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http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehicle_Reviews/Sedans_and_Coupes/2005_Kia_Spectra_vs_2005- - _Suzuki_Reno.S180.A8508.html
Looks like the Reno just wins this shoot-out, at least from a daily driver perspective. The Spectra gets the nod for those more inclined to sporty driving.
-SM
The second problem I have had is the driver side center console vent does not work with the direction dial. You can control it up and down but not side to side. Again I showed this to my dealer and they are ordering a new vent free of charge.
The latest problem is with the front bumper. The decorative molding that rides low apparently has lost two screws or they were never installed. The piece is held on with four screws and I have lost the center two. Now the bumper rides low in the front and has fallen out of the two holes holding it in place. This is also being taken care of next week.
Hey don't get me wrong, I love the car. I am even still really happy with the dealer. I am not writing this to warn people about my problems. if anything I am writing this to 1) Praise my local dealer for doing everything possible to help me, and 2) give a "heads up" notice to all my fellow Spectra5 owners. Check those screws holding the front accent on, they may be loose. By the way if anyone is wondering I have 12,000 miles on my Spectra5.
Thanks,
Dekan
But if what you want is a economical small car that is absolutely no fun to drive and not outstanding in design, refinements or power... then go for the GM Daewoo/suzuki built car.
7000km on the Kia S5, no problems yet.
Overall I thought it was a pretty good comparo review of the two cars and highlighted the differences quite well. I think the Spectra5 is the superior car overall, but given that Renos can be had in my town for about $11k, I think it's a lot of car for the money and quite acceptable for the around-town driving most people do.
"Kia soon will offer a variety of budget-priced but dealer-installed body, exhaust and wheel packages for those who want to give their Spectra a "sport compact" treatment."
"...If warranty issues can be addressed, Kia would like to offer a supercharger option to boost the output of the Spectra's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine from its stock 138 to more than 200 horsepower.
I recently drove several souped-up Spectra 5 prototypes and was impressed with the quality of the parts for the body kit and with both the look and the tone provided by the cat-back exhaust system.
The lowering springs make the car's handling more dynamic. That performance can be enhanced by 18-inch wheels and high-performance tires; cars I tried wore Goodyear Eagle F1s or even grippier Nitto Neo Gens.
The supercharger installation fits nicely between the engine and firewall. For those who can afford another $3,000, the performance boost is impressive."
=============================
200 hp with a supercharger, eh? Wow. I wonder if they've got any goodies in their engineering grab-bag to handle the ensuing torque-steer that's bound to come with such a HP increase?
-SM
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Anyone else with a Spectra5, what kind of gas mileage are you all getting? Closer to the 30's or the 20's?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
MPG: City - 25, Highway - 33
PS I love My S5.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
just though that you would like to know, be carefull not to run out of gas early.
Thanks Kia.
Geo.
It may turn into a Korean shootout for my next car: Spectra5 vs. Elantra 5 vs. Reno... and if I wait until the new models come out, I may even give the Rio/Accent a looky-see.
I also like the new Spectra5 and have it firmly plopped onto my futures list.
Make sure you keep us posted of your Kia decisions. If I'm gonna dink around on the Internet I at least want the information I glean to be important information.
Come on down Tragically Hip! Don't just play Cananada!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I was looking around with my son (he's a freshman in high school; this purchase will likely be the car he takes college). After looking at the Spectra5, the Elantra & the Suzuki Aerio & Reno, we went over to the Scion dealer, since I've been looking at the xA. While there we decided to check out all the Scions. If it was just for me, I would prefer the tC coupe.... very very nice, especially for the price, about $17k, including a two-pane sunroof. I figured we would be settling on the xA, and my son saw the xB. He asked, "What's *that*?" so we had the salesman open it up for us. He got in and he was sold, and I have to admit that I was too. There is just SO MUCH room in there, and the materials used on the Scion interiors just seem to be better quality than the Korean models. The auto writers say the new Korean models are up there with the Japanese models. The auto writers lie.
I guess I can save some money up front buying Korean, but the Scions get much, much better gas mileage. I haven't yet driven the xB, so that could change my mind, but my other son's 95 Escort with 110,000 miles rides a lot better than any of the Korean choices... and has much better acceleration.
I'm happy to say that I just returned from the cottage & the drive was great. I took the longer scenic route up, but coming home took the highway the entire way and am happy overall with how the car handled. Loved having cruise again, it's definitely a treat.
I was fairly conservative with the drive, however am still pleased with the spunk that I mustered out of her. Passed with no problem, and found it to be a very quiet ride. I did notice that the engine got a bit louder at @ 120km/hour, but quieted right down as soon as the needle was at @ 118. Not sure if this is just me getting used to it, but it was enough of a difference for me to make mention of it. No shimmying noted though - I had read that on an earlier message. So, the first milestone has passed with flying colours!
I'm at approximately 300km & have just over half a tank of gas left. Will be interested to see how many clicks on a full tank.
That's my update for now - am going to go & give her a rinse to keep the volcano blast red shining!
Hope everyone has a nice 4th of July! :shades:
Question for ya (and any Spectra5 owners for that matter): How's the stock Spectra5 stereo rock? Nice and loud? Deep bass (I mean, to a degree)?
If it's anything like the stock stereo in my '01 Kia Sportage 4x4 it would fit the bill just fine.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Could have been an expectations thing because when I drove the Elantra & Spectra, it was after reading glowing reviews by many, as well as a few reports of the 70 mph vibration thing. So I was expecting either great or terrible, and when I felt a little vibration, perhaps I made it out to be worse than it was.
On the other hand, I drove the Reno and Aerio with the express purpose of eliminating them from my list. I think I set my expectations so low that they both exceeded them by so much it shocked me. If the Reno had fuel economy numbers of, say, 25/34 instead of 22/30, my mind would already be made up. But as it is, I've seen reports on the Suzuki forum that some Renos don't even get 20 mpg... pretty bad if you asked me.
That said, if Suzuki listens to its customers, it may tweak the Reno/Forenza engine to get a little better mileage for the 2006 MY.
Doubtful. it's a Daewoo, not a Suzuki anyway. And one place the Koreans always seem to finish last is MPG efficiency...they seem to have more trouble getting higher efficiency out of their engines.
I am kinda of a new 2005 Kia Spectra Ex owner. OK, its actually my girlfriend (I helped her with the decision quite a bit though). Anyway, we were debating between an Elantra GLS vs a Spectra EX. Both were very similiar in feel, workmanship, quality, and driving dynamics but the more modern interior of the Kia; and since this generation is only a year old, it last another 4 years, we decided on the Spectra EX. Another factor was the side curtain airbags. Also, I have a 2005 Elantra GT already and getting a GLS would nearly be the same.
We got a White 2005 Spectra EX with auto, moonroof, alloys and cruise control. It was without the rear spoiler (I actually don't like the Spectra's rear spoiler as it looks too ricy). I looked for ABS everywhere but couldn't find it. Its a really nice vehicle. Its near silent at idle (similiar to Elantra). I would say that the quality of the materials on the interior would beat the Elantra. I always thought that the Elantra had the best quality on the interior of anything in its price range until I looked at the Kia. My friend who owns a 2000 Civic and a 2005 Infinit G35 was amazed on the quality of the interior also. The other thing I noticed is that the doors felt a tad bit heaver on the Spectra than the Elantra. It almost seems as though the side impact door beams are a bit heavier. Another nice feature of the Spectra that I wish my GT had is that it has a remote trunk button on its FOB.
Doohickie,
I have been reading your posts about your next car purchase. My previous car to my GT was a 2003 Suzuki Aerio SX with the 2.0L. I had the car up until end of May when I sold it. I would say that both Hyundai and Kia are definitely superior cars in quality and craftsmanship. The Aerio didn't have the fit or finish that Hyundai has - especially on the interior. Also, the Aerio's engine was noticeably noiser at idle. Though slightly cruder than both Hyundai and Kia it was a darn good car. I only had 1 problem outside of routine maintenance. The catalytic converter went out and was replaced under warranty. This was in in 57K miles when I sold it.
Oh, I briefly took the Spectra Ex to 70 mph and no vibration. Also, my GT doesn't have any vibration at or above 70 mph also.
Good luck on your purchase decision.
Happy motoring to all.
Shawn
love my spectra
Geo.
had one on a loner basis when my previous GM pos was in the shop. and this her are only a few reasons why i think the S5 is a much MUCH better car.
OPTRA5 Spectra5
119hp 138hp
126@4000 torque 136@4500
2 airbags 6 airbags /active head rests
mp3 optional mp3 standard
mpg (combined 30) mpg (combined 34)
15" wheels 16" wheels
I could go on but you already know i bought the Spectra5.
I will have to drive all the cars again, and see what kind of year-end deals they offer. Most of the rebates I had figured into my numerical ratings expired on June 30 or July 5; I need to see what they're offering in September or October when I'm actually ready to buy.
For once in my life, I actually have time to look over the field and make an informed decision; now that I'm there I wish I were in more of a hurry! Heh...
1. It makes peak torque at lower rpm's, giving it a slightly better off-the-line jump (my perception; YMMV).
2. I preferred the ride feel of the Reno to Elantra/Spectra. It felt more glued to the road (again, my perception).
3. It's stereo sounded better to me. I know it's shallow to prefer one car over another based on the stereo, but it really jumped out at me. (The Aerio's stereo was also good.)
These are all things that don't show up on paper, and all the stuff you cite is a convincing argument. But cars are more than numbers on paper, aren't they? It's funny, but the things I liked about the Reno are cited in many reviews as actually being worse than in the Spectra and/or Elantra. Maybe I'm getting old, but I actually prefer a softer ride to excess road feel.
I'll bop around the forums for a while and probably stay away from the car lots, then go back in September just prior to buying I guess, and then I'll decide.
On paper, the best cars for me are the Accent & Rio, followed by the Scion xA, Elantra GT 5 dr, Spectra5 and Aerio, with the xB, Focus and Reno also in the running. On paper, Accent and Rio are #1 & 2, but I wouldn't buy them as they are and have to wait for the 06 models come out to see if I like them... and I'm not sure Accent will have a hatch version. So that leaves a shootout between the xA and the Koreans. My son really likes the xB, so I'll probably keep that on my list as well, at least for now.
Shawn said:
Oh, I briefly took the Spectra Ex to 70 mph and no vibration. Also, my GT doesn't have any vibration at or above 70 mph also.
For the record, my Spectra EX with 10,000+ miles has no vibration at 70 mph, nor even speeds in excess of 80 mph.
Could the grooved road explanation in a previous post have some validity? I know that there are several semi-truck "grooved" highways around the Detroit area that have the tendency to make all my vehicles either wander or give weird steering wheel feedback.
-SM
With the improvements to safety, the Spectra5 would be on my list if I bought today.
I'm aware of the phenomenon you're talking about, and that wasn't it.
Oh... and check out my latest question on the Which Hatchback forum, backy. :confuse:
Tough call between the other 3, but I would probably skip the Spectra because it's so heavy. (almost 3000 ponds) The Reno has by far the most toys.
My ranking is:
1. Suzuki Aerio (this car has everything)
2. Suzuki Reno (for the toy lover - arguably the best looking)
3. Hyundai Elantra (Could be the winner for the right price)
4. Kia Spectra (loses on weight and crash test results - but I like the looks)