made! The tires they come with are the worst on the market! Brakes last less than 10,000 miles. And...parts cost a fortune

cdrake1

I just purchased a 2001 Kia Spectra GS Hatchback/Sedan. Would like to check in with others who have made recent purchases.

Bought it at the dealership where my brother-in-law works as a mechanic because they said they would give me the same deal they would give any other member of his family.

It's an automatic, with AC, Molding and Floor Mats. Paid $13,000 less a $500 Kia Rebate, so final price was $12,500.

Edmunds.com says invoice on that car would be $12,347 w/o incentives (which would make it $11,847 with the rebate.)

MSRP is listed at $13,275. Edmunds suggests a reasonable price of $12,640--or $12,140 with the rebate.

Now my sister thinks I should have been given a better deal, (her computer was broken and we were unable to get on line to do some checking on the price.)

The salesman said they were only going to make a total profit of $775 at $13,275, and he came down to $13,000 (less rebate)after a conference with the manager (the who who said he would treat me like family). We took their word it was a reasonable price.

I'm not looking to buy a car and not allow a reasonable profit for the dealership. BUT, what do you think?

Should they have been willing to come down to $12,640 less the rebate if they were truly going to "treat me as family", which I interpret as giving the best deal possible while still making a reasonable profit?

What is the price range others have paid for the 2001 Kia Spectra?