Our test car was fully loaded with options, pushing the price tag dangerously over $16,000.
#2001 kia spectra full#
The GLX seems a better deal, including an upgraded interior, full power features, body enhancements, alloy wheels and standard AC. The base model of the Spectra starts at $10,795, but it’s a Spartan creature, with air-conditioning as a $900 option. The interior of the GLX is comfortable with supportive seats and decent space front and rear, considering the outside dimensions. Brake response is strong and effective, but really, this kind of safety gear should be standard, just like air bags. The test car was equipped with antilock brakes, an $800 option that includes rear discs instead of drums. For a pint-size, low-cost passenger car, the Spectra displays solid cornering capabilities. But what the stiffened suspension costs in ride quality, it pays back in handling. That doesn’t make Spectra handle like a Lotus Esprit, but it helps.Īs it is, I found the ride to be choppy over nearly all road surfaces with an unpleasant tendency to rumble and vibrate. Kia touts that British manufacturer and chassis-tuner Lotus helped with the design and execution. The Spectra escapes being just another droning econobox by its responsive steering and well-sorted suspension.
#2001 kia spectra manual#
A manual transmission would be beneficial. With a small-displacement four-banger, making just 125 horsepower, and modest torque, the automatic just sapped too much of the power. Unfortunately, the Spectra press car was significantly challenged by its automatic transmission. Still, I could appreciate the level of features and refinement in this little critter, which serves as the Korean automaker’s sporty model. As a bona fide middle-ager, I felt self-conscious driving a bright-red Spectra with a bright-yellow X on its tail. An unsubtle logo on the rear deck puts the “X” in bigger type and bright yellow. The youthful appeal is emphasized in the GLX. I think a hatchback works better for a subcompact car than a minuscule trunk. Now in its second year, the Spectra comes in one body design, a four-door hatchback, which is popular in Europe and Asia, but not in the United States. The performance is hardly stellar, but it’s no dog, either. New-car offerings in the sub-$15,000 range are mainly pathetic compromises, basic transportation and little more.īut for a base price just under $13,000, the Spectra’s upgraded GLX model comes with a full load of features, a great warranty and a sporty appearance that should appeal to even the most style-conscious. Kia Spectra answers a question being asked by more and more people, especially younger drivers: What’s out there that is stylish, practical and fun but doesn’t cost a fortune?įor most, the answer is: a used car.
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